Lifitng a patio slab intact?

[Danm1les]

About half way down our garden which gently slopes up hill, there is a path that goes with the gradient until all of a sudden there is a step in the path which everyone falls over.

The path is concreted down and who knows where the slabs are from!

How easy would it to be try and lift the slab without breaking it? Is there a nack to it?

[battered]

Just dig it up. It won't be bedded on 5ft of reinforced convrete so just get underneath it, from the side or wherever, and lift it. Even if it won't come up in one piece, so what? It's only a slab, they cost £2 each or a similar sum.

[Danm1les]

battered said:

Just dig it up. It won't be bedded on 5ft of reinforced convrete so just get underneath it, from the side or wherever, and lift it. Even if it won't come up in one piece, so what? It's only a slab, they cost £2 each or a similar sum.

I'll try and get a fork under or something similar, issue is is SWMBO likes the slabs that are down, they aren't jsut standard concrete squares which is annoying

[battered]

So dig a bloody big hole well to one side and lift it out with all the burden. Once out, clean it up. If you try and lever directly on the slab you'll f* it.

[V8RX7]

Usually a spade until one edge and they come up - almost certainly on 4 dabs of cement or a solid sand bed.

[Jonesy23]

If it doesn't pop off relatively easily with a spade or whatever there's the risk of snapping it.

One option to get it unstuck would be to put a bit of wood against the side then knock it with a big hammer, with luck that would break any bond but not risk snapping the slab as you're pushing it sideways in the strongest direction for the slab & the weakest for the bond.

[Danm1les]

Jonesy23 said:

If it doesn't pop off relatively easily with a spade or whatever there's the risk of snapping it.

One option to get it unstuck would be to put a bit of wood against the side then knock it with a big hammer, with luck that would break any bond but not risk snapping the slab as you're pushing it sideways in the strongest direction for the slab & the weakest for the bond.

Cool thanks, will give it ago and see how I get on!