The price of a new patio involves more than the pavers, cement and landscapers’ time. There are preparatory works to consider, the price dispose of unwanted materials responsibly, machinery hire, the materials for the sub-base, primers, cements and grouts, drainage channels, soakaway crates, even portaloo hire in some cases! That’s why a good landscaper may take a couple of weeks to get back to you with their quote - it’s complicated!
Garden landscaping is an investment and no matter what size the area you are changing may be, it deserves to be designed and built with the utmost care. What does a new patio cost? Well that is different for every single project and it depends on several factors.
Let me explain……
It may seem obvious that the bigger a patio is, the more materials and labour it will take to build it. That’s just common sense. But pricing a patio is not as simple as quoting £x per square metre over the phone….
At Precision Paving and Landscaping we want our pricing to be fair to our customers and still allow us to pay our employees a decent wage and so we’ll never give you a quote without visiting the site first. We want to check things like measurements, access for machinery and materials and what groundworks will be needed in order to create a high quality finish that will last for decades.
Every single project is different in that respect and so it would be unfair of us to guess a price. With everything we have to take into account, sometimes the cost per square metre for building a large patio is lower than the cost per square metre of a smaller paved area.
We’re very fussy about levels, falls and drainage. Depending on the topography of your plot we may or may not need extra time and machinery to re-contour parts of your garden.
We’ll create a ‘shelf’ for your patio so that it will only have a very slight slope which enables drainage but doesn’t cause cups and glasses to slide off your table.
In some cases, we can do that with shovels and a wheelbarrow. In other cases, we’ll need to bring in a mini digger. The cost may be slightly different for each option.
Then there’s the edges of the ‘shelf’. If part of the new patio is higher than the surrounding garden we may recommend an edging or even some steps. For extreme differences in the levels, building regulations call for a safety balustrade to be built.
Should the new patio be lower than the surrounding garden, it will be necessary to build retaining walls to stop the garden collapsing onto the paving.
At Precision Paving and Landscaping we believe in doing things properly. We don’t skimp on the groundworks because this stage of the proceedings determines how well the patio can withstand ground heave and other natural phenomena. Neither do we skimp on finishing touches - rough edges are not in our remit!
The cost of your landscaping materials will vary according to what you choose. But please don’t be fooled into comparing the prices of different genres of materials. Paving slabs are installed differently to brick pavers and building decking is a whole other ball game.
It’s important that you consider all the options - but remember to bear in mind that there are installation costs to add into the equation and ask your landscaper to quote accordingly.
No matter how thoroughly anyone assess a garden before quoting for landscaping works - there’s always a chance of complications. Dodgy drainage, forgotten cables - I’ve even heard tell of a landscaper digging out the base for a garden feature and discovering the skeletal remains of a horse!
Big surprises like these are unlikely to be included in the quote for your new patio and your landscaper may not be able to absorb the extra costs incurred. So when setting the budget for your new patio - it’s a good idea to put aside a contingency sum. If all goes well, it won’t be needed and then you can splurge on garden furniture and plants for your new patio.
As much as I’d love to, I simply can’t tell you what your new patio will cost without visiting the site and chatting to you about....and neither can any other reputable landscaper.
Factors such as soil type, the lay of the land, the scope of groundworks needed and the potential volume of waste-away all need to be assessed and taken into account when quoting. Another factor to consider is the experience and expertise of the team laying your new patio......poor workmanship or mistakes on site could severely reduce the life-span of your patio to say nothing of its safety and your enjoyment of your outdoor spaces.
If you would like a quote for a new patio, please do get in touch. I work within a 1 hour drive time of my home village of Feltwell and pride myself on doing a good job each and every time. Here's how to contact me.