Looks great - did you do it yourself or did you have professional help laying the patio? We are just finishing our kitchen/diner and then we need to clear the builders rubble and relay the garden.

Hi there, I am a bit late here, but just to ratify what Sonia said: I would not get rid of the York stone slabs at all! It would be a really good investment to get them cleaned and relaid! They look perfect for your surroundings! I also loved the stone wall that you have in your garden as well! Loads of elements that already add character to it! As for all the features that you want to add to your patio, I do agree that it is a lot for a single space, so maybe the best option is to create another patio area somewhere else in your garden and subdivide these features that you want among the different patio areas. Use paths to connect them and you have a journey through your garden! I know it is out of the scope of what you want, but I would also be tempted to adding some planting beds around the garden. If you need any further help, I provide a range of online garden design services from budget friendly garden sketch to full on garden plans with planting plans and 3D visuals. If you are interested, please do have a look at my website and get in tough. I would be happy to help! Deborah The Rooted Concept Garden Designs

I ordered French doors for an extension from architects drawings and had no problems. They were a good company and the doors went in perfectly. If you wait till the building is done you will not be able to progress with the rest of the work till the doors/ windows are in place.

You do not necessarily have to fully bed all the patio slabs. Ours have a sort of dot and dab underneath. Very annoying when you accidentally drive over them as it causes cracking. There are so many ways to do this. I think I would over order the cement,sand and any other materials just using square meterage and then allow 10% extra for waste and learning how to mix it properly. Don't feel massively pressured by the time frame. Its more pressure you don't need the first time. Do it properly and just do as much as you can in your timeframe. The weather might not play ball either. Just try and stop in a logical sequence if you need to. Think about access. Think about logistics too to make it as easy for you as possible. Paving slabs will be heavy so you don't want to have to carry them too far for instance. I have found Travis Perkins to be very helpful with materials in the past.