Wooden decking - so Noughties. In the Teenies, the real players have gotten patios. A well fitted patio using good stone or slate will add hundreds of thousands to the resale value of your home. Well, maybe a small amount of an exaggeration, but a crisp patio makes a garden and creates a multi-purpose space for potted plants, garden furniture, BBQs and loungers.

Now, the most effective way to have your patio laid is to pay for someone else to complete it. Of course. However, if you're still fit and active, possess a modicum of logic and also the time, nothing beats the satisfaction of building your own. Excellent in the smugness stakes when your friends come over for drinks on an evening.

Slate, sandstone, York stone and perhaps shaped concrete, the choice of paving stone has become endless. But cough up a bit of cash for it. As in life, you get what you pay for. There's no doubt that a dark slate looks particularly nice in most gardens but you should do what you think is correct, of course.

Whatever stone you use, the method is exactly the same.

The key to the success of this project and each and every landscaping project is preparation. Take some time and don't rush. Preparation is where you need to put in most of your effort. It is where the professionals spend some time to obtain that fantastic finish. Start with the ground you are laying the patio onto. Get it absolutely even.

Materials that you need are as fllows:

Hardcore (Sometimes called MOT type 1)

Building sand

Cement

Paving slabs (sandstone, York stone slate etc)

Tools you will require are as follows:

A Shovel, a rake, a wheelbarrow, wooden level pegs or stakes, a hammer, a spirit level, a long plank of wood, a vibrating plate (rent one), a cement mixer (rent one), a rubber mallet, a pointing trowel.

The procedure to follow is:

1. So, firstly, clear the area. Remove any turf, weeds, plants or old paving to a depth of about 15cm (6in). This will allow your patio to sit flush with the lawn. Now get your vibrating plate and give the area a once over. It will make it nice and flat.

2. Now you need to create a solid surface for the slabs to sit on. Get a wheel barrow and cover the area with in a 5 to 8cm (2 to 3in) layer of hardcore. Use a rake to spread it evenly.

3. Get your vibrating plate out again and run it over the hardcore to compact and level it.

4. Right, if your patio is near to the house, you need to bring about a slight gradient (from the house) to allow rainwater to drain off. So, get 10 or 20 wooden stakes (depending on the size of your patio) and spacing them evenly, hammer them into the earth so they are all level. Now you will want your spirit level and an extended plank of wood. Make certain the stakes are all level to start with by resting the plank across the stakes as they face from the home and putting the spirit level across it. Now knock the stakes furthest away from your home further into the ground. You are looking to bring about a gentle gradient here for the rainwater to drain. Measure the gradient by placing the spirit level on top of the plank. Spend time getting this right. It is important for the finish.

5. Now, determine the design you would like for the patio. If you need a random design, start playing with some slabs to work out which shapes work and interlock well together. If you want a regular pattern, make some measurements to make sure you've got enough slabs and you can still avoid having to cut the stone.

6. Make life easy for you and hire an electrical cement mixer. Now, produce a mortar mix of 5 parts building sand to one part cement. Don't mix a lot to begin with - it will set if you leave it for too long. Mix mortar as and whenever you need it. Spread a layer of mortar about 5 to 8cm (2 to 3in) deep, and place your slab onto it, tapping it down firmly using a rubber mallet.

7. Remember to keep a 1cm (½in) gap between each slab. You can fill this with mortar later. Keep make use of the plank of wood and spirit level to ensure the slabs are level with the stakes you banged in the ground earlier and you've still got your gradient.

8. Wash down the slabs you've laid and ensure that you remove any splattered cement. Otherwise it will harden on the slabs.

9. Finally, fill the gaps between the paving slabs using a pointing trowel and the same mortar mix as you used before. Spend time to accomplish a nice finish.

You are done - well done. You have done an excellent job here. Time to call your friends and get them round for a drink. Obviously, your real friends are already here - helping you along with the patio.