How to lay a garden patio

1Clear the area you've chosen for your patio to a depth of 15cm to allow room for the hardcore, mortar and paving slabs. Lay 5cm - 8cms of hardcore, using a rake to distribute it and even out any bumps.

2Use a wacker plate to compact and level the hardcore. It's not essential, but stops the rubble moving around while you lay the slabs, making the base solid.

3Hammer wooden pegs into the ground - they need to be at the same height to mark the level surface of the patio. Make sure they're level with any existing paving and manhole covers. Position several over the patio site to work with, using a spirit level to ensure they're even.

4For a random design, place several slabs on the ground to help you decide which shapes interlock well together. Alternatively, cut out pieces of paper to represent scaled-down slabs and work out a design on your scale plan.

5Make a mortar mix - five parts building sand to one part cement. If you're laying a small patio, do this in a wheelbarrow, for larger areas it's worth hiring an electric cement mixer. Lay slabs on a bed of mortar 5cm - 8cm deep, tapping down firmly with a rubber mallet or pressing down with your hands.

6You need to leave a 1cm gap between each slab, which you'll fill in later with mortar. As you progress, use your spirit level or a plank of wood to ensure the slabs are level with the pegs you banged into the ground earlier.

7Edge the patio with paviours layed on a 5cm - 8cm layer of mortar, butting them closely together. For a neat fit, use a hammer and bolster chisel to break paviours where necessary.

8Wash down the slabs when you've finished, making sure you remove any splattered mortar before it hardens and stains the paving.

9Fill the gaps between the paving slabs using a pointing trowel and the same mortar mix as before. Try not to get mortar on the slab surfaces as this will stain if allowed to set.