Home DIY

@Mishk

I would have serious concerns about running a whacker plate or tree trammer in that basement for a whole host of reasons the headlines being:

1. That looks like a Victorian terrace, you don't know the quality of the foundations and DO NOT want to fuck them up. Compacting machines have the potential to do this.
   
2. They are heavy and will be hard to get down/up the stairs.
   
3. They tend to be driven by internal combustion engines - not good in confined spaces.
   
   

The soil should be pretty stable so I'd leave it be. You'll need:

1. Lots of sharp sand.
   
2. The biggest rubber mallet you can find.
   
3. Either a laser level and 2 foot level (preferable) or a 6 foot level and a 2 foot level.
   
   

How I would do it:

1. Using either the laser or big level find the highest point of the existing floor. This is your starting point.
   
2. Put some sand on the floor and get it roughly level then place a slab on top. You want the slab to be sitting so there is a good "margin" of sand around it.
   
3. Check how level of the slab is with the smaller level and adjust it using the rubber mallet. If one side needs to go down, give it a whack on that side, same with corners etc. then give the slab a couple of goo whcks in the middle to seat it
   
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 working out from your starting point, periodically checking the level of the whole floor with the laser (or big level).
   
   

I'm sure @Colin_the_Bald can give you some better advice on laying paving slabs.