How to lay a patio

4. If, like me, you want a patio with a random design, place several slabs on the ground to work out which shapes work and interlock well together. Alternatively, cut out pieces of paper to represent scaled-down slabs and work out a design on your scale plan.

5. Make a mortar mix of five parts building sand to one part cement. If you're only laying a small patio, you could do the mixing in a wheelbarrow, although generally it'll be quicker and easier to hire an electric cement mixer (see our tools list, above). Mix more mortar as and when you need it. 6 Lay each slab on a bed of mortar that's about 5-8cm (2-3in) deep, tapping it down firmly with a rubber mallet or pressing down with your hands.

6. You need to leave a 1cm (½in) 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.

7. Edge the patio with paviours, laying them on a 5-8cm (2-3in) layer of mortar, as you did with the slabs. Butt them up together and, for a neat fit, use a hammer and bolster chisel to break paviours where necessary.

8. At the end of the day, wash down the slabs you've laid, making sure you remove any splattered mortar before it can harden and stain the paving.

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

10. So that's a job well done! Now simply enjoy choosing your garden furniture, then sit back and relax in the knowledge that you've created a professionally finished patio you'll appreciate for many years to come.