granite paving - spot bed and butt joints

slipstream

Hiya,

I got a 80sqm of yellow granite paving installed as part of a house renovation a year ago.

Looking at it now, there are a few problems as per the attached -
1) some slabs are loose, have moved or have hairline cracks
2) a bunch of slabs edging the garden have fallen away by a few mm toward the garden
3) looking closely at the slabs; many are touching and have begun to chip at those locations
4) after rain, rather than drying evenly there are 5 moist patches on many of the slabs that dry out more slowly

When we started noticing these problems I read more about paving here and it seems likely that many of our issues are down to -
a) using spot rather than a full mortar bed
b) butt jointed slabs with no pointing resulting in movement and chipping

Now our builder is returning soon for final snags and will be looking for his 5% defects liability retention.

At installation time, we never discussed bedding and jointing of the paving as I assumed (stupidly apparently) he would do a good job.

Are spot mortar beds and butt joints standard practice with granite slabs in Ireland? If I got a landscape gardener in, would they say it was grand?

Do I have a leg to stand on if I were to complain?

Thanks for your help,

Slip

Berberis

Looks like the width of passageway was just about the width of 2 slabs without the room for a joint between slabs and the outside walls, and that the builder had to wedge them in tight so as not to have to cut around 30mm of the edge of a whole row of the slabs.
That is more than likely why your getting the cracks and edges lifting a bit.

I have laid a few slabs in my time and it is normal practise to leave a joint between the slabs of no more than 10mm for expansion and I usually brush in the joints with a dry mix of sand and cement to allow the joint go off slowly while the slabs settle.

I have laid slabs with a level sand screed with dry cement on top and also with spots of mortar and never had a problem, but usually when I lay the slabs on spots they are usually big enough so when I bed the slab on them the mortar bed nearly covers the whole underside of the slab.

Can't understand why he did not lay them on a screed as it looks like it is only around 3ft wide and would have been perfect to lay 2 batons either side and screed the bed off them.

I would assume that granite slabs would be laid as other slabs, but could be wrong
.
Have to say the finish looks bad.

slipstream

Thanks Berberis.

There are slabs to the front, rear and two side passages (80 sqm in all).

I'm guessing the builder will just want to pull up the odd one that is clearly rubbish and relay/replace it rather than relaying them all with joints.

What would you say would be the best next steps to ask the builder to take?

Sonnenblumen

Very poor work. If this is not remedied now, you can only expect it to deteriorate.

I would recommend that all paving be lifted and reset on a wet mortar bed and a 3-4mm joint be retained between slabs, jointed with sand & cement or a proprietary jointing compound.

slipstream

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Very poor work. If this is not remedied now, you can only expect it to deteriorate.

I would recommend that all paving be lifted and reset on a wet mortar bed and a 3-4mm joint be retained between slabs, jointed with sand & cement or a proprietary jointing compound.

Thanks SB.

Do you have pictures of what granite slabs like ours should look like if properly installed?

Also any idea how much it would cost to get somebody in to do the remedial work needed?

Sonnenblumen

slipstream wrote: »

Thanks SB.

Do you have pictures of what granite slabs like ours should look like if properly installed?

Also any idea how much it would cost to get somebody in to do the remedial work needed?

I'll respond PM