Patio Quote - Reasonable?

[Patioquestion]

I’ve got a quote for a patio. I trust the builder but after chatting with a friend I think it might be quite high.
It’s approximately 5m x 3m. Includes digging out about 4m2 of concrete base that a greenhouse used to sit on, removing existing patio (lifting bricks rested in sand), preparing base, laying new Indian sandstone. Also includes removing a small tree, and all rubbish removal.

I’ve been quoted £5.7K. West Midlands, fairly expensive area. What do you think?

Fuck a duck. 5K for a patio? 😮

I have no idea if this is considered to be a decent price but JC.

We've had recent quotes from 4.5k up to 10k for a similar size. That's just lift the stones and replace. The cheaper quote didn't include the cost of material.

Told them to get to fuck! 4.5k for absolute max 2 days work for a couple of guys. Likely one day if they are any good. Dream on!

Oh that’s interesting, so it’s comparable (but a lot)!

Sounds reasonable when you factor in labour, materials and probably equipment hire for removing the concrete. The prep work is the bulk of the job.

Thats a lot!

Thats quite reasonable actually.

How long will it take?

Sounds reasonable to me, I was expecting you to say a much higher price.

I had a lovely slate patio laid a few years ago. It took them ages. They were meticulous sorting levels and drainage. Done properly (not dot and dab)
Filled gaps with a jointing compound.
Took several weeks to do.
So basically, the price felt better on completion 😅

Bigger area than yours, 6.5k. But a few years ago

Didn’t ask that tbh! It’s a builder we’ve used before and been happy with his work, so like I say I do trust him. So I don’t want to query it too much before I have some other opinions.

I should add ChatGPT reckons £2.5K max but no idea how reliable that is

I think we are heading back into an era of DIY with quotes that high. We had a huge driveway concreted and stencilled for not much more. I wouldn’t pay it.

Ps. Some posters don't have a clue about how its done properly
I.e they had to take garage doors off for mini digger access to prep levels. All my drainage was redone and manholes concealed.

If you want a cheap job, it is possible, but mine was not.

Yep we had one done a few years ago. It was about tiny, about 3x3m and no concrete base to dig out it was 2.5k. I was expecting you to say 7k tbh. Since Covid building materials are extortionate. We have since moved and need another new and much bigger landscaping job. We will do the hard labour ourselves so break up and / dig out the old patios and then get contractors for the rest

Work out the cost of the sandstone, include enough for wastage. Add on delivery.

There will be a need for one skip at least.
Digger for removing concrete 1/2 day

Prepping the ground will be a day's work - needs hardcore and wacker plate. Laying the sandstone - 2-3 days for main person and labourer. There is cutting that needs to be done which is a slow process. Likely to be drainage. Then filling gaps with sand or grout. Tidying up and arranging all materials and rubbish off site.

A good patio that will last for years isn't a one or 2 day job. It's at least a week, usually assisted by a labourer who is carrying materials.

That sounds realistic and sensible. Before u got to the quote I had £7k ish

I would be wary of anything less than £5k.

We had work done a few years back which included a patio and creating a level garden area from a sloped and muddy garden and a lot of other works. Not much change from €8k but like the above poster the work was meticulously done and it’s one of the best value for money things we have had done. We’ve never had issues with drainage or standing water and I’m in the west of Ireland so lots of rain. It really was a lifetime job. The person who did ours had a great local reputation so wasn’t cheap . We are actually going to get him back to do our front driveway when we can afford it .

Indian sandstone comes in many forms, with 100% price difference between the cheapest and most expensive.
I don’t think the price is terrible if you trust the builder to do a good job.

There was a thread here last summer where the patio laid ended up sloping towards the house, and had to be redone completely. Untold hassle and stress for the home owner.

We had our patio of a similar size done. Like previous posters, it took a few weeks to do. Beautiful job, no problems with it, love it.
It cost quite a bit more than your quote, so obviously I think it’s reasonable

In 2917, we had 30 metre square laid for £1850 that included labour, clearing of smaller existing patio and all materials except slabs which I bought myself, I couldn’t have afforded them otherwise. We’re in a similarly priced area to West Midlands. I had received 3 similar quotes but the cheaper one couldn’t do it when I wanted so I used that quote to bring down the one that could meet my timescale.

I know it’s nearly a decade ago but 9 metre square for £4.5k sounds high even with slabs included. I bought slabs from eBay — end of lines can be cheaper. Installer will be adding commission to the materials. I was upfront and said I was buying my own slabs so they quoted accordingly.

Did you get a few quotes?

This is helpful:
https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/patio-laying-cost/

@BabooshkaHaHa ”but 9 metre square for £4.5k sounds high”

To be pedantic, it’s 15m2

It's the bits you can't see that cost the money, not the actual laying and pointing of the slabs.
A lot of bodgers just lay a new patio on top of the old, which reduces the groundworks to next to nothing and massively simples the labour. Although raising the levels may cause longer term issues regarding damp.
On the other hand a patio on disturbed ground or on mixed substrate which needs removing can quickly go into unknown end huge amounts of work.
The bodgers who slap new on old give a cheap and predictable quote to get the work. The quality workers charge more for the unknowns underground and a higher rate, and take on more complex jobs, but they leave you with something that will last a lifetime.
With skips at 300+ each and aggregate at 60 pounds plus a bulk bag, not to mention handling and compacting, you can quickly spend a huge amount shuffling things you'll never see.

Does it include any materials? We’re about to get ours done, it’s a big area (don’t ask me the dimensions) and are paying 2k for labour for laying the patio. We have already bought the paving slabs but still need to buy more materials which DH is estimating to be another 1.5k. It’s probably going to be about a week’s work.

I've just paid £5500 for a garden path and paving round a bay window in Indian Sandstone. It was 24 square metres and took 3-4 men 2 days.

That included rubbish removal and minor gardening work (ie cutting back a hedge), as well as hardcore and everything needed. Oh, and three steps, and obviously smashing up and removing the old path.