New patio turning to a swamp?!

[lutonlagerlout]

lithofin MN stainstop is the pro invisible choice
lots of shiny type sealants out there
but does it really need it?
as for the cement stains leave well alone,acid can cause all sorts of discolouration on sandstone
LLL

[Dermo]

Thanks LLL, will set about sourcing the stain stop you recommend.

[henpecked]

Would a 'Hall of Shame' be a good idea? As naming isnt cricket, what about a photo galley of some more shocking finds?

Hp

waits for concrete

[dig dug dan]

given the circumstances i think the new installer has done a great job with what he had to work with.
The size difference on some of those slabs is amazing. On the second picture, there is a slab at the bottom of the picture, second one to the right, that looks to be as much as 30mm larger in width than its adjoining neighbour above it!
Do i suspect some cheap imports?? ???

[lutonlagerlout]

looks like someone has mixed some 280* units up with some 300* units

its never easy getting people out of trouble
and as i said it looks loads better now
LLL

[jonnyboyentire]

It does look better but I agree about the lines, the corners, there are also out-of-synch joints, oh, and is it falling back towards the house (don't see that often on a raised patio ??????

If they are re-used slabs from the first attempt, why wouldn't you make an effort to cut them down to work ? I would have thought it was obvious. Hey ho.

[dig dug dan]

why have you used a bodger for a second time?

am i missing something? i don't think the original poster has used a bodger the second time. He has done a great job by the looks of the photos. Its just the first guy who bodged

[jonnyboyentire]

am i missing something? i don't think the original poster has used a bodger the second time. He has done a great job by the looks of the photos. Its just the first guy who bodged










I inadvertantly only read page one (getting used to this forum again) but looked at the photostream on flickr, where the rainy pics are dated 2010 but the sunny pics are 2005 hence my confusion.

I edited the post but you nabbed me before I had finished typing it !

Interesting that the OP had a very limited budget to re-do the job hence his comments about what guy number 2 had to work with, yet the design has totally changed and now its a raised patio using those walling blocks (extra costs??) that we all love.

Confused.....

[Dermo]

Hi johnnyboyentire,

No, the patio is most certainly not falling back towards the house, that would be plain dumb.

I don't know why the sunny pics were dated 2005 but I do know I took them just a matter of a few weeks ago.

The patio was always a raised one (version 1 and version 2).

I didn't have a "very limited budget", it was more of a case where I didn't want the patio to turn into a money pit and so made the decision to reuse the slabs at the small price of them not looking spanking new. As for the walling blocks - yeah they cost extra, what can I say, I got carried away in a moment of wild extravagance.

The real installer did indeed cut some slabs to fit and I'll stick to my view he did a fine job with what he had to work with and is most definately not a bodger.

Hope this clears up your confusion.

[jonnyboyentire]

Hi johnnyboyentire,

No, the patio is most certainly not falling back towards the house, that would be plain dumb.

I don't know why the sunny pics were dated 2005 but I do know I took them just a matter of a few weeks ago.

The patio was always a raised one (version 1 and version 2).

I didn't have a "very limited budget", it was more of a case where I didn't want the patio to turn into a money pit and so made the decision to reuse the slabs at the small price of them not looking spanking new. As for the walling blocks - yeah they cost extra, what can I say, I got carried away in a moment of wild extravagance.

The real installer did indeed cut some slabs to fit and I'll stick to my view he did a fine job with what he had to work with and is most definately not a bodger.

Hope this clears up your confusion.

Dumb? I agree, surprising how often you see it though.

The reason I asked is that in one of the new pics - "ahhh definitely better" if you look at the patio ve the concrete gravel boards, it looked like the patio at the right was higher than the left.

Must be my eyes, or the fence is sloping.

[local patios and driveway]

dermo, you are happy with the work and to be fair you are right to be happy, it looks fine, yeah these boys can (and always do) find fault in all work, and probably their own sometimes.. but its not spot on but its doing the job for you. joe bloggs would look at the work and be happy with it.

im a great believer in trying not to knock another tradesmans work, cowboys yes but not tradesman. repairing a bodge isnt easy, and we sit here not having the tradesmans side of the story, what he charged or constraints on materials.

[jonnyboyentire]

a fair point, local.

[lutonlagerlout]

the clue is in the title guys

paving EXPERT

not paving that'll do ,or paving i ran out of money

I worked for enough bodgers and cowboys when i was younger,and it was always the same excuses for bodging
lack of time/funds/materials etc

we have to aim high here,and if that means sometimes we fail then at least we tried

LLL :;):

[rab1]

agree with tony here (lll) you always do the best job you can and if you have to deal with/fix a pound of shit.
you cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear. :;):

[jonnyboyentire]

lol

polished t*rd? I detest bodges, but there you go.

My boys hate how anal I can be about details, but they never get called back, always get recommended etc etc, as I frequently remind them

As local says though, the customer (op) is happy. We shouldn't pour too much rain on his parade!