Quote - Replace Old Patio

Ballymoney · 15 July 2019 at 3:32PM

Hi All,

Looking to have our existing concrete slab patio (25sqm) dug up and disposed of, ground leveled, and replaced with a 38sqm natural indian sandstone layed on 75mm compacted hardcore base and 50mm full bed of mortar.

2 quotes so far for supply and laying...One £5400 and the other £5700.

For those that have had similar work done would you say this is reasonable? Or would you say these are a little high? I must admit I was hoping to keep it under £5k.

Both quotes list the job as taking approx 7-8 days.

Based in the Midlands.

Thanks

bouicca21 · 16 July 2019 at 11:50AM

I had much lower quotes, but when I looked into detail they were not going to dig down to the required depth. The existing patio and ground level was not sufficiently far enough below the damp course, and they were simply going to replace it.

Only one company quoted to do it properly, and, yes, it was approximately 5k. That was about 3 or 4 years ago in London. They did a good job and the Indian sandstone looks fabulous. I don’t regret a penny.

Ballymoney · 16 July 2019 at 5:25PM

Thank you for the reply. I certainly don't want a bodge job so I'm prepared to pay for it to be done properly. I have 2 more site visits for a quote next week so I guess I'll see what they come up with.

Can I ask if you have had to do much in the way of maintenance to your sandstone? Did it require sealing when it was first layed?

bouicca21 · 16 July 2019 at 9:37PM

It's north facing so prone to algae. Bought a Karcher and clean it spring and autumn, probably should do it a third time sometime over the winter/early spring too. Didn't seal it, someone said not to.

I only realised the cheap quote companies weren't going to do it properly when I questioned them. It wasn't obvious to me from their quotes. One outfit actually told me that that it was totally unnecessary to protect the damp course! And that if I insisted on it the patio would be slightly lower than the rest of the garden so the run off would pool against the back wall.

The company I picked to do it put in a drainage channel (a french drain?) so that the run off goes into the existing drain. They were also happy to let me 'borrow' some slabs. Seeing the stone in situ was really useful and completely changed my mind about what type of sandstone would best complement the brick of the back wall.

PS If you haven't already done so, take a look at
http://www.pavingexpert.com/patio01.htm

Ballymoney · 22 July 2019 at 9:43AM

Got 5 quotes in all and settled on one for £5k who were offering the best value for money.

Had a couple of people round who were cheap (£4k) and swore by the dot and dab method so avoided those like the plague. Just shows the importance of researching the job in hand so you know exactly what to look for (and what to avoid)!

Quote - Replace Old Patio

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