Oh no. Have I f**ed up our patio?

[ThatOtherPoster]

Had a beautiful patio laid yesterday. My DH said the builder had said to “keep off it as much as possible”. I took that to be advisory rather than mandatory, and have walked over bits of it 3 times. I did it to lock/unlock the back gate snd alleyway as they’d left their mixer there and I thought I was protecting them.

The builder is back today and asked me sternly if I’d walked in it. I said I had. He looked really tired and disappointed in me. :( He asked if any of the slabs had moved. I said I wasn’t sure. He stepped forward and the big one outside the back door rocked so he gave me a look. He lifted that up and is relaying it.

He’s pointing it all now.

But my worry is: LOADS of the slabs rocked when I walked on them! I thought it was normal. But I’m too scared to tell him.

Have I f**ked up the beautiful new patio I’ve spent all my savings on?

Will it have to be pulled up and relaid?

He’s walking all over it now to point it so I’m guessing he’d feel any “rocking” ones. He hasn’t screamed and relaid any - but maybe he thinks I deserve a rocking patio because I’m such a twat?

I feel AWFUL. He’s such a lovely msn snd I feel like I’ve ruined everything.

And no, we don’t all know you can’t walk over paving slabs or how mortar works or all that stuff! I had no idea.

Thanks for all your replies.

Hopefully it’ll be ok. Or at least, not 100% fucked.

Well, most people actually do know this stuff, but I'm glad it worked out.

Did you see the post the other day about the woman who walked on her newly laid floor and tried to fix it with something for smoothing icing on cakes? If not, go and have a read of it. Lots of us have done really stupid things.

You really didn't know that mortar/concrete is soft when first poured? It is levelled, slabs are laid onto of a soft, moveable concrete mix. When you lay something onto a soft mix and leave it to set, you didnt think that the soft mixture will move when you walk on it? Because that isnt something you need to learn specifically for slab laying. It's common sense. Soft, wet, not set mixture moves when pressure is applied.

Stop being so daft & go and talk to him.

You won't be the first, not the last, to walk on it.

It is partly his fault for saying 'Keep off it as much as possible' IF he did. Ask him what he actually said to your DH One of them
Contributed to this disaster.

But FFS go & talk to him.

Clients that don't tell tradespeople the truth are a pain in the arse & deserve what they get as a consequence.

While all you experienced patio people are here, can I ask - would you tip your patio man? I was going to give him a tip to say thanks for being so brilliant but everyone I asked IRL said it was overkill/not the done thing. So I didn’t - I paid his bill in full online immediately, though - but now I feel a bit bad.

But FFS go & talk to him.

I did. He knows all.

X posted with your last few posts.

Fingers crossed it's ok

I wouldn't go on it tomorrow either tbh. Just leave it to really 'go off'.

No I wouldn't.

I'd 'tip' him if he needs to come back & doesn't charge you though.

Yeah op was a bit silly but honestly some people are right dicks on here and will put their boot in at any opportunity. Some really shitty comments and I dont get it..op walked on a patio, she didn't kick a puppy ffs.

The comments! Hahah! So much anger. Mistakes happen op. Enjoy your new patio, when you can finally walk on it! X

We all make mistakes. Especially if you don’t know. And if you don’t know something you just don’t know it!

There was a thread on her last week about someone walking on her new floor having being told not to as she just forgot as was on auto pilot.

We got a load of turf laid and were told not to walk on it or let the dogs on it. My sister was staying and I had to nip out and she forgot and lt he dogs out. Had to get the turf guys back the next day.

It’s human to err. Just chalk it up to experience.

Too late now, but I think I would have said the neighbours have got a big fat cat and you saw that meandering across the new patio last night ...

Ah that’s good. I bought out guys a case of beer each to say thanks.

I dont tip, but one of us in the house always makes a lunch for workmen. That's not the done thing on mumsnet but I grew up on a farm; lunch was always made for everyone there that day, even if it was just packed up and sent out. So I feed everyone who works on my house.

If I was told to "stay off it as much as possible" I'd take that as it's ok to nip out and lock the gate just don't start spending ages out there walking about or the kids playing on it etc.

Now if he's said "there a cement mixture that needs to dry so absolutely no walking on it for 24 hours blah blah blah" then that's totally different and I wouldn't be going out there!

I’d have tipped him in these circumstances because he had to lift and relay the slab you’d messed up, plus check every inch of the patio incase you’d messed up the rest

Glad it's not ruined OP. You won't be the first nor will you be the last to do that!

"Experienced patio people" did make me laugh

When I read the thread title I was hoping you were going to say you’d left ex’s foot sticking out