Before beginning to lay the ready mixed concrete in Liverpool, please make sure you take the time to plan the job properly as this will be repaid many times over. You should start by drawing a plan to make sure everything will fit. If drawn to scale, the plans for laying the ready mixed concrete will help you to calculate how much concrete you will need. Once you have drawn the plan, you should lay out the job on the ground. Use nails, pegs and string lines to ensure that the job will be finished as you intend (see below). All levels should be measured from a known point if possible.

Also, don't forget that any surface adjoining a building must be at 150mm below the damp proof course line. It should also slope away from the building to allow water to drain away (see diagram below). A spirit level on a piece of straight timber may be used to level pegs over short distances. Over longer distances, you can use a water level made from a length of clear plastic pipe filled with water (see diagram below). Ensure that the pipe is carefully filled and has no air locks, the water at each end or the pipe should be exactly level. Large concreted areas should have a fall of about 1 in 40 so that water runs off adequately. Set the high side first, then the low side.

Concrete needs a solid base ("hardcore") of adequate depth. Dig the work area out to a depth of twice the required thickness of concrete below the finished surface level. (For driveways or garage bases taking cars, the minimum concrete thickness should be 100mm or 4"). Once dug, compact the exposed soil with a garden roller or similar, then place and compact a layer of crushed stone ("hardcore"), leaving enough space for the depth of concrete required.

It is advisable to place a layer of polythene between the hardcore and the concrete prior to laying, to prevent moisture from within the mix being absorbed by the dry hardcore beneath it.