Patio cost: what decides the price

The short answer

Patio cost comes down to three things: how much ground work is needed before anything is laid, what the patio is made from, and how complicated the shape and levels are. Two patios of the same size can be priced very differently because one sits on flat, firm ground by the back door and the other needs a slope cut back, a retaining wall and steps. Our cost calculator gives a starting range, and we give a free estimate once we have seen the garden.

Size and shape

Area is the obvious factor, but shape matters almost as much. A simple rectangle laid in a standard pattern is quick to set out and has few cuts. Curves, angles, circles and lots of edges around beds, drains and steps mean more cutting, more waste and more time. Small patios also cost more per square metre than larger ones, because setting up, digging out and disposing of spoil carry a fixed cost whatever the size.

Dig-out, sub-base and disposal

A patio needs a firm base: the soil is dug out, a compacted granular sub-base laid, and the slabs bedded on mortar. The depth depends on the ground. Clay, made ground and soft spots need more digging and more stone. Taking away soil, turf or an old patio is a real cost too, especially where everything has to be barrowed through the house or down a narrow side passage because a skip or machine cannot get close.

Cost of patio slabs and pavers

Materials range widely. Concrete slabs are the most affordable and come in many finishes. Natural stone such as sandstone and limestone costs more, and porcelain usually more again, partly because it needs a specialist bedding approach and careful cutting. Smaller pavers and setts take longer to lay than large slabs. Choose the slab first and then compare quotes for the same product, or the prices will not be comparable.

Levels, steps and walls

Sloping gardens add the biggest swings in patio cost. Cutting a level area into a slope means a retaining wall to hold back the soil behind it, footings for that wall, and steps up or down. Raising a patio on a sloping site means building up walls and filling behind them. Brick walls, steps and raised beds are built work, priced on top of the paving.

Drainage and falls

Every patio needs a fall so water runs off, and it must fall away from the house and stay at least 150mm below the damp-proof course. If that is not possible, a channel drain along the house wall is needed. Large patios on clay may also need a soakaway. These are small parts of the price but expensive to put right afterwards.

Relaying, repointing and cleaning an existing patio

If the existing patio is sound but the joints have failed, repointing is far cheaper than relaying. If slabs rock, have sunk or the falls are wrong, the base has usually failed and the slabs need lifting and relaying, sometimes reusing the same stone. Cleaning is the cheapest option of all and is worth doing first, because it shows which joints and slabs genuinely need work.

Patio covers and enclosures

A cover, canopy or enclosure over a patio is a separate structure and is priced separately from the paving. If you plan one, say so early: posts or walls need footings, and those are best built before the slabs go down rather than cut in afterwards.

Getting comparable quotes

Ask each contractor to price the same area, slab, pattern and base depth, and to say how spoil will be removed and how the patio will drain. A quote that is much cheaper usually has a thinner base or no drainage, and that is where patios fail.

About us

D & A Brickwork & Building is a family-run firm based in Bidwell, Dunstable, with more than 26 years of building experience. We are FMB members and fully insured, and we give free estimates after a site visit.

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