Uneven patio area

chizz81

hi all

i have recently moved into a new home, the whole back garden is on a slight slope going downwards from the top of the garden towards the house, there is a small patio area where none of the slabs are level, I am going to take all the patio slabs up and hopefully level of the ground and then put the slabs back down, what would the best way of levelling the ground be after I have all the slabs up? Preferably the cheapest option as well.

thanks in advance

Blue Onion

Depends on how long you want it to remain level for.  A quick cheap job will not last the winter.. so be prepared to do it properly so it will last for years.  
1. Dig down five inches below the bottom of where you want your pavers to sit.  
2. Add four inches of hardcore and compact with a rented plate compactor. 
3. Add an inch of sand and level with a long board.
4. Place down pavers carefully.
5. Add paver sand over the top and sweep down into cracks, then run compactor over the top.  

There are lots of YouTube videos around to watch.  

hogweed

I have a patio in the garden just laid on sand. No movement in the last 15 years. So sand would be my advice. Can't remember now if it was sharp sand or soft sand I used but I just had about 2 inches of sand over levelled earth. 

Nollie

Couple of thoughts, when you level the area, you may find you have a step up to the grass. I would suggest you dig out a strip of lawn and lay railway sleepers, edging pavers or some such to help retain your lawn and help stop grass creeping back among the pavers. The hedge (leylandi?) to the left of the pic will probably get some water runoff from the existing slope and it doesn’t look as if it has much free soil to absorb rainwater, given the pavers are right up against it. I would also leave a strip free along the hedge and give it a good deep water and then mulch it. Dying leylandi are not a pretty sight!

Birdy13

With a site that slopes towards the house you need to consider whether there is adequate drainage for rainwater that ends up against the house walls: there is always a risk that heavy downpours - or worse, flooding - may breach the damp course (if the house is modern enough to have one) - and that could cause rising damp in the future. 

  If you are about to lift the slabs anyway, now is the best opportunity to change the fall of the patio so it slopes away from the house, perhaps towards the lawn or borders containing plants that like damper or wet conditions.