How do you make a patio cheaply?

Evening all.

Patio stones, and even 2ft x 2ft concrete slabs are insanely expensive. Is there a cheap way to do a patio?

 

If you're desperate you could use thinner slabs?

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9273439&fh_location=//catalog01/en_GB/categories%3C{9372012}/categories%3C{9372019}/categories%3C{9372070}/categories%3C{9422016}/specificationsProductType=utility_paving/specificationsSpecificProductType=singles_slabs&tmcampid=4&tmad=c&ecamp=cse_go&CAWELAID=266988090

However, patios and terraces by their very nature are high traffic areas, and so Id guess cost/benefit wise, you could end up having to replace cracked slabs more often.

Or you could use slabs which have been cast from concrete or reconstituted stone.

You could also try gumtree or free cycle?

 

I'd see what you could pick up from freecycle, search through every skip you see, fish out all the old bricks including half bricks, accumulate a pile of pebbles from fields, allotments etc, chunks of stone, glass bottle bases, broken crockery.

Then when you had a big enough pile, think about how you could transform it into and orderly and pleasing patchwork. For instance, you could make a pattern of two foot squares, some of which might be concrete 2 foot slabs, cos you will probably get some from freecycle , the next square might be pebbles set into concrete, the next bricks, and so on. You will need to have some sort of regular pattern (eg squares, but could be another shape) and possibly limit the types of surface or repeat them in a number of squares so it doesn't get too look too busy.

You will need to have a lot of sand and concrete mix which might get pricey. Also, the neatness and craftspersonship with which the work is carried out has to be good so it looks professional and not like a cowboy job. It will all need to be properly grouted with the same concrete mix to pull it together and stop weed growth. If there are a few little dodgy bits just grow a big plant over it.

Another tip is to repeat the material your house is made of. If it's brick, use some brick in the patio. If it's stone, use some matching stone. It makes it look visually unified, like you meant to do that all along, not just through financial expediency!

 

Freecycle is 99% people begging for stuff, the other 1% is people offering stuff like snails, rabbits and used mattresses lol

 

I've seen a lot of slabs both asked for and offered this spring. I think you have to be quick off the mark to get them donated to you, though. But there's always ebay, as people are keen to get someone else to take away their old slabs for them otherwise they'd have to lug them down the tip themselsves.

 

For reasons of cost my patio is made up of 600 x 600 composite concrete slabs, bought from a local DIY store for 99p each.
It was laid in 3 stages over several years, completed about 10 years ago.
Its 20' x 16' approx, laid on sand over rubble (one way of hiding all the debris dug up from the garden).

So far I have had no cracked slabs, despite patio tables, BBQ's kids etc.

The main problem is weeds. Its a pain digging them out, but less unsightly than waiting for them to die off whn treated.

1 day weeding = a long soak in a hot bath - aaaaah

 

Thanks for all the advice folks.

I've just been out in the garden to do some measuring and stock taking. When I bought the house there were (and still are) quite a few bits of stone and stuff from obviously unfinished projects that the last owners must have had in mind.

Fantastic news. I already knew I had no shortage of rubble to make a hardcore base. A mate of mine is a roofer/builder and I get first refusal on all the rubbish he has to take away (mostly rubble and broken roof tiles). I've stockpiled several sacks so far. That just leaves the patio stones.

I knew there were a few kicking about in the garden that are reasonably nice. Not posh, just concrete, but they are a nice sandstone colour and textured. I counted them up, and in total I have 33 such stones. Some are currently in use about the garden, but I can swap them out and nick them for my patio.

The results of my measuring show that I need 45 stones for the area I want to cover. I have 33 in the garden. I know I have some up at my land, but no idea how many (not many) or their condition (they've accumulated a layer of mud over them over the years so I'll have to dig them out ).

The point is, it turns out I don't need that many more stones. I may well have close to enough. Any shortfall will be small enough so that it will be no more than beer money to buy what I need

Fantastic. I might make a start this weekend. That will be a real boost because I've done nothing with that area yet, focusing more on the new lawn and my son's play area so far, and as that improves, it makes it all the more apparent just how horrid the planned patio area currently is. And it just happens to be the first bit you encounter when you come out the back door.

 

Sounds good. Have you got plenty of ibuprofen gel stocked up, along with the radox?

 

Enjoy the first BBQ. The beer tastes so much better sat on that new patio in the evening sun.