Patios in Lyndhurst, shade, algae and slip

Stripping it out comes first. Old paving, the bedding under it and any old concrete are broken out and excavated to a firm formation. In Lyndhurst gardens there is nearly always a layer of leaf mould and soft made ground under the slabs, and that has to go too. Roots, spoil and rubble leave by the load.

The sub base. MOT Type 1 whacked in thin lifts to full compaction and carried past the edge of the paving, with a geotextile separator underneath on soft ground. In a shaded garden the base never really dries out, so getting the compaction right the first time is the difference between a flat terrace and a rocking one.

Full bed and primer, not dabs. Slabs are bedded on a full wet mortar bed with a slurry primer on the back. A dabbed slab in a shaded garden holds standing water under it permanently, and permanently wet mortar has no strength left in it after a few frosts.

Grip is the first thing we choose for. Textured porcelain is the obvious answer on a north facing Lyndhurst terrace: calibrated, non porous, and the grip is in the surface rather than in the stone being dry. Flamed granite is excellent too. Riven sandstone has natural texture but is porous and greens over. Limestone and travertine both hold moisture and we would steer you away from them here.

Falls, levels and the damp course. Paving falls away from the house and stops at least two courses below the DPC, and on the older properties in Lyndhurst, where plenty of homes predate 1919, there may be no proper damp course to work from at all. In that case the level comes off the floor inside. Approved Document C explains why.

Shifting water and leaves. A shaded terrace needs a slightly stronger fall than an open one, because the sun is not going to help. Water goes to a channel with a gully and an outfall, or to a soakaway where the ground will take the runoff, and any grating is chosen so leaf litter can be swept off it rather than packing into it.

Edges, steps and retaining. A haunched edging or kerb where the paving meets grass or a border, a retaining edge and coping where the ground is held back, and steps set out with equal risers. Under a canopy the step nosings are the part people slip on, so they get the grippiest finish on the job.

Jointing. A brush in resin compound worked in wet and tooled off. Open joints in a shaded garden fill with rotting leaf, and that is a seed bed for moss and algae. Mortar pointing still suits an old stone terrace. Then the usual repairs: lifted slabs, a sunk corner, rocking paving, cracked stone, efflorescence on new sandstone and staining under the drip line.

No rate per square metre: the slabs are the bit you choose, and seldom the biggest cost. Carrying everything in. A High Street cottage with no way round the back means every slab and bag travels through the house. A villa with a long side path, or a detached house with a gated drive, is quicker. The work at height rules still cover the lifting and the dig.

Roots and what comes out. Old concrete, raised beds, roots and made ground are dug out and removed by the load. Where a root cannot be cut without harming the tree, the patio is raised or shaped around it, which alters the design and the price.

Grip in the shade. In a shaded Lyndhurst garden, a textured natural stone or a porcelain with a grip finish is safer than a smooth slab, and the falls must clear water quickly so algae does not get a hold.

Levels. The finished surface has to sit two brick courses under the damp proof course and fall away from the house; on a sloping garden that means steps, a retaining edge or a channel drain.

Put these to anyone else who quotes: how deep is the dig, what sub base, are the slabs on a full mortar bed or spot bedded on dabs, which way does water run off, and what jointing compound fills the joints.

Lyndhurst is 14.9 miles from our Boscombe base. Patios we lay across the village, Emery Down, Bank and the lanes out towards Minstead, broadly SO43, fall under the New Forest National Park Authority for planning. Behind the work is Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 15471719. Before you book a visit in Lyndhurst, you can read our customers' Google reviews, word for word, on our reviews page.

It is owned by Thomas Hannen, and he looks at your garden and prices the patio himself. A verified customer rated our work 10 out of 10 on Checkatrade. The garden visit and the itemised written quote are both free. Leaf litter and shade are just as hard on a front drive, and driveways in Lyndhurst get the same grip and fall.

Most repairs in Lyndhurst need no application at all. What decides whether a change to the outside of your house does is who the council is, whether a conservation area or a listing applies, and whether the place sits in a protected landscape.