Well, here’s the short answer. A lot!

This is a highly searched phrase online, and it’s so difficult to answer. You can ask AI, and it will give you a range of prices between £65 – £475 per square meter. This isn’t really an answer at all because this gives you a price range (for a 10m2 patio) of £650 – £4,750. This is utterly useless information that may cause your head to explode, hypothetically, of course. You have to admit that the progress in AI has been phenomenal over the past few years, but it has its limits. AI has nothing to go on except ballpark figures across the web. You’ll struggle to nail down a specific answer because there are so many variables to a patio install that I have no choice but to list them below.  

1. What’s the access to your garden like? Narrow? Steep? Through the house?
2. What exists in the proposed area? Gravel? Old patio? Thin concrete? Thick concrete?
3. Is there a place at the front of the house to fit a skip?
4. Which slabs/materials do you require? Porcelain? Natural stone? Concrete? Resin?
5. What size do you need, and are there any curves or angles?
6. Do you want an edging stone on the perimeter to add a framed effect?
7. Are there any manholes or access drains to consider?
8. Where will the water from the patio go?
9. Are you laying it yourself, or will you find a contractor?

If you could input all the answers correctly into an AI, you might get a precise answer. But I venture to guess that you would get a lot of them wrong. And why wouldn’t you? You’re not a landscaper! You are, however, in luck because I’ve laid more patios than you could shake a stick at. Firstly, we need to establish a baseline figure. To do this, we must examine a typical British patio and input all of the above as required.

1. Access is level, and there’s a side gate that can fit a mini digger through easily
2. There is currently an old patio, probably laid on mortar spots
3. There is ample space for a skip on the driveway with clear access
4. We’re going to lay porcelain paving   
5. Let’s do an average-sized patio of 20m² with square edges
6. No edging stone on this one
7. There is one manhole that needs consideration (needs recess cover installation)
8. Water will fall into a channel drain and connect to a soakaway or storm drain
9. A contractor will be laying this patio.

I will now divulge to you the price that I would currently submit to this particular imaginary patio. This is a genuine price from an experienced landscaper.

This patio would cost as follows.

Materials £2,500.00

Labour (4 days @£450 per day) £1,800.00

Sub Total £3,300.00

VAT (if applicable)       £660.00  

Total £3,960.00

This would put the average cost of an easy-to-construct 20m² patio at approximately

£200 per square meter (Bristol area 2025) 

Now, let’s bear in mind that this is the best-case scenario. A lot of patios in the UK will have endless variations, but you can be confident of this number as a baseline. I would probably add another 20% to your own calculations if the following apply.

• Steep terrain
• Moderately restricted access
• Complicated design

All of the other variations above can be applied using a little imagination and an AI app. But these are the biggest cost concerns for any landscaper who will be quoting for a job like this.

Sincerely, Good Luck!

By Rick Labbẽ – GardenWise founder

Design  –  Insight  –  Guidance