Welwyn Garden City

Patios & Paving in Welwyn Garden City

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 Welwyn Garden City, 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 AL7 and AL8 postcodes in Welwyn Garden City, 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 Welwyn Garden City

Two measurements decide whether a patio causes problems later, and both are settled before any slab is laid. The first is the fall: the surface has to shed water away from the house, not towards it. The second is the finished level, which must sit at least two courses below the damp proof course.

Get either wrong and the patio becomes a damp problem rather than a garden. Paving laid too high bridges the damp course and lets water find its way into the wall, which is a far more expensive thing to put right than it would have been to get the levels right at the start.

They are not negotiable, and they shape the design. If the ground around the house in Welwyn Garden City does not naturally allow the right level, that is dealt with by steps, a channel drain or a change of layout, all of which we would work through with you at the design visit.

Thinking about patios & paving in Welwyn Garden City?

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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 Welwyn Garden City

Excavation and a compacted sub-base come first, and then the falls are set. Drainage away from the house and a finished level at least two courses below the damp proof course are fixed at this stage, before anything is laid on top.

Every slab is bedded on a full mortar bed rather than on dabs, so it is supported across the whole of its underside and there are no voids beneath it for water to sit in. Cuts are made with a wet saw so the edges are clean and consistent.

The joints are brushed in or slurried according to the material and the joint width. Transitions matter too: where the paving meets the house, the lawn or a path, we finish it with a channel drain or a mowing edge rather than leaving it ragged.

What affects the price in Welwyn Garden City

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

Give it a brush and a wash down once or twice a year and keep the joints and any drainage channel clear. Almost every patio fault we are asked about traces back to drainage that was never maintained.

Porcelain needs little or no sealing. Sandstone and limestone are more porous and benefit from a sealer against staining from food, drink and leaf fall, reapplied every few years. Clear spills promptly whatever the material.

Green growth in shaded corners is to be expected rather than a sign of a problem. A proper biocide deals with it slowly and without scrubbing, and any damaged slab can be lifted and replaced on its own.

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Around Welwyn Garden City

As well as Welwyn Garden City itself, we take on patios & paving work in Welwyn, Tewin, Essendon, Ayot St Lawrence and Marshall's Heath, 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 Welwyn Garden City: Common Questions

Do you cover Welwyn Garden City?

Yes, AL7 and AL8 are both in our area and the Hatfield yard is close by. The design visit and written quote are free.

Why does the patio have to sit below the damp course?

Paving laid too high bridges the damp proof course and lets water reach the wall. We finish at least two courses below it, which is fixed before laying starts.