Removed all my green rotten decking, I didn't actually take a before pic of the decking, but it had gone green, was dangerously slippy and even had mushrooms growing out of some of the boards. All the joists were rotten to so it was only a matter of time before we fell through it!
Smashed out all the old concrete. Ended up buying a cheap breaker, then selling it a few days later as it was cheaper than hiring one!
Put down 1200kg of sub base (if you look closely you will notice the finished patio is bigger than the sub base, after laying the first 5 rows we decided it wasn't big enough, so we added another row on!) I wish I had hired a compactor as I just used a tamper to do it in the end!
63 Slabs laid, 800kg of sand a cement, went 9:1 dry mix as it has worked well for me in the past, is less messy and allows adjustments to be easily made.
And pointed. I used the brush in resin based stuff (Marshalls weatherpoint 365) and despite costing £34 for the tub it only took and hour and a quarter to point the entire patio. Plus it can be done in the rain without any staining. Well worth the saving on time.
Glad it's finished as it's dragged on for a while, just with having so little time to get on with it. Also as there is no side access to the garden I had to carry everything through the dining room, then the kitchen then the garage! I have snapped the handles on every trug I own now! Thankfully my back has survived!
Dave
