Lay a small concrete pad for a bin store

Dig, level, box in, and pour a small concrete pad that will support a bin store for years.

BP-01Plan the pad and check for buried servicesMark out the pad with pegs and string, about 100mm bigger all round than the bin store's footprint. Before digging, check for buried cables and pipes: look at any old garden plans, ask your water and electricity suppliers if they can tell you what runs where, and sweep the area with a cable and pipe detector as a second check, not instead of asking. If you're paving over 5m² of front garden with a non-permeable surface, you may need planning permission unless it drains onto a lawn or border — check with your council if you're unsure.

RULES

4 each · Wooden pegs

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1 roll · String line

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KNOW THE RULES

Under permitted development rules, hard surfacing over 5m² in a front garden usually needs planning permission unless it's permeable or drains onto a lawn/border, not the road. This doesn't apply to most back gardens.

BP-02Dig out the areaExcavate the marked area to about 150mm deep for a pad that only carries bin weight, or 200mm if a bin lorry or car will cross it. Clear away turf, roots and any soft or loose soil so you're digging down to firm ground. Keep the base roughly level using a spirit level and a straight length of timber, and pile spoil well clear of the hole.

BP-03Lay and compact the sub-baseSpread a 75-100mm layer of MOT Type 1 hardcore evenly over the dug-out base. Compact it firmly using a plate compactor, or by hand with a stout timber post, working over the area twice. Check with a spirit level that it's flat and firm underfoot, with no soft or springy patches.

0.3 tonne · MOT Type 1 sub-base

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1 hire · Plate compactor hire (half day)

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BP-04Build the timber formworkFix 25x100mm timber boards around the edge of the pad to act as shuttering, holding them upright with wooden pegs driven in every 500mm. Check the top edges are level all the way round with a spirit level, since this line sets the finished height of the concrete. Lightly oil or wet the inside faces so the concrete doesn't stick when the boards come off later.

4 length · Timber boards 25x100mm

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8 each · Wooden pegs

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BP-05Add a membrane or reinforcement (optional)For extra weatherproofing, lay a sheet of polythene damp-proof membrane over the compacted sub-base before pouring. For a stronger pad that resists cracking under a heavier bin store, lay steel mesh reinforcement on small plastic spacers so it sits in the middle of the concrete's depth, not resting on the ground. Both are optional for a small domestic pad, but useful if the ground is soft or the bin store is heavy.

1 roll · Polythene DPM sheet

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1 sheet · Reinforcement mesh sheet

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6 each · Mesh spacers

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BP-06Mix or order the concreteFor a small pad, mix a general-purpose blend of 1 part cement to 2 parts sharp sand to 3 parts 20mm gravel, or use pre-blended bags of ballast and cement. Add just enough water for a firm, non-slumping mix — too wet and the pad will crack as it dries. If you need more than about 1m³, ready-mixed concrete delivered by lorry is usually easier and can work out cheaper than mixing by hand.

4 bag · Cement bags (25kg)

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1 bag · Sharp sand (bulk bag)

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1 bag · 20mm gravel (bulk bag)

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BP-07Pour and level the concretePour the concrete into the formwork in one go if you can, pushing it into the corners with a shovel. Rough-level it with a rake, then drag a straight timber board across the top of the formwork in a side-to-side sawing motion to compact and level the surface — this is called tamping. Check the surface is flat with a spirit level as you go.

1 length · Tamping beam (straight timber)

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1 hire · Wheelbarrow hire

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BP-08Finish the surfaceFor a plain, non-slip finish, leave the light ridged texture from tamping. For a smoother look, float the surface once with a wooden or plastic float after the initial water sheen has gone. Don't over-work it — too much floating brings weak, watery cement paste to the top, which can flake later.

1 each · Plastering float

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BP-09Cure and protect the padCover the fresh concrete with plastic sheeting or damp hessian to slow drying and stop rain marking the surface. Leave it undisturbed for at least 3 days before removing the formwork, and keep heavy weight off it for a week. Full strength takes about 28 days, so hold off putting the bin store on it until then if you can.

1 roll · Plastic sheeting

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BP-10Remove the formwork and tidy upOnce the concrete has cured for a few days, carefully lever the timber boards away from the edges. Backfill any gap around the pad with soil or gravel and sweep away spilled concrete or hardcore. Store any leftover cement bags somewhere dry, and keep them out of reach of children.

1 bag · Garden gravel (bag)

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