Finding the slabs for the terrace/patio (call it what you will)
Despite a fairly exhaustive search we found nothing of interest for ‘sensible’ money at any builders merchant or Brico sheds. To give you an idea, one fairly ordinary contoured slab we spotted was
Sit down and wait for it......
“The “very special price for you Mr Bentley” because I am a good customer at this builders yard”
75.99 euros a square meter!!!!!!
FFS I could carpet it with Axminster pure wool cheaper than that.
So we flashed up the computer and started searching on line for something that would be to our taste.
The best looking and most suitable paving slabs for what we wanted were (surprise surprise) sourced in the UK and were imported “Indian stone” that had some plant fossils in them as well.
Not sure about their carbon footprint, what with all the volcanic activity and the tectonic plate movements that resulted in their making, plus the extraction, trimming and then transportation to the UK from the sub-continent, but they looked very good.
A mate of mine who is landscape gardener has used them on many occasions and vouched for their durability.
They looked great had colours similar to our back wall and came in at about 23 quid a square meter. However then we would have been faced with getting them to France and at about 7 or more tonnes in weight, not particularly cheap or convenient as they would only be able to be dropped at the front of the house then lugged through by sack truck, and so the cons started to outweigh the pros.
Having read about people making their own paving slabs we did some research and decided to have a go. I remembered seeing some slabs being made on this site a few years ago and after showing MrsB the idea on line she agreed that while I was at sea she would be able to make a few every day and also add some flourishes of colour and inlaid objects in the slabs, to give them some of the quirkiness and originality that we prefer.
As usual the end of the time at home came before the end of the jobs I had to do and so I quickly made some molds on the morning I flew back to sea. Unfortunately they proved to be a bit awkward and fiddly (because I had rushed them a bit) (bloody hell I could have had a lie-in instead), so with some advice gained from the pages from French Entree (an expat living in or connected to France website that is a rich mine of information an all sorts of subjects) and the help of Sylvie (a long standing friend who lives nearby and has created and built her own beautiful and quirky house) MrsB worked out a system of manufacture and they are looking jolly good judging by the photos I have seen so far.
Despite a fairly exhaustive search we found nothing of interest for ‘sensible’ money at any builders merchant or Brico sheds. To give you an idea, one fairly ordinary contoured slab we spotted was
Sit down and wait for it......
“The “very special price for you Mr Bentley” because I am a good customer at this builders yard”
75.99 euros a square meter!!!!!!
FFS I could carpet it with Axminster pure wool cheaper than that.
So we flashed up the computer and started searching on line for something that would be to our taste.
The best looking and most suitable paving slabs for what we wanted were (surprise surprise) sourced in the UK and were imported “Indian stone” that had some plant fossils in them as well.
Not sure about their carbon footprint, what with all the volcanic activity and the tectonic plate movements that resulted in their making, plus the extraction, trimming and then transportation to the UK from the sub-continent, but they looked very good.
A mate of mine who is landscape gardener has used them on many occasions and vouched for their durability.
They looked great had colours similar to our back wall and came in at about 23 quid a square meter. However then we would have been faced with getting them to France and at about 7 or more tonnes in weight, not particularly cheap or convenient as they would only be able to be dropped at the front of the house then lugged through by sack truck, and so the cons started to outweigh the pros.
Having read about people making their own paving slabs we did some research and decided to have a go. I remembered seeing some slabs being made on this site a few years ago and after showing MrsB the idea on line she agreed that while I was at sea she would be able to make a few every day and also add some flourishes of colour and inlaid objects in the slabs, to give them some of the quirkiness and originality that we prefer.
As usual the end of the time at home came before the end of the jobs I had to do and so I quickly made some molds on the morning I flew back to sea. Unfortunately they proved to be a bit awkward and fiddly (because I had rushed them a bit) (bloody hell I could have had a lie-in instead), so with some advice gained from the pages from French Entree (an expat living in or connected to France website that is a rich mine of information an all sorts of subjects) and the help of Sylvie (a long standing friend who lives nearby and has created and built her own beautiful and quirky house) MrsB worked out a system of manufacture and they are looking jolly good judging by the photos I have seen so far.
The design is simple enough as we have used the three size approach, with a square 400 x 400, an oblong 200 x 400, and a square 200 x 200, that way you can lay them how you like, in whatever random pattern you like (as is our want) and they always end up fitting together.
MrsB soon came up with a more productive method of manufacture than the three molds I had left by utilising some of the many bits of timber and concrete blocks we have hanging about.
After a few experiments with various mixes she finally found the one that gives good results every time and is currently undergoing stress testing by placing a few in the main route in and out of the house so they get walked on a lot to see if they are thick enough (about 4cms) which I believe to be plenty.
As is normal with MrsB and concrete or render of any kind it provides a home for the many varied pieces of metal that we have found in the house and the varying colours are exactly what we want.
Although it is many people s choice what we didn’t want was a load of perfectly square slabs all laid in exact lines forming some regimented, controlled surface that was millimeter perfect. Dont get me wrong as it can look great in a shopping malls, around swimming pools and in many other paved floor settings, but not for us.
We are both already thrilled with the way it will look and when complete we are sure it will add yet another original dimension to the house the Bentleys built.
Here are the molds as made by Mrs B
These were the first ones released form the molds and “yes” I did have a small attack of the vapours at seeing one of my best wood chisels being used to open the mold.
I didn’t moan as much about the rasp being used to tidy them up as I also use it for tidying up the edges of newly cut plasterboard.
These were made using white cement and with no colouring added
On checking the price of white cement MrsB decided to have a go using normal colour cement and then adding some colour using either poster paint or powder paint and some nits of metal etc and these are the first results of that experiment
MrsB has now been to the “Pigment” shop in Ploermel and is starting to produce some even more interesting effects. Once aged down it will (in our opinion) create a quite marvelous terrace.
So the next time you see them will be when we start laying them and I am not sure when that will be yet but it wont be long.
Love and Peace
I didn’t moan as much about the rasp being used to tidy them up as I also use it for tidying up the edges of newly cut plasterboard.
These were made using white cement and with no colouring added
On checking the price of white cement MrsB decided to have a go using normal colour cement and then adding some colour using either poster paint or powder paint and some nits of metal etc and these are the first results of that experiment
MrsB has now been to the “Pigment” shop in Ploermel and is starting to produce some even more interesting effects. Once aged down it will (in our opinion) create a quite marvelous terrace.
So the next time you see them will be when we start laying them and I am not sure when that will be yet but it wont be long.
Love and Peace
Bentley
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