Ground Grid, Dynogrid etc etc - anyone used this?

[valve90210]

Hi All

At some point, one of the projects on my new house will be sorting the front garden. At present there is a concrete driveway and an area of grass, which has been parked on and has a couple of slabs which ahve sunk into the ground...it's essentially a mess.

My plan, in an ideal world would be to leave the driveway as it's fine really and as it'll be me doing the job I don't want to be smashing it all up and starting again!

Now, for the grass I'd like to use one of the products in the thread title, ground grid or dynogrid or something similar

examples:
http://www.rockwell-meriden.co.uk/shop/category.asp?c=130
http://www.wickes.co.uk/ground-base-grid/invt/222130/

If you don't know what it is, well, essentially it's squares of plastic griding about 30cm square and about 4cm deep which is laid down then filled with either gravel or earth.

One filled it can be used for parking, or pathways etc. Grass can grow through it so it looks good, and if using gravel it holds it in place so you don't end up with messy gravel or ruts etc.

Now, my question, has anyone used this stuff before?

I've been reading up and seen that it requires laying it on a prepared base which is essentially a hardcore layer topped with a layer of sandy for getting it level.

The grass area at the front of the house is your typical patch of post building site ground, which not much top soil and crappy earth with rubble etc in it. Do you think this would suffice considering I only really want to have the grid
in place so it's ok for parking on, on rare occasions when we have visitors etc?

 

[Nightglow]

Numerous brands available, I've use 'Bodpave' in the past, laid properly it will take a Load Bearing Capacity: up to 150 tonnes per sqm (crush resistance).
You can fill grids with gravel,shingle, or soil mixed with grass seed.
And use a Geotextile Fabric before laying sub base a type 3 or similar material.

http://www.boddingtons-ltd.com/prod...hp?gclid=CN_n0t7FmLcCFdDJtAodRHAAjg#anchor111

 

[valve90210]

Numerous brands available, I've use 'Bodpave' in the past, laid properly it will take a Load Bearing Capacity: up to 150 tonnes per sqm (crush resistance).
You can fill grids with gravel,shingle, or soil mixed with grass seed.
And use a Geotextile Fabric before laying sub base a type 3 or similar material.

http://www.boddingtons-ltd.com/prod...hp?gclid=CN_n0t7FmLcCFdDJtAodRHAAjg#anchor111

What do you reckon on my situation regarding the nature of the front grass area I currently have? Will it be ok even if I'm not able to dig out and fill a 200m hardcore bed as it's only going to be for occassional use?

 

[Nightglow]

200mm

Off the top of my head, Bodpave 85 only need 30mm -50mm sub base compacted, I think, I usually use 4x1 treated, to make a frame to contain Bodpave 40mm + 50mm sub base, you can then get away with using geotextile then.

Great thing with bodpave, it has built in spikes to stop it moving.

 

[valve90210]

Sorry, my brain isn't working well this evening, can you explain that in terms a 2 year old might understand...lol

Do you mean box in the area, then dig out the top a bit, put down the geotextile stuff then fill with 50mm of sub base (would broken up bricks and concrete etc be ok for this?) compacted down (could I do this without need of a..erm one of those pneumatic squashing down type things?) then put the grid down?

Not sure what make of grid I'll end up using as I might be able to get it free from work...they have loads knocking about and the estate bursar said they could probably spare some for me...so fingers crossed...

 

[Nightglow]

Go to this link http://www.boddingtons-ltd.com/prod...ing/bodpave-85-grass-pavers-gravel-pavers.php

Then go to downloads Bodpave 85 Reduced Dig SDI installation & design guide.

Dig out area you required to a depth of 100mm, install wood framework, using geotextile has the benefits of stopping the sub base sinking into the ground, it's optional, depending on ground condition existing hardcore, as long as it's well compacted you should be ok
If you already have hardcore there, then, you just need to dig a narrow trench deep enough to accommodate the 4x1 frame.
Keep the area size (length x width)your using to whole tiles, save waste cutting them to fit, but pavers can be offset by 1 cell increments for curves / obstructions

Whether you need further sub base depend on existing hardcore, see the link for more details.

Wickes price £34.52 per SQM is expensive, you can find good deals for Bodpad 85 on the Boddingtons online shop, the bay, need to shop around for best price.

 

[valve90210]

Cheers, that's really helpful info, will be hard work but worth it I think. I will need to fill the area with hardcore which might prove tricky though I might ask a friend of mine who is in construction if he might be able to get me any for free...

Keeping my fingers firmly crossed that I might be able to get the grid from work for nothing or at least very cheap...

 

[Nightglow]

A good foundation is hard work, but there is nothing worse than skimping at the start, then find a few months later the grids start to settle & move about.

Before I laid the concrete hardstanding here, I had grids, they cope perfectly with a skip lorry & a loaded 8 ton skip, slightly heavier than your average car though.

I got 30 tons of used scalpings, slightly more than the 5 tons I wanted, free from a job being done, just down the road from me, was cheaper to give it to me free, than haul it away.

