The farthest slab had to be cut to size
The paving slabs I am using for the patio are described as
Peak Smooth 600 x 600 x 35 mm. I don’t know how heavy they are, but they take a
bit of manhandling. Fortunately I’ve had the assistance of my great nephew to manoeuvre
six of them into place on a bed of sand and mortar. The job took us most of the
day, but we did other things such as laying more hard core and gravel, beside
returning unwanted cement to B&Q. We also collected more gravel from Wicks.
Altogether, the day was very productive. We learnt a few
valuable lessons; for example, the amount of sand required will be far more
than originally estimated; likewise, more gravel will have to be purchased to
reduce the amount of sand necessary for achieving the right height. We were
astonished at the amount of mortar that had to be mixed to lay one paving slab.
Now I can understand why having such a job done by a
professional is so costly. At least, if I can achieve a reasonable finish, I
shall feel that it was all worthwhile and know that I have saved an awful lot
of money, but it is going to take a long time.
Tomorrow I doubt much will be done, because there are other
priorities; a dental appointment being one of them, plus shopping for necessities and
a few things my wife wants to do.
8 comments:
Looking good - when's the patio party? I would like to drop in some time and talk yachts and cruising an' stuff!
Bill,
Great progress. You are definitely going about it in the right way, including building the gravel bed up so as to minimise the amount of sand and cement you need to use.
Talking of sand and cement, the mix should be 4-to-1 of sharp sand to cement. Mix the two with a little water so that it's damp but not too wet, with enough mortar under the slab so that it sits up a quarter-of-an-inch or so and then can be tapped down level with the adjacent slab.
You probably know all this already but I thought I'd pass on the "wisdom" of someone who laid slabs for a living (lots and lots of slabs) back in his long lost youth...
Any other questions, please feel free to ask, though I can't guarantee I'll know the answer!
Thank you Stephen for your words of 'wisdom'.
Cheers,
Bill.
Alden,
You'll be very welcome to call around. I'll be able to show you 'Pike' who is feeling a bit negelected in the front garden. She could do with an airing and a sail hoisting.
barnacleid at yahoo dot co dot uk for making contact.
Cheers,
Bill.
Bill, I will be in the UK again next year around June. I would most certainly love to see Pike! Or maybe another very interesting boat by then? : > )
The Patio Saga continues! When is the B-B-Q to celebrate its conclusion?
Alden,
A year can flash by. So, it won't be long. You could be right about a different boat, or maybe no boat at all, if 'Pike' doesn't work out.
Cheers,
Bill.
Wotablog,
Definitely there will be a celebration, and a B-B-Q could be on the cards.
Cheers,
Bill.
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