Laying a New Patio

There is a right way and a wrong way to lay a new patio in your back yard, and also there are several right ways to do it depending upon what you have to start out with. This article looks at laying a new patio with a concrete base for longevity and ease of block laying which follows from starting out with a solid, even and level foundation.

Its okay if you already have a concrete area in your back yard and you want to cover it with paving blocks or outdoor tiles because you already have a starting point that is firm and solid. But if you only have an area of grass or worse, mud or a pile of builder's rubble, then you are going to have to start from the very beginning and get a concrete base laid the right way.

Unless you can enlist the help of some experienced laborers and have a mechanical cement mixer and a long, sunny day to work with, you probably should order a cement truck to deliver and pour your concrete base.

But before you even do that, you first have to prepare the ground and the area that will contain the concrete slab. You need to flatten an area the size you want and use a spirit level to make sure that it is level with a very slight drop-away from the house so that the finished area, when it rains will drain water away from the house and not towards it!

Once the are is cleared, you should set up wooden boards (sometimes referred to as shuttering) around the perimeter so you have a level border with a depth of 5 or 6 inches and the inside is flat and level with no protrusions. In that you must lay some steel rebar mesh and raise it from the ground using spacers so it stand about an inch or so above the earth beneath it.

Once that's all done, the cement truck can pour the concrete in and you need to level it while it's wet with a long flat plank of wood or steel bar. The next step is laying block paving for a patio that you will feel you have done a great job on.

So once the concrete base is dry, its a simple case of laying the paving blocks in straight lines and evenly using cement and adhesive mixture, leaving gaps between the blocks that you will fill in later with more cement and adhesive. Voila, your patio awaits your family!

All that left to do is to populate your new patio with some great patio furniture (https://patiofurniturereview.com) that you can get from a variety of sources online or by visiting a suitable home and garden store. Add some potted plants for good effect and you will have a great looking outside area that is welcoming, inviting and a great place to spend some quality time!