daiking

Decking is out of the question. Partly because of less than solid feel but mostly because of unwanted guests. There is plenty of local wildlife that would love some decking. I had always assumed we would be going down a slab route anyway, 45sq m at 100mm is not a massive amount of concrete and I would.trust paving laying monkeysprofessional pavers more if they were laying on a slab than a sub base they had 'carefully prepared'.

My wife is generally against the idea of a suspended patio. She would be happy with lots of earth and lots of concrete. She doesn't understand that the earth will settle over time. And when it's down, it's down. No lifting. It needs to be permanent - hence sorting the drains too. She is looking at a vitrified porcelain paving stone on top. I do the want to be wrecking that to dig it up in the near future or have it crack over a dodgy sub base.

I've watched the extension being built, I realise the wall will need to be built first.

So this is where the patio will be. As high as possible under the bi fold sill, coming out 4ish metres with 1m ish retaining wall. All that material you see is backfill. One builder told us that any patio would soon be a mess as the backfill settles - which is can understand but I was expecting to put a proper concrete slab on it anyway. Instead he suggested a suspended patio on block and beam. Waiting for a quote back for that but sounds expensive. Could a ground bearing slab be put on the backfill?

This is the side of the extension where the drain turns 90 degrees and heads toward the front of the house with another black plastic inspection chamber which is vaguely located near the base of those scrap doors leaning near the corner. Over this area we intend to build a serious patio. I expect the pipe will again be just be covered by backfill, nothing graded. But will be a lot deeper than the first section. Wondering if this will need redoing before we build the patio. Also, where I took the photo from is approximately where I might want a drain from a future garden building. The grass is approx 800mm below the level of the right hand inspection chamber and about 10m away. This is where I'm wondering if I can get enough fall for a new drain from the garden.cant remember how deep that chamber is and garden ground workers put some paving slabs over it to get the machines into the garden.

So this is the back of the extension. Furthest input into the drains is on the left, the kitchen sink and dishwasher outlet. The pipe is so close to the current surface with just backfill around it. Nothing screened or sand or gravel. Intending to put a path above this along the rear of the extension. With steps down on the left hand side which means this pipe will be in the way. Could easily move the outlet to the right hand side so there isn't so much badly installed pipe so close to the surface. On the right hand side of the picture, there is a black plastic inspection chamber under the planks to the right of the down pipe

Not to worry, yours are stationary.

Where was that from? I intend laying a piece about 5m x 2.5m for the kids to have a 'clean zone' between their playroom and garden. Cheap is good.

That's still a train.

Because successive governments have fubar'd jobs and housing. As to demographics in another post, why do you think successive governments have championed unlimited open door immigration? There is a good chance that by 2040, we will be living somewhere very different to today. Given the lack of security in all areas of life the young and the poor face. cheap freedom to travel must surely be next on government hit lists. I can easily see private ownership of vehicles disappearing with the ICE and the pricing structure of communal transport meaning people will just about to be able to afford to commute and visit local attractions (vices obviously) but anything further will be prohibitive. It will be like going back a few hundred years.

Photobucket is being awkward nowadays and restricting all content I used to use. Anyways, digging up the garden has revealed its as bad as I expected. Plastic pipe just put in the ground and back filled Looks like the drain I originally posted is in the way now so I would be looking to move that further along the wall. No idea how that is done. Plus my query about adding a new waste that will potentially just go to a random sot int he garden for quite a while.

So, back to this. I now need to lay a landscape fabric and spread bark over approx. 20m2 Make a shed base for an 8x6 shed on this bark area... Set up the kids play house on this bark area... Sort out the rear side return so I can artificial turf it. Lay that ducting for external electrical supply (partly under the barked area, doh) Sort out foul water drains Leaving the big job of the patio and its retaining wall. Not much to go at when I've got 1001 inside jobs too over the next few weeks.

I took @billt 's advice in the end (sort of). Bought a crap Chinese made Bosch in the sale at Wickes. 37cm/1300W/£50. First cut of the lawn, 10 days after laying. It was ok, light enough to throw round and none of the tinkering required of a petrol motor. Just need to perfect my mowing with a trailing cable. Filled the 40l cliipings box 3 times for 170 sq m of grass at the mid height setting. Hope its collects less if I do it more often now.

I blame their parents... EDIT: Those entitled youngsters demanding their driving licences http://www.wctrs-society.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/abstracts/rio/selected/855.pdf If I spent more than 3 seconds looking for this I could probably dispute everything in your post. Of course they don't drive because they're always drinking... https://www.addiction-ssa.org/commentary/the-changing-face-of-alcohol-consumption-by-young-people

Thanks. I'm expected to magic up something before Tuesday so its not just shipping cost that's the issue. I just asked incase someone knew of something obvious that I was completely ignorant of. https://picclick.co.uk/Elgate-Gate-Latch-DLABP-D-Latch-For-Round-Post-171130194005.html Australia

How many saddle washers can be found in your bathroom Not a proper solution is it? They say its aluminium but I've no idea. Whatever it is, it will be a standard size for this application.

Been finding US stuff but was hoping to get a UK or EU supplier.

They all look like flat versions, I'm looking for something to fit a tube.

Something like this needed

I'm being asked to source a falling latch for this gate to replace the sliding bolt type lock. See pictures. I have asked what size the tubes are, still waiting...

No comment on this used Belle Wacker?

The paving slab bases I've researched are laid on a sand/cement (8:1) bed. Im not that bothered by the whole damp thing. Shed was free and is probably 60+ years old. Don't expect 6" of rain bounce when it's sheltered by trees and surrounded by bark mulch.

I won't be going this far. It's just a shed. At most I might think about using foam tape as a gasket between mating surfaces. Something has to help stop the bugs, surely?

I've seen these by should really do something a bit more involved. If nothing else it's good practice.

Isn't paving slabs a legitimate base anyway? Not sure why you'd do it 2 ways rather than just slabs only on a proper sub base.