Welcome to the wild world of patio building to perfection!
Get ready to turn your back garden into the oasis you’ve always dreamed of with these 6 essential tips. We’re about to embark on a journey of relaxation, entertainment and may be a little bit of dirt flinging fun. So, grab your spade and let’s dig in!
Step 1: Choosing the area for your patio
First things first, scope out the prime location for your patio. Think about where the sun shines brightest, the flow of your garden and how close you want to be to the kitchen for those bbq emergencies. Whether it’s tucked away in a corner or front and centre, find the spot that speaks to you and your sunbathing ambitions.
Step 2: Assess your access
Now, before you start swinging that spade or digger bucket like a garden ninja, take a moment to consider your access options. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous (or masochistic), you can go old school and dig by hand. But if you’re like most of us and prefer to save your energy for the actual party, consider hiring some machinery. Just be sure to measure twice and dig once to avoid any back garden mishaps. In your planned patio area, you may have concrete surfaces or an existing patio that requires renovation. If you’re faced with concrete that needs to be removed or renovated, a concrete breaker can be indispensable. Typically, medium-sized concrete breakers are well-suited for this task, capable of efficiently breaking through concrete layers up to 100mm (4 inches) thick. If you’re dreaming of a patio spacious enough for a back garden dance-off or a bbq big enough to feed the entire neighbourhood, it might be time to call in the cavalry! Aka the tool & plant hire company. Picture yourself commanding a micro digger with a pecker attachment and maybe even a dumper. Who needs to strain their back when you can hire a powerhouse of a machine to do the grunt work for you?
Step 3: Size matters (especially in machinery!)
When it comes to machinery, size does matter. But don’t worry, we’re talking about width here, not horsepower. If your back garden resembles more of an obstacle course than a construction site, fear not.
Most domestic gardens only have an alley for access, some don’t even have this, and access is through the property only.
If you are really restricted for access, you may be able to remove a boundary fence panel? There’s always a way to squeeze through, even if it means sweet talking your neighbour into lending you their driveway (wine bribery optional!).
Micro diggers are capable of passing through most doorways, being around 750mm (30″) wide and in most cases the anti-roll bar folds down. You may need to protect the floor of a property when passing through also, not only to stop damage to any precious finish flooring but if the ground floor itself is an older-type wooden suspended floor, then you need to remember that even a micro digger weighs around 1 ton!
Another consideration is protecting the ground from the weight of the machinery (especially if you’ve bribed the neighbours!). You can hire ground protection sheets from us, that can be laid down to protect any outside areas, or internal areas like an integral garage.
Step 4: Spoil alert!
Ah, the age-old question: What to do with all that dirt, as compacted ground aerates and volumizes.
If you’re feeling particularly rebellious, you can always stage a Great Escape!
But if you’re more of a civilised patio pioneer, consider booking a grab lorry to haul it away in style. A grab lorry will hold nearly twice as much as a skip and even if you pile up more than one load, you won’t be held up waiting for a skip lorry to exchange the skip!
On the other hand, if you’re thinking of using a skip, then allow for two – trust us, you’ll thank us later! 😊
Step 5: Deciding on the patio finish
Picking your patio perfection now comes the fun part – choosing the finish. From natural stone to concrete to decking, the possibilities are endless. Just remember to factor in maintenance, durability and aesthetic appearance, because nobody wants a patio that’s high-maintenance and low charm. Once you’ve made your decision, gather your materials and get ready to get your hands dirty. Depending on which type of finish you’d like, will dictate the depth of prepared ground you will need to dig. For instance, if you are looking for a chic gravel type finish on the surface, then you will only need to allow for around 150mm (6″) or so, of reduction. Whereas, if it’s a block-paved or patio slab type of finish, then you may need to channel your inner archaeologist and excavate a good 200mm (8″) or so below ground level. Alright, so you’ve mapped out your patio masterpiece and picked out your swanky finish. Now comes the fun part: let’s play in the dirt! Grab your shovels, your paving stones, your sand – heck, even throw in a bit of gravel for good measure. Hunt down those materials from local suppliers to match your grand design dreams. Oh, and when you’re ready to bring in the big guns (literally, machinery), just give us a shout. We’ll make sure your excavation extravaganza goes off without a hitch! 😊
Step 6: Building the base (without losing your marbles!)
With all the groundwork laid, it’s time to start building your patio palace. The first thing you will need to place on the reduced area, is Geotech Membrane. This is a ground stabiliser and NOT a weed suppressor. It is designed to permanently keep the ground soil from mixing with the new aggregate over the years and most importantly, lets any water pass through. Next, it’s time for the star of the show: the finely crushed recycled material or scalpings to put on top of the Geotech Membrane. This should be around 100-150mm (4-6″) deep if placing gravel on top afterwards and should be levelled. Once you’ve done this and put the scalpings down it’s squishy time! Get out the vibrating compactor plate – or as we like to call it, the wacker plate – and give those scalping’s a good compacting. And guess what? You can hire one from us, because why buy one when you can hire one and still have cash left for BBQ food? 😊. Avoid compacting the aggregate too much until the finish gravel has been applied. You may want to edge the outer area of the patio with bricks, edgings or blocks etc, these should be laid now to frame the whole job, this will help to stop those pesky gravel escapees from travelling onto any grass outside of the patio area. When finishing with gravel it should be around 50mm or so deep and laid out evenly. Then you can compact the whole area a few times more, which should partially bond the finish gravel with the aggregate below and help to stop the finished gravel from skidding around so much when the patio is in use. If you are laying patio slabs, paving or blocks, then you should have reduced the soil to take the deeper amount of aggregate (150mm 6″ +). This should be levelled and fully compacted all over to then take the finished layer. Some people like to add a small amount of dry cement (nobody likes a wobbly patio!) to the compacted aggregate to give extra protection from movement. You will never completely stop Mother Nature throwing out a few curveballs – as nearby trees will send out small surface roots, plus worms and other ground insects will add to overall movement. All you can do is give your patio the best shot at standing the test of time.
And there you have it, folks – 6 steps to patio paradise
With a little planning and a lot of elbow grease, you’ll be lounging in luxury before you know it. So, grab your shovel, give us a call for your hire needs and let’s get to work – your outdoor oasis awaits!
Remember
We are specialists in Plant and Tool Hire.
For further advice on machinery and equipment for your project, contact us on 07917 704880 or 07872 520816 or email us at info@gwplanthire.co.uk 😊.
Tool & Plant Hire available across Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey.