How to lay a garden patio (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for a patio? ›

Calculating square metre size of your patio

For each rectangle, multiply the length by the width to give you a square metre size for that rectangle. Once you've calculated the square metres for each rectangle, add those square metre amounts together to give you total size of the patio in square metres (m²).

Compact or rake the soil to be roughly level

After excavating, compact the soil using a plate compactor. Next, add a layer of landscaping fabric and then screed and level your base material of 3/4″-0 gravel. Ensure your base layer of gravel or sand is as smooth as possible, and then compact that as well.

Arrange your containers, planters and furniture outdoors. Fill your containers or raised beds with a potting mix designed specifically for containers. Sow seeds according to the packet directions and pot up your starter plants. Now you're ready to give your plants the care and attention they need.

Just to be clear, we're not advising you to lay the paving directly onto the soil, however, laying paving on a combination of compacted soil with an MOT Type 1 sub-base is the recommended solution provided by the majority of leading paving manufacturers.

Calculate Area for Each Section: Calculate the area of each section by multiplying its length by its width. Sum the Areas: Add up the areas of all the individual sections to get the total area of your irregular patio.

The standard ratio for a fall is 1:80 (1 unit of fall for every 80 units of distance). For example, to calculate the fall for a patio that is 5m in length you would simply need to divide 5 by 80 which would give you 0.0625. This would mean your 5 metre patio should have a total fall of 0.0625m or 6.25cm.

Patio paving bedding mortar - how to make the right cement mix for you laying coarse. We recommend a cement mix of 5:1 sharp sand to general purpose/ordinary Portland cement (OPC) as this will provide good strength and bonding.

It's important to have the right ratio of tread to rise to make going up and down safe and easy. In general, the smaller the rise, the bigger the tread. You should choose what's comfortable for you but usually outdoor steps have a rise of 5 1/2 to 7 inches and a tread of 12 to 18 inches.

Bricks and concrete pavers are the easiest patio materials to use because they have a uniform shape and create a relatively flat surface.

You need to dig deep enough to allow for a 100mm sub base, 50mm of mortar and the thickness of your paving slabs. If you're building your patio next to your property, you also need to make sure the top of the paving slabs are 150mm below the damp proof course line.

Should a patio be perfectly level? ›

If you are laying pavers, yes. If you are pouring concrete, no. For a paver patio, you want the sand flat and compacted so that your patio will be flat and the individual pavers will not sink or tilt when you walk on them.

If you're a traditionalist and want to utilize tried-and-true approaches that function in almost any setting, go with a sand-set foundation. It's safe and reliable. If you're looking for an easy installation with less required equipment, open-graded crushed stone may be the best option for you.

Best budget patio tip – shop second hand

The best cheap garden paving idea is to use second-hand paving slabs, bricks or stone. By choosing to re-use and recycle, you'll be able to keep costs down while also saving building materials from going to landfill – so it's a more environmentally friendly option too.

If you're looking for a reliable, straightforward way to build a patio without all the hard labor of digging involved, paver base patio panels offer a great solution. These lightweight panels are designed to provide a sturdy foundation and make installation much easier.