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Do you want to transform your patio, but don’t want to spend too much money?
A single mother of two young children told how shocked she was when she received a quote for £650. She decided to do it herself for a fraction of the cost.
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Go to the Facebook group Do it yourself on a budgetshe shared stunning before and after photos of her handiwork.
She wrote: “I needed a small patio and was quoted £650. I don’t even know if that’s reasonable but it’s way out of my budget.
“This group gave me the confidence to try it myself.
“It was hard, I have to admit, especially as a single parent of two small children. I don’t have time to have a cup of tea, let alone build a terrace.”
More about home transformations
The clever mother first dug out the area, which she said was the “hardest part.”
She said: “I recommend doing it for a week, like I did. Little by little it feels less strenuous.”
“I watched several YouTube videos to learn how to build a patio.
“Some people claimed that you need expensive machines to level/compact the ground etc., but it can also be done by hand/feet.”
The mother said she had laid down a membrane to prevent weeds from growing through and had leveled the area with sharp sand.
She added: “Use a piece of wood to sweep across the sand so that it Nice and level.”
Next She laid down the paving stone and tapped it with a rubber mallet.
She checked with a spirit level that the pole was level and then moved on to the next one.
The mother continued: “For the border I mixed 1 part cement to 2 parts sharp sand, added water, leveled/smoothed it with a trowel and just laid the pebbles where I wanted them. Let it dry for 24/48 hours and you’re done!”
She was very pleased with the end result.
The mum wrote: “It’s not perfect and I had to make do with an uneven surface but I’m so proud of myself so I thought I’d share it and say ‘try it yourself’, you might surprise yourself with what you can achieve.
“The total cost of the project ended up being £220.”
What the mother used for her homemade patio
- Paving stones
- 1 ton bag of sharp sand
- 1 bag of cement
- 2 x 22 kg bags of pebbles
- Trowel
- Bucket for mixing cement
- Small rubber mallet
- Borrowed a wheelbarrow from a neighbor to move the sand
- Piece of wood to level the ground
It seems she has impressed netizens as many people praised her hard work.
The mother responded: “I am so overwhelmed by your sweet comments and likes! So first of all thank you!”
“*Top tip if you have children: give them a frozen or microwave meal on the day you lay the patio, then you won’t feel like cooking!
“And don’t feel guilty, one day they won’t die and you’re doing it for their pleasure as much as your own.”
How to repair broken patio tiles
The paving specialists at Simply Paving told Fabulous how to repair broken patio tiles without too much hassle.
The experts advised: “If you have a loose paving slab, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to lift it straight up by hand. Instead, you’ll likely need a hammer and chisel to pry the paving loose from your patio.
To remove loose tiles without damaging your tiles, carefully chisel away the mortar around the tile with the chisel and rubber mallet until the tile is completely loose.
“Then slide the shovel into the gap created by the mortar and pry the tile loose from the patio.
“As you lift the shovel, place a short piece of wood under the shovel. This will act as a lever, making it easier to do the job and protecting the slab underneath.
“When the paving starts to give, place the cylindrical wood underneath and roll the slab out of the patio.”
