# Forum Home Renovation Paving  questions about laying concrete path around house

## JBAG

Hi all,  
I've just bought a brick house that was built in the 60's. It has no path around the front and one side of the house and the down pipes go straight onto the ground right next to the house. I've been advised to put in a concrete path to move the water away from the foundations to stop movement before attempting to fix cracks in the interior plaster. 
I've had new gutters installed as the old ones were leaking, and in the process I've removed one downpipe and diverted the flow from it to the rainwater tank, which leaves two downpipes. One is at the side of the carport and isn't a problem but the other one is at the front of the house and goes straight onto the ground. 
So my questions are:
1. Do I need rio? Some people say yes, some say no.
2. How do I determine exactly where the damp course is? There's a plaster type material below the bricks, but I can't see the black plastic stuff that you see on newer houses.
3. The plaster type stuff below the bricks is crumbling in some places. Should I repair this first, and if so how?
4. Do I need to take the remaining downpipe out to the street or to a soakage pit, or once the path is in will it be ok to go straight onto the path? 
Sorry for the lenghty explanation and questions, but I really want to get this right! Any help would be greatly appreciated! 
Cheers!

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