Thetownend.com

how hard is it to lay a patio? Is it something I can do myself? I like to try these things, but I am an idiot.

My top tip is to buy more sand than you need. Wrap a couple in bin liners and bury underneath the patio you are just about to lay. This doesn't work so well if you get on with the neighbours.

I'm planning on re-doing my patio this summer. The difficulty depends on what size and shape it is really.

If you haven't already got a decent base to lay it on you'll need to dig it out, fill with about a foot of hardcore and compact it before laying the slabs.

Mine's only about 14ft by 8ft and is oblong shaped and I already have the base there from the existing patio so should be easy to do.

The hardest bit apart from digging out the base (you may need a skip for the rubbish) is ensuring that you have a slight even slope.
I alwasy put the slabs on a base of compacted hardcore & use a 1:5 cement/sharp sand mix (damp but not wet). You can lay just on sand, but weeds may grow through & the patio may move too.
It is well worth hiring a "plate vibrator" to compact & smooth the base, & a cement mixer to mix sharp sand. If you need to cut any slabs a cheap angle grinder will be useful.
(Before you put the base in it may be worth laying a 1 " pipe to take any elctricity cables in the future).
It's sheaper to get hard core & sand delivered in a big sack (i x ton)

Cheers for that, sounds like the tef activity of choice this summer, i'll be redoing mine also.

I don't have a patio.

Dont forget to have a slight slope for the water to run away,otherwise when you have downpours the water will just lay there in big puddles.

I just removed one...

I think I'm going to do this. I'm going to take a few days off and do it, fock paying someone else in these tough times, eh?

Gonna have to hire an angle grinder and plate vibrating thing. Are these by the day presumably?

Yes most of the tool hire shops do them, if they are any good that is.

speedy hire

I layed my dad's patio when i was 16 for a pair of Adidas reissues.

[url width=238 height=339]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r247/XP141271/westy.jpg[/url]

It wouldn't be TEF if there wasn't a needless reference to a sicko.

Have you got that many magazines Juddie ?

Just wanted to highlight that, nothing else.

This is like the porn Davinci code!

ahh, bit of light building work, good for the soul.
I did one last year, took me 6 weekends to dig it out, smash up a load of bricks (which i found buried in the garden) for base and lay 140 slabs.  the deeper the base, the better. 

also make sure the tops of the slabs next to your house walls are at least 2 courses of bricks below the damp course, otherwise you'll get big problems - alternatively make a border with gravel around the edge it looks good, rain water won't splash up from it over the damp course (which it can from slabs) and if you measure it right you won't have to cut any slabs. 

an angle grinder makes a huge difference to trying to use a chisel, but be a bit careful - i got one from wickes and the disc spins so that all the dust flys away from you, which is great until the disc sticks and it runs back over your foot..

Ouch,reminds me a bit of when i was putting a threshold board down for some patio doors in winchester,the drill bit snapped and went straight through my other hand.

Juddie,

Ask Phil S to do it  :D

Juddie,

Ask Phil S to do it  :D
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Laying mine was enough thankyou,
Re the angle grinder I used a cheap £10 one from B & Q, which did the trick (I only needed to cut a couple of slabs. (You use the grinder to cut the top cm & then the slab will break along the line). The mixer & plate vibrator were hired, (available by the half day)