- How to build a shed base out of paving slabs
- Mix sand and cement together to make mortar or use a pre-mixed one
- Use a trowel to lay mortar for 1 slab at a time on the sub-base and lift a damp-sided slab onto the mortar, using a piece of timber and club hammer to tap the slab into position carefully. Continue to lay the first row of slabs
- Make equally-sized spacers in all the joints in the slabs to ensure they’re the same size, checking it’s level as you go along
- Next lay slabs along the two adjacent outer edges, filling in the central area row by row
- Leave the mortar to set according to the instructions or for at least 48 hours before filling in the joints with mortar or paving grout
- Building a shed base from concrete
- Create a wooden frame around your shed base area (also called formwork) to stop the concrete from spreading
- Mix pre-mixed concrete with water or use 1 part cement to 5 parts ballast
- Wet the sub-base using a watering can with a rose on the end
- Pour the concrete onto the framed base starting in one corner
- Push the blade of a shovel up and down in the edges of the concrete to get rid of air bubbles
- Use a rake to spread the concrete, leaving it around 18mm higher than the top of the frame. Work in sections of around 1-1.m2
- Compact the concrete using a straight piece of timber that’s longer than the width of the base. Move the timber along the site, hitting it along at about half of its thickness at a time until the surface is evenly ridged
- Remove excess concrete and level the surface by sliding the timber back and forwards from the edge that you started. Fill in any depressions and repeat until even
- Run an edging trowel along the frame to round off exposed edges of the concrete and prevent chipping
- Cover the concrete with a plastic sheet raised on wooden supports to allow slow drying. Weigh it down with bricks
- Once the concrete is set, you can install your shed and remove the wooden frame with a crowbar
Broughton-in-furness
Broughton-in-Furness is a little market town on the southern border of England's Lake District National Park. It is situated in the Furness region of Cumbria, which was part of Lancashire prior to 1974. It is close to the River Duddon, just inland from the coastal hamlet of Foxfield. Broughton is named within the Domesday Book of 1086 as one of the townships which formed the Manor of Hougun held by Tostig Godwinson, Earl of Northumbria. Dating from around the eleventh century, the original settlement grew into the local market town for fishing and agriculture, and now plays host to a regular farmers cattle market. The central obelisk inside the town square was built to mark the Jubilee of King George III in 1810. In 1859, the Coniston branch of the Furness Railway, which passed through the town, was opened. Almost one hundred years later, in 1958, the line was closed and dismantled, and the cleared ground is now a public bridleway. Broughton's nearest railway station is now Foxfield railway station, 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) to the south west of the town. The establishing of the National Park in the 1950s developed some tourism for Brougton-in-Furness, though most vacationers head further north or east into the central lakes. During the 1990s, the A595 road was diverted in an attempt to boost the atmosphere of the town and help it retain its rural attraction. The town consists of, amongst other shops, a Post Office, a newsagents, a grocer, a butcher, a bakery and a selection of pubs and restaurants. There's a Tourist Information Centre positioned in the main square. For all your house improvement jobs, be certain that you choose reliable specialists in Broughton-in-Furness to ensure that you get a good quality service.
