Stevenage
Patios & Paving in Stevenage
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.
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Patios & Paving in Stevenage, 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 SG1 and SG2 postcodes in Stevenage, 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 Stevenage
There is a shortcut in patio laying that is almost impossible to spot on the day and obvious within a couple of years. Slabs bedded on dabs or spots of mortar rather than a full bed look identical when finished, but they are supported in five places instead of across their whole underside.
Water gets into the voids between those dabs and sits there. The slab sounds hollow when you tap it, and eventually it cracks where nothing is holding it up. By then the patio is a year or two old and the only real fix is lifting and relaying.
We bed every slab on a full mortar bed. It uses more material and takes longer, and it is the difference between a patio that lasts and one that does not. Worth asking anyone quoting in Stevenage which method they are pricing for, because the two can look very similar on paper.
Thinking about patios & paving in Stevenage?
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 Stevenage
We start with excavation and a compacted sub-base, then set the falls. A patio has to drain away from the house and finish at least two courses below the damp proof course. Those two things are fixed before any slab is laid and they are not negotiable.
Each slab then goes down on a full mortar bed rather than on dabs, so it is supported across its whole underside with no voids for water to collect in. Every cut is made with a wet saw, which gives clean, consistent edges rather than chipped ones.
Joints are brushed in or slurried depending on the material and the width of the joint. Where the paving meets the house, a lawn or a path, we detail the transition properly with a channel drain or a mowing edge instead of leaving a ragged margin.
What affects the price in Stevenage
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
Brush the patio and wash it down once or twice a year, and keep the joints and any drainage channel clear while you are at it. Most of the patio problems we are called to look at turn out to be drainage problems that nobody dealt with.
Porcelain barely needs sealing. Sandstone and limestone are more porous and benefit from a sealer to slow staining from food, drink and leaf fall, reapplied every few years. Whatever the material, lift spills sooner rather than later.
Some green growth in shaded corners is normal and not a fault. A proper biocide clears it without scrubbing, though it works slowly. If a slab is ever damaged it can be lifted and swapped without disturbing the ones around it.
Ready to book a free survey in Stevenage?
Around Stevenage
As well as Stevenage itself, we take on patios & paving work in Gosmore, Longstowe, Bedford, Roxton and Great Gransden, 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 Stevenage: Common Questions
Do you lay patios in Stevenage?
What is wrong with laying slabs on dabs?
Is the quote free?
How do you stop water running back towards the house?
Will the garden be a building site for long?
Can a damaged slab be replaced?
What our customers say
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Want a price for patios & paving in Stevenage?
Call for a chat or send us a few details and we will arrange a free survey in Stevenage. You only pay once you're happy with the results.