Hello dear forum,
we are currently planning our garden. Now the question is whether to have a step leading onto the terrace or to have it almost level with the floor.
We have a concrete slab that is about 15 cm (6 inches) lower than the indoor floor level.
If we decide to have a step, we would place a prefabricated step in front of the terrace door and lay the paving slabs on a layer of crushed stone on the concrete slab.
If we want the terrace to be level with the floor, we would first need to put a layer of gravel on the concrete slab, then crushed stone, and then the paving slabs.
Our gut feeling is that a step might be useful because of rain and snow. However, everyone says that it’s not a problem and that a step is not necessary. If we use gravel to raise the level, we would have to fix the outer terrace slabs in concrete and could only lay the inner slabs on crushed stone to keep everything stable.
What do you think about this topic?
What would you do, and what should we definitely consider?
We would be very grateful for your opinions and tips, as we unfortunately have no experience.
Best regards,
Ivonne
we are currently planning our garden. Now the question is whether to have a step leading onto the terrace or to have it almost level with the floor.
We have a concrete slab that is about 15 cm (6 inches) lower than the indoor floor level.
If we decide to have a step, we would place a prefabricated step in front of the terrace door and lay the paving slabs on a layer of crushed stone on the concrete slab.
If we want the terrace to be level with the floor, we would first need to put a layer of gravel on the concrete slab, then crushed stone, and then the paving slabs.
Our gut feeling is that a step might be useful because of rain and snow. However, everyone says that it’s not a problem and that a step is not necessary. If we use gravel to raise the level, we would have to fix the outer terrace slabs in concrete and could only lay the inner slabs on crushed stone to keep everything stable.
What do you think about this topic?
What would you do, and what should we definitely consider?
We would be very grateful for your opinions and tips, as we unfortunately have no experience.
Best regards,
Ivonne
Gravel layer: You already have a concrete slab, right? So you’re planning to put gravel on top of the concrete slab and compact it? I wouldn’t recommend doing that.
Single-size aggregate concrete: This is probably the drainable concrete you mean. Single-size aggregate concrete contains only one stone size and, I believe, either no sand or very little sand. That’s why water can drain through it.
Drain channel: If you want to be on the safe side, you should install one. I would definitely do this for a flush threshold. These spots tend to be weak points. You might not notice for a long time, but during heavy storms with driving rain, water can get pushed inside. With a drain channel, this doesn’t happen because the water collects in the channel instead of pressing against the seal.
Regarding the outer slabs, there are different opinions. It also depends on the adjacent surface. But generally, I think it’s common practice to at least create a concrete edge (shoulder) there.
Single-size aggregate concrete: This is probably the drainable concrete you mean. Single-size aggregate concrete contains only one stone size and, I believe, either no sand or very little sand. That’s why water can drain through it.
Drain channel: If you want to be on the safe side, you should install one. I would definitely do this for a flush threshold. These spots tend to be weak points. You might not notice for a long time, but during heavy storms with driving rain, water can get pushed inside. With a drain channel, this doesn’t happen because the water collects in the channel instead of pressing against the seal.
Regarding the outer slabs, there are different opinions. It also depends on the adjacent surface. But generally, I think it’s common practice to at least create a concrete edge (shoulder) there.
face26 schrieb:
Gravel base: You already have a concrete slab? So now you’re going to put gravel on top and compact it over the concrete slab? I wouldn’t recommend that.
Single-size aggregate concrete: This is probably the drainage-capable concrete you mean. Single-size aggregate concrete has only one stone size and, I believe, no (or very little) sand. That’s why water can drain through it.
Drain channel: If you want to be on the safe side, you should do it. With a flush threshold, I would definitely install one. These areas tend to be weak points. It often goes unnoticed, but when it gets windy and there’s heavy rain, water can be forced inside. With a drain channel, this doesn’t happen because water collects in the channel instead of pressing against the seal.
Regarding the outer slabs, there are different opinions. It also depends on the adjacent surface. But usually, at least a concrete edging is installed.The landscaper suggested the gravel base. We are doing the terrace ourselves. Since the concrete slab is too low, we need to raise it. But it’s probably better to use that single-size aggregate concrete. I read about the drainage-capable concrete in the Kann catalog.We have a standard balcony door, not a sliding door. So there is a small threshold. But we will rather install a drain channel.
The terrace borders directly onto lawn.
I really appreciate your opinions.
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