How do I lay a concrete pad?

Cate, you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Heavy work. My first step in researching this would be check out some videos on YouTube. If it looks like it's too crazy hard, then hire someone. If you don't, you're going to need all kinds of tools and heavy supplies. And don't forget a pad isn't just concrete. There's rebar in there, too, or it will crack all over the place. And it will need a certain thickness depending on where you live. You'll probably also need permits if you live in a municipality. What starts out as a 'simple' idea can get complicated pretty quick!

Level off as much as possible. Build a wooden frame. Mix up the concrete and pour. I would recommend renting a mixer or purchasing one for this much material. That will be rough to mix in a wheel barrow.

Using damp finishing tools, you smooth out. You might want to consider sweeping with a broom for a textured finish since it's a patio. It will depend on how the existing looks and what you want to do regarding matching.

You can set the flagstones in the concrete before it is set and smooth out. Another option would be to pour the concrete lower than the existing patio by the height of the flagstone. Then lay the flagstone on the new pad once it has cured.

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I'm a visual person, so I hope this video helps! https://www.diynetwork.com/videos/concrete-patio-pad-process-0209514?soc=sharepin

Check out my post: https://karupp-did.net/pour-a-cement-pad-diy/. In this post I explain:

- how we ordered concrete

-how much concrete we would need based on math calculations that I give you.

-what materials we needed

-the process of pouring the cement

Our cement slab was on a slope though so we actually had to build a retaining wall to allow for the concrete. If you need a retaining wall, you may be interested in my 2 other posts to prepare for the cement slab. If you might be in this situation, you might also want to see:

https://karupp-did.net/plan-and-diagram-a-retaining-wall-to-diy/

This post describes diagrams and sketches needed to build a retaining wall along with planning the wall and cement pad. This is also linked to the post where we built the retaining wall.