patio laying !

l'm going to be attepting my first ever go at laying a patio and could do with some simple step by step advice chaps.l will be laying them 10 ft away from the house on level ground and the size of the patio will be 14x12.Question 1: Do l have to still have a fall on level ground to drain rain water away ?
Question 2: Best method of removing turf.
Question 3. How deep to go and precedure step by step after this.
l know there must be web sites explaining methods of laying but l would like to have easy steps without getting confused ..... Thanks

Guess what? You're right - there are sites that describe it. Try www.pavingexpert.com for a start, then use Search on here - you'd be amazed at what you find! And have fun doing it.

attempting to lay any surface dead level is inviting trouble. you will only need a slight depression toward the centre to achieve ponding.

it is always better to have falls, no matter how slight.

Just finished mine, well after I've pointed it at the weekend.

Here goes, to remove turf you can hire a turf striper from your local tool hire but only if you are to use it else where in the garden. Other than that, just dig it up.

My area was similar to yours, 13ft x 11 ft. This is what I done & needed.

1 builders skip £120
1.5 tonnes (1.5 bags) sharp sand £70
1 tonne bag mot type1 hardcore £35
Manufactured riven edge slabs £250
6 x 25kg bags cement (£16 i think)
Whacker plate hire £30
Cement mixer (borrowed my mates)




Marked out patio area, plus 6 inches all round with pegs & string.

Removed turf & soil, dug down about 10 inches as wanted finished patio to be just below grass level, for mowing over!

Had the pegs marked 6 inches from the top of them & knocked down to allow for a 1 cm to 60cm fall (strings attached to mark boundary & fall)

Filled area with mot type 1 about 4-5 inches thick & used the vibrating plate (whacker) to level to the pen mark on the pegs.

allowed the rain to take the mot powder into the cracks for couple of days then whacked over again for good measure, adding more mot if required.

Then with a solid base......

Cement mixer & slabs at the ready, mix 4 parts sharp sand to 1 part cement & add water.

lay on a solid bed of mortar 2 inch thick, don't 5 dab. You may not want to park your car on it but you still don't want to skimp now, only to find in a couple of years that some corners give way!
Tap down each slab with a rubber mallet & block of wood

Finally after several days or 1 week mix a 3 builders & 1 cement for pointing up.

Incidentally my slabs are riven so so surface isn't flat, thereby I used a long length of timber to rest my spirit level on to check the level/ fall.

I have also had to lay a groundsheet (£5 b&q) over the slabs during the hailstones. It took me 3 days to lay the slabs,what should have taken a day had the weather been in my favour.

Let me know how you get on. Remember, Don't rush it, it costs too much! don't worry if the whole project takes a couple of weekends, you have the whole summer to enjoy it!