 

[valve90210]

True, to be fair digging 100mm deep over the front will probably be less work than digging the trench I did in the back garden!

What did you do with the remaining 25tons? lol

 

[Nightglow]

Used it everywhere, infill to level up site, before laying concrete slab for new workshop, subase for a new footpath, tons of it on the existing track, gave some of it away & 12 months later I still had several tons, more like 5 tons left pile up.
Ended up spreading the rest of it on the track, just too much, was a shame to spread it.

They were laying a tarmac car park down the road, so I gave the roller driver a few quid to come & roll it, he didn't bring the little hand roller, but a stonking big Tandem Vibrating Roller, it certainly compacted the track.

 

[valve90210]

Well, having spoken to the facilities department about the grid they have laying around unused I was told I can help myself, so yesterday I loaded the car up and got most of what I need. Today I have emptied everything possible out of the car and will load up again to get the rest and hopefully enough to do an area at my parents house too.

This will have saved me at least £300!!!

I'm excited to get on with this now, though I know it will be a lot of work and will still cost a fair bit with having to get aggregate etc.

I'm struggling to decide on whether to backfill with soil and grass the area or whether to go with gravel.

Grass would look nicer as it will give a nice patch of green which I do feel makes a frontage look nice. However it will need a fair bit of maintenance, mowing etc.

Gravel on the other hand with require no maintenance beside the occasion sweep here and there.

I intend to have beds round three of the sides of the grided area which could be stuffed full of lovely plants giving a nice bit of colour and life even if the grid is gravel filled.

The grass would also conceal the grid rather more than the gravel would and seeing as the grid is rather haevier duty than a lot of the grids I have seen online that would be a good thing...

AHHHHH can't decide!!!


Whatever I decide to do I have the plan for the installation taking shape in my head already though I'm sure it needs some work. I'm thinking dig down 100mm or so, a layer of geotextile fabric, then a 50mm layer of 10 - 20mm aggregate, (which I believe would need to be compacted?), another layer of geotextile then if grass seeding a layer of topsoil/sand mix or if gravelling just sand which the grid will be laid onto to give my flush level?

Does that sound about right?

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

Eagerly awaiting you getting yours done, I was thinking of getting the front garden gutted and having the same done, couldn't decide wether gravel or a nice grass either lol

 

[Nightglow]

Definitely need to compact the subase, you laid a 75mm layer, it will compact down to 50mm without to much trouble.

You will only need the one layer of Geotextile, then subase, then grids if you use gravel or soil, but some people do use a second layer of Geotextile if using soil.
I myself would prefer grass, if the grids are white then you could get away with gravel.

 

[valve90210]

I figured as much re the subbase, been investigating hiring a compactor, not hugely expensive so shouldn't be a problem! I did wonder how much it compacts down when using aggregate so tis good to know!

The grid is black and has wall which are thicker than most of the stuff I've seen online, probably 8-10mm (it's clearly very heavy duty stuff!!) So thinking gravel might look a mess. Despite the extra maintenance, the grass will probably be the option I go for.

One thing I've literally no idea about, is how much aggregate I'm going to need? The area I'm covering is approximately 4.5m x 3.9m and I need a 50mm layer once compacted...so how much would I need...and what do I ask for when trying to find a supplier?

 

[Nightglow]

Compaction all depends on your soil, you need 2 tons of MOT Type 1 subase, based on your area of 17.55m2 & allowing 75mm for compacting.
I would also make your subase a lttle larger than your grids are, stops the edge from breaking away.


http://www.awbsltd.com/calculators.asp

TIP: Always buy your scalpings when weather is dry, that way your not paying for water.

 

[valve90210]

Thanks, that's really helpful!

should I be asking for MOT Type 1 Scalpings? ( That's what I've seen on various sites?) Of something else?

 

[Nightglow]

Scalpings (MOT Type 1) same thing basically, just depends where in the UK you are as to what name is used.

I rounded up my figure to 2 tons to allow for compacting, based on your rough dimensions, might need a bit more, only you can work out that final amount.

You using a wooden surround to contain the subase?

 

[valve90210]

Cool, cheers.

Yep will be using wooden surround to contain it...as per your suggestion earlier in the thread!

Have just loaded my car up with more grid, I now have plenty (I need 65(ish) for the area I'm doing) and I now have 114 pieces, so should be enough to do my parents area too!

 

[valve90210]

Just called a place for the aggregate 2 tonnes would work out at about £106 delivered, does that sound about right? I'm in kent if that makes any difference...

 

[Nightglow]

I would paid around £52 for a jumbo bag, & £45 maybe slightly less per ton loose, was getting it at £38 per ton from a local firm, but they got taken over by big builder merchants.
A Jumbo or Bulk bag is usually around 850kg, so under a ton.

Have a look on Yell for Aggregates in your area, might save buying it loose.

1 ton will cover 10.1 square meters at 50mm thick approx.

If you had 850kg bulk bag & 1000kg loose both at £35+ vat, which one would you buy.?