Patio Relaying & Repairs

Common problems we're asked about

• Sunken patches and slabs at different heights.
• Rocking slabs that move or knock underfoot.
• Cracked slabs, especially around drain covers or under heavy planters.
• Water that lies after rain, or runs back towards the house.
• Joints that have washed out, leaving gaps for weeds and water.

Sunken or uneven slabs

Many Hartlepool gardens are on heavy clay that holds water. It swells in the wet, shrinks in a dry spell, and a patio laid on sand or a thin bed of mortar shifts with it. Ground dug out for a drain or an extension and never properly compacted is another usual suspect. Raising a single slab with extra mortar is only a stopgap. The lasting repair is to lift the sunken area, put in a firm base and lay it again.

Rocking and cracked slabs

A slab that rocks has usually lost the support beneath it, often because it was laid on a few dabs of mortar rather than a full bed. We lift it, dig out the old bedding and relay it on full mortar. Cracked slabs are replaced, matched to the originals where they're still made. Where they aren't, we can talk through close alternatives or move a sound slab from a less obvious place.

Lifting and re-bedding on a proper sub-base

A proper repair or relay means:

1. Lifting the slabs with care and keeping the sound ones.
2. Removing the old bedding and any soft ground.
3. Laying and compacting a crushed-stone sub-base in layers.
4. Re-bedding each slab on full mortar, with a primer on natural stone and porcelain where needed.
5. Jointing with a mortar or compound that stands up to wind and rain.

Drainage and falls

Plenty of the older concrete patios behind the semis in Owton Manor, Rossmere and Fens were laid flat or with a fall back to the house. When we relay, we set a fall of a little per metre so water runs to the lawn, a border or a drain, and keep the finished level at least two brick courses below the damp-proof course. In walled courtyards on the Headland and around West Park, where water has nowhere obvious to go, a channel drain or soakaway may be needed.

Repointing as part of a repair

Wind-driven rain off the sea is hard on joints. Once the slabs are sound and level, we rake out any cracked or washed-out joints and repoint them so water can't get under the patio. Repointing alone won't fix slabs that are moving, so it's part of the repair, not the whole job.

When relaying beats replacing

Relaying is usually the better choice when the slabs are in good condition and you like them. Natural sandstone on the period houses of the Headland and West Park is well worth saving. It's also sensible when only part of the patio has moved. If most slabs are broken, a match can't be found, or you'd like a bigger patio or something lower maintenance, a new one may be better value. See porcelain, Indian sandstone and patio slabs.

What affects the quote

• How much of the patio needs lifting and relaying.
• What's gone wrong: base, bedding, drainage, roots or an old trench.
• The number of slabs to replace, and whether they can be matched.
• Access to the garden, which can be tight on terraced streets and in courtyards.
• Extra work at the same time, such as a drain, step or edging.
• Waste to remove.

We'll look at everything at the free visit and put a written quote in your hands. See also what affects patio prices.

Questions people ask

Get a free quote

If your patio is sinking, rocking or cracking, send us a few details and your postcode. We'll come out, find the cause and give you a written quote.