Garden slabing - need help!

hannah2008

I want to get my garden slabed, however I have no idea where to start. I would love to tackle it myself and save £££.

could anyone direct me in the cheapest/best place for things I shall need... slabs and sand? possibly cement? I went to B&Q however it does seem alittle steeply priced for those massive grey slabs. I guess B&Q do a delivery service, otherwise there's no hope on me getting them home!


any advice is welcome! I could do with it! :-)


thanks

Felix123

Hi, have you tried freecycle? I recently got rid of loads of slabs and sand etc. Collection/delivery is a problem though but if you could get for free then you might be able to pay for a delivery service?

missile

Depending on where you live, you might get them cheaper. Near me the people who make slabs sell them much less than B&Q. Ask at your local builders merchant.

It is very simple to lay them and with a little care you can get them level, but you need to prepare the ground properly or your slabs may sink. You need to be strong (or stupid) to lay 2X3 foot slabs DIY.

wallbash

Spend over £300 at wicks get free delivery.
I think it was quite cheap at BQ , if you got a pallet.

I'm a fan of freecycle , but not when it comes to sand and slabs
transportation would be a nightmare.

Your project wont be cheap

You need to be strong (or stupid) to lay 2X3 foot slabs DIY.

Very true .

danger_mouse_2

one thing to consider is what will you plan to do with the area once slabbed, is it just going to be a area for sitting on or will it have a car parked on it etc

when pricing it up consider using a decent quality visqueen, when ive used the cheaper stuff ive found it simply isnt as good, ontop of that a couple of inches of sand thats been rolled to get it nice and compact and then lay the slabs. once the slabs were laid i found it best to put down a heavy dose of weedkiller to get into the sand, although its not 100% needed.

Ionkontrol

This site will give you all the info you will ever need...

http://www.pavingexpert.com/

Barneysmom

Hannah be quick or slow, but I think after September the only slabs you can buy have to be the porous ones? I'm not sure, it might be worth checking?

Have fun! - Rather you than me, it sounds like very hardwork. :beer:

coolagarry

It's far easier to lay 2ft x 2ft (60 x 60 cm) than the bigger and heavier 3ft x 2ft. but the larger ones are also usually much thicker so although they are much heavier they are able to bear more weight. Therefore it depends what you want to use the area for. In my area I can get locally manufactured slabs at about half the price of B & Q (Look in your local freebie paper). The big thing is to sort out your levels and work from that point.

ormus

i got mine off ebay for about 50 quid. large 2x3 thick slabs and it took two of us to lay them.
just laid them on some sand. i do have to weed a few times per year. no big deal.

hannah2008

thanks guys - I have signed upto freecycle, hopfully that will bring free slabs - and could just arrange delivery, Im hoping to just have it as a patio - so we dont need major big slabs, or really thick ones.

mummytofour

What about differing types of gravel and slate? Anybody can lay that and it can look really good if you make a funky design with the colour choice.