What goes into the price
Size and shape
Patios are priced mostly on area, so size comes first. A straightforward rectangle is quicker to lay than a curved or split-level design with lots of cuts. Measure up roughly before you ask for quotes so everyone is pricing the same thing.
The slabs
Material is one of the biggest swings. Plain concrete slabs are the cheapest, textured and stone-effect concrete sit in the middle, and natural stone such as Indian sandstone and porcelain cost more to buy and to lay. Prices also vary a lot between ranges of the same type.
Groundwork
The part nobody sees, and the part that decides whether the patio lasts:
- lifting and getting rid of an old patio, concrete or turf,
- digging out to the right depth, which on heavier clay often means going deeper,
- the compacted sub-base and the mortar bed,
- a skip or waste removal.
A quote that looks cheap often skimps here.
Levels and drainage
A sloping garden may need steps, retaining walls or a raised section. A yard with nowhere for water to go may need a gully, channel drain or soakaway. That adds cost but protects the house.
Access
If everything has to come through the house, or through a narrow side gate by barrow, the job takes longer. Older houses with no side or rear access are the usual example.
Extras
Steps, garden walls, paths, raised beds, lighting and sealing all add to the total. Pricing them in one go usually works out better than adding them later.
Comparing quotes
Put the same questions to everyone who quotes, and get the answers in writing:
- How deep will you dig, and what goes in the sub-base?
- Will every slab sit on a full mortar bed? For porcelain and sandstone, will each slab be primed?
- What fall will it have, and where does the water go?
- How far below the damp-proof course will it finish?
- What is included: waste removal, jointing, cleaning down, tidying the lawn edges?
If one price is far lower than the rest, the answers usually explain why.
Get a free quote
The only number you can rely on is one for your own garden. Ask for a free, no-obligation quote and we'll measure up and give you a written price.