I am in the processing of renovating the property I have been living in for a number of years. My philosophy is to save up and do a small bit at a time, using decent material and doing some of the donkey work myself to save on costs.
So. Here is how the front patio looked before I lifted up and binned the old slabs (no idea what they were, but they were dirty, and lifted up easily...weak mortar mix I am guessing!)
In the process of lifting up slabs, using a basic / cheapie SDS drill:
The finished project:
Materials used:
Bradstone dark grey charcoal granite flags (60cm x 60cm)
Light, unbranded granite bricks (20cm x 10cm x 5cm thick)
GftK VDW800 for the pointing material
1cm gap between all flags
The labour was a 3 day job, total labour cost was £1,100.
I simply lifted up the old slabs and then hired a landscaper to dig out, fill and level the area before laying the granite on top.
Hi LLL, thanks for the feedback. Yep, the render will be filled / rendered where necessary. The air brick I will scrub with a wire brush / clean up and paint same colour as door.
Step is big, but I didn't really want to start touching it, it suits me ok for now, might change at a later date possibly.
That airbrick really does hit you right smack bang in the eye, doesn't it, and prevents you spotting just how good the rest of it is.
If it had been my job, I'd have core-drilled a piece of the granite to make a 'cover' for the air-brick. 10mm dia holes in a 20mm grid pattern - it might have taken an hour or so to do, but in the long run, it would have made that eyesore disappear for good!
