Hitchin

Patios & Paving in Hitchin

Patios, paths and steps laid on a full mortar bed, with the falls set before a slab goes down. Free survey, a fixed written price, and you only pay when you're happy with the work.

01462 754215 Get a Free Quote

Free Quote in Hitchin

Rated on TrustATrader

From 107 genuine customer reviews

Award-Winning

Driveway & Landscaping Company of the Year

Family-Run & Insured

Recommended by repeat customers

Guarantee

You don't pay until you're happy

Patios & Paving in Hitchin, explained

A patio quote is really a quote for three things: the ground under it, the levels across it, and the slab on top. Most people are only thinking about the third one, and most patios that fail do so because of the first two. So the survey is spent on the base, the falls away from the house, and where the water is going to end up once there is a solid surface where soil used to be.

Two things get fixed before a slab is laid and they are not up for discussion, because the house is what pays if they are wrong. We set them at the survey and they shape the design rather than the other way round. Everything after that is yours: porcelain, natural stone, concrete or block, the size and the shape, where the steps go, and whether the levels want a retaining or sleeper wall to make sense of them.

We are based in Hatfield and this area is part of our normal work. The survey and the written price are free, there is no deposit, and you pay when the patio is finished and you have seen it.

We cover the SG4 and SG5 postcodes in Hitchin, and the rest of Hertfordshire.

What your quote covers

A free design and survey visit, with materials to look at in daylight
One fixed price in writing, no deposit, nothing payable up front
Excavation, a compacted sub-base, and the falls set away from the house
Slabs laid on a full mortar bed, never on dabs, and cut on a wet saw
Jointing, clean edges, and matching paths, steps or retaining walls where the design needs them
The garden cleared and swept, and payment once you are happy with it

Choosing patios & paving in Hitchin

Steps and level changes are the part of a patio most often left until last, and it shows. Added at the end, they read as an afterthought bolted onto a finished rectangle. Designed in from the beginning, they do a lot of the work in making a garden feel considered.

A sloping garden is an opportunity rather than a problem. Splitting the space across two levels gives you a dining area near the door and a separate sitting area further out, and the retaining edge between them becomes a feature or extra seating rather than a necessary evil.

How you intend to use the space should drive all of it. A dining patio wants to be level, close to the door and large enough that chairs push back without falling off an edge. A sun-trap can sit wherever the sun reaches and does not need to be square to the house in Hitchin.

Thinking about patios & paving in Hitchin?

Get a Free Quote 01462 754215

From first visit to finished job

Step 1
Design Consultation
We look at the space, talk through materials and layout and agree a design that fits the garden.
Step 2
Written Quotation
A fixed written price, with nothing to pay up front.
Step 3
Groundwork
We excavate, sort the levels and lay a solid, well-drained base.
Step 4
Laying
Slabs or blocks are laid on a full bed, cut in and pointed for a lasting finish.
Step 5
Finishing
Steps, edges and walls are completed, the site is cleaned, and you sign it off.

What happens on site in Hitchin

Excavation and a compacted sub-base come first, then the falls are set. The patio has to drain away from the house and finish at least two courses below the damp proof course, and both are fixed before laying starts.

Every slab is laid on a full mortar bed, not dabs, so it is supported right across its underside with no voids beneath to hold water and crack it later. Cutting is done with a wet saw so edges are clean and consistent, which matters especially around steps.

Joints are brushed in or slurried depending on the material and width. Transitions get proper treatment as well, with a channel drain or a mowing edge where the paving meets the house, a path or the lawn.

What affects the price in Hitchin

We do not publish a rate per square metre, because the number would be wrong for most properties. The survey is free and the price you get afterwards is fixed and in writing. These are the things that move it:

The size of the patio, plus any paths and steps that go with it
The paving you choose, which is the widest swing in any patio quote
Changes in level, and whether they need steps or a retaining wall to work
Ground conditions, and where the water is going once the surface is solid
Access to the rear garden, since everything in and all the spoil out may have to go by barrow
The jointing finish, and any edging, lighting or drainage channel built in

Looking after patios & paving

A brush and a wash once or twice a year, with the joints and any drainage channel kept clear, is the whole routine. Drainage left to block is behind most patio problems.

Porcelain needs very little sealing. Sandstone and limestone are more porous and do better with a sealer reapplied every few years. Lift spills sooner rather than later on any material.

Some green growth in the shade is normal. A biocide handles it without scrubbing, though it works slowly. A damaged slab can be lifted and replaced without disturbing the rest, steps included.

Ready to book a free survey in Hitchin?

Get a Free Quote 01462 754215

Around Hitchin

As well as Hitchin itself, we take on patios & paving work in Astwick, Barton-le-Clay, Hexton, Herring's Green and Steppingley, and across the rest of Hertfordshire. If you are just outside the towns listed here it is still worth a call, because we cover more ground than any list of names can sensibly show.

Patios & Paving in Hitchin: Common Questions

Do you work in Hitchin?

Yes, SG4 and SG5 are both in our normal area. We are based in Hatfield and the design visit and written quote are free.

My garden slopes. Is that a problem?

Not at all. A slope is usually better handled by splitting the space across two levels, which gives you separate dining and sitting areas and turns the retaining edge into a feature.