Piggin' slabbin'!!

[XmisterIS]

I have almost finished my raised patio. I got the slabs delivered the other day, great big thick buggers, 600x600mm.

Anyway, I looked at them and though, "Yeah, no prob! I'll get the lot down in a few hours!"

I have worked on them all day, from 9am until 5pm, 30 mins for lunch, I've still got 13 to go! Heavy manual labour, I've given up for today and I'll finish tomorrow. Piggin' slabs! Weigh a bloody ton ... each one mortared down onto a concrete base. I have never mixed so much mortar in my life ...

It is incredibly frustrating when you've got the slab down, rubber mallet going tap-tap-tap getting it just right with the good ol' spirit level ... then one bloody TAP too many and the damn thing has gone down too far, Right! That's it! Take the wretched thing up lay it all over again.

That happened to me four times today ...

 

[Night Train]

I laid mine on sifted and compacted dirt (though sand would be better but I am too broke to spend on it) and they all went down fine. Only two have been lifted since and a bit more dirt thrown under but only because I drove over them.

 

[XmisterIS]

I would have laid them on sand or compacted dirt, but the whole patio had to be raised up off a slope, so a concrete base was the only way to go, unfortunately!