How Much Will It Cost to Lay a Patio?

As we write this, summer is fast approaching, and you’ll want to be making the most of your garden. (If you happen to be reading it some months later and summer is long behind us, perhaps take this as a guide for next year!)

Whether it be creating a space to socialise with family and friends, an area for the kids to play, or simply to add a little extra character to your garden, a patio is a winner for any summer garden. The thing is, how do you go about it if you don’t already have one? How much is a patio going to cost, and is it worth the expense?

Well, there is no one-size-fits-all price. How much a patio costs depends on the materials used, how large the patio will be, whether you add any features to it and, perhaps most importantly, whether you do it yourself or hire specialist surfacing contractors.

Why lay a patio?

There could be multiple reasons for laying a patio. You might want to refresh the existing one, you might want to add a feature to the garden that gives the kids some extra space. Maybe you work from home and need a change of scene from the box room office you’ve been occupying for the past six months. Whatever your reason, a patio can bring benefit to your household, you just need a plan in place to get it laid.

What affects how much a new patio costs?

So, you’ve settled on the idea of having a patio laid. You just haven’t yet settled on whether to go it alone or hire an expert. That’s fine. You’ve still got time before pushing the button. Firstly, set aside a budget. There is no point jumping into a project without an idea of how much you are prepared to spend. Your grand plan could soon be shattered if you set aside one figure only to find that the cheapest possible option for a new patio is double that amount!

Once you’ve established how much you want to spend, you should work through the following:

Type of patio surface

There are a variety of materials suitable for a new patio. As with anything, you have the cheaper end of the scale and the more premium materials. Some provide durability, others are more about aesthetics. Some are purely affordable without anything special to shout about, others break the bank yet don’t make a lot difference to how your patio looks.

Natural sandstone, for example, is a popular option due to its affordability and traditional style. Concrete, on the other hand, is at the lower end of the price scale yet offers tremendous versatility. You could then also consider granite for something with a modern twist.

Price wise, expect to spend approximately £15-£70 per patio tile.

DIY or hire a professional

We’ve put this step in before any others, as if you opt to choose a surfacing specialist to lay your patio, you could probably skip the steps that come after this.

Using professionals

Hiring a professional will work out more expensive. That’s a given. You are hiring a team of experts to use their skills and equipment to turn your vision into reality. Costs can often be charged per day but may also be priced on a per-job basis. This could easily eat into a large portion of your budget or even swallow it all up. Meaning any additional features you wish to add might have to go on the back burner for now.

With professionals, you can have full confidence that your patio is laid correctly and with suitable materials. With assessments conducted before they set to work, a surfacing company will investigate the best options for you, giving you full peace of mind that your money is being well spent. Many also offer guarantees. Something you wouldn’t get if you did it yourself.

Prices are hard to estimate as much depends on the size of the patio and the materials used, labour costs when you hire professionals could reach £3,000.

Doing it yourself

Laying a patio yourself will be considerably cheaper than having it completed by a professional, but it does come with risks that could soon see the prices eclipse those of the professional company.

You’ll need to purchase the correct tools, equipment and materials, and dedicate time outside of work and other commitments to get the patio completed. This may at first not appear to be an issue, but should you make mistakes, you’ll have to rectify them at your own expense and time. Depending on the severity of the issues, this could mount up fast and had seen money saved if you had appointed a professional surfacing company.

Materials

Now working on the assumption you are laying the patio by yourself, you’ll also have to factor in the costs of materials in addition to the tiles you’ve already earmarked. When hiring a professional, these prices are often included in any quote they provide.

*Note- it is worth getting a quote from a professional before pricing up the job yourself*

You’ll need to budget for:

• Sub-base (up to £14 per square metre)
• Sharp sand (£5-£7 per square metre)
• Cement (£7 per square metre)
• Slurry primers and pointing £5 per metre squared)
• Skip hire or waste collection (variable)

If you add all these together, and they run close to the cost of the professional company, it might be worth hiring the experts. DIY patio laying requires accuracy, and if you make mistakes, order too much stock, or fall short, you’ll be wasting money trying to get things to where they need to be!

Likewise, if the price comes in substantially under budget or way less than the quote provided, and you have full confidence in your ability, continuing with it yourself could be the best option.

Additional extras

You might want your patio to have a little character or some features that help elevate its appearance. When speaking with a surfacing company, let them know about these ideas as they will factor them into the costs.

If you do it by yourself, it can be wise to put a percentage of the budget aside for fixing any mistakes you might make. This could mean holding back on the additions for now. Should you allocate some cash to cover the cost of mistakes and still be well within budget, feel free to plan with your additions as part of the patio.

These could include drainage, edging, a wall or a fire pit. Depending on what you wish to add will determine the cost, but you should expect to put approximately £500 aside to be safe.

How much does it cost to lay a patio?

Based on what we’ve covered, you could assume you’d spend the following amounts on laying a patio in your garden.

These costs are only approximate, and varying factors could see quotes come in both much lower and much higher.

Could I make the cost of laying a patio any cheaper?

You can. A complex design will cost more than a simple one, regardless of whether you choose a professional company or choose to lay the patio yourself. You should also look at the choice of materials. Whilst cheaper materials mean you might be able to afford the patio right now, they could also mean you are replacing it much sooner. Look for a combination of durability, affordability and low maintenance.

Get quotes from multiple professional companies too. Ideally, get three to five quotes and then look at examples of their work, online reviews, and what is included within the quote. Some companies may offer specific services that others don’t, and that alone could save you hundreds of pounds.

If DIY isn’t your thing, or you are worried about costs mounting if you lay a patio yourself, speak to us! We have over 40 years of experience in commercial and residential surfacing. From patios to pavements and everything in between, we’ve done them all. Our prices are among the most competitive you’ll find, and our team, in our opinion, are the best at what they do. With experience in laying all surface types and a wealth of knowledge to pass on, you can trust Tidey & Webb to help you get the patio you need at a price you can afford.