Power clean of patio and removal of small dead tree

katejo

I have an Indian sandstone patio area as part of a small garden (terraced  2 bedroom house). The quote is to clean the patio and apply a protective coating to help avoid it getting too dirty again.  Also to uproot and remove a small dead tree from the bed. The quote is around £800 (London area)
I have never had this done before but the price was slightly higher than expected. 

Carrot007

More than double what I would expect but not London, so who knows.

scoey8

Unless health stops you why not buy a decent pressure washer for about £200 and diy, same with tree. Only a couple of hours of your time and will save you loads of money. 

Mahsroh

Does seem high, even for London. Particularly if it's a fairly small patio which your post suggests it is.

As already suggested this sounds like a fairly easy DIY project for even the most DIY averse people. I would definitely invest in a decent pressure washer and do it myself. 

If you're really against doing it yourself though, get a 2nd quote. If it comes back similar then you know it's in the right ballpark.... I suspect a 2nd quote will come back in the region of £500 though, but I might be wrong. 

katejo

scoey8 said:

Unless health stops you why not buy a decent pressure washer for about £200 and diy, same with tree. Only a couple of hours of your time and will save you loads of money. 

I read that you had to use the right technique to do it properly and I don't really want a piece of equipment which I would rarely use. Think I will get a comparison quote.

FreeBear

katejo said:

scoey8 said:

Unless health stops you why not buy a decent pressure washer for about £200 and diy, same with tree. Only a couple of hours of your time and will save you loads of money. 

I read that you had to use the right technique to do it properly and I don't really want a piece of equipment which I would rarely use. Think I will get a comparison quote.

You can hire pressure washers - Not particularly cheap though....

Or you could do what many others do - Buy a second hand one on ebay or facebook market place, use, and then resell. Sometimes, you can get back more than you paid, other times, about the same.

scoey8

A Karcher K4 would be up for the job and can be had for £200, use it as much as you like then. £50 or so for some quality sealant and a mornings work and you've saved £550 and gained a pressure washer. 

katejo

Mahsroh said:

Does seem high, even for London. Particularly if it's a fairly small patio which your post suggests it is.

As already suggested this sounds like a fairly easy DIY project for even the most DIY averse people. I would definitely invest in a decent pressure washer and do it myself. 

If you're really against doing it yourself though, get a 2nd quote. If it comes back similar then you know it's in the right ballpark.... I suspect a 2nd quote will come back in the region of £500 though, but I might be wrong. 

I have put the current one on hold and intend to get a comparison quote.

ObserverOfLife

Post on local neighborhood groups, a lot of people will do a good job for a fee and bring their own pressure washers. I always borrow from my Dad and do the work for myself and the neighbours. £800 is very steep but then the price is probably because of the tree (How big is it - 6ft? Is the roots pretty deep?) I would expect them to dispose of the tree at that price too. 

Personally, I would not pay anything more than £450 for the type of work you are asking for. 

katejo

ObserverOfLife said:

Post on local neighborhood groups, a lot of people will do a good job for a fee and bring their own pressure washers. I always borrow from my Dad and do the work for myself and the neighbours. £800 is very steep but then the price is probably because of the tree (How big is it - 6ft? Is the roots pretty deep?) I would expect them to dispose of the tree at that price too. 

Personally, I would not pay anything more than £450 for the type of work you are asking for. 

The tree is very small. The guy who did the estimate described it as a plant rather than a tree but I'd call it a tree. I went to a local garden centre yesterday to ask their view on the quote as they do similar jobs. However the guys on site said that they couldn't help and gave me a phone number/email address. 

FreeBear

katejo said: The guy who did the estimate described it as a plant rather than a tree but I'd call it a tree.

If this "tree" is well and truly dead, and the main trunk is ~50mm or so in diameter, you'll probably find it can be pulled out by hand. It might need a touch of encouragement from a spade...