The Short Answer
On our estimates, a new patio costs about £90 to £150 per m² in porcelain, dug out, laid on a compacted sub-base and pointed: £1,800 to £3,000 for a 20m² patio. Indian sandstone is £85 to £140 per m² and budget concrete slabs £70 to £110. A 20m² patio takes about three days.
The slabs are the smaller part of the bill; the dig-out, base and labour are most of it. A sloping garden that needs raising or steps adds the most. A garden path costs much the same per m², or £40 to £70 in gravel.
Patio cost calculator
Priced per square metre, fully laid on a proper base, with the extras that change the bill most.
Estimated total
£2,030 to £3,350
| Porcelain, 20m², dug out, sub-base, laid and pointed | £1,800 to £3,000 |
| Skip for the dig-out | £230 to £350 |
Patio prices by paving
| Paving | Per m², laid | 10m² | 20m² | 40m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete slabs | £70 to £110 | £700 to £1,100 | £1,400 to £2,200 | £2,800 to £4,400 |
| Indian sandstone | £85 to £140 | £850 to £1,400 | £1,700 to £2,800 | £3,400 to £5,600 |
| Porcelain | £90 to £150 | £900 to £1,500 | £1,800 to £3,000 | £3,600 to £6,000 |
| Granite, limestone or York stone | £120 to £190 | £1,200 to £1,900 | £2,400 to £3,800 | £4,800 to £7,600 |
| Block or brick paving | £80 to £130 | £800 to £1,300 | £1,600 to £2,600 | £3,200 to £5,200 |
How a patio is laid
Marshalls' guidance for a slab patio:
- Dig out (Marshalls says 150mm for a standard patio, at least 200mm for porcelain) and lay a compacted sub-base of about 100mm.
- Bed the slabs on mortar about 40mm deep, with 10mm to 15mm joints, and leave them at least 24 hours before pointing.
- Build in a fall of at least 1 in 80 so rain runs off to a drain or border.
- Next to the house, keep the finished surface at least 150mm below the damp-proof course, to keep rising damp out of the wall.
When we checked in October 2026, paving maker Bradstone put laying alone at about £65 to £100 per m²: that's why the slab price is only part of the bill.
Porcelain or sandstone?
Indian sandstone is natural stone, and Marshalls calls it one of the most popular landscaping products. Porcelain is non-porous, so every slab is brushed on the back with a primer to bond it to the mortar, which is one reason it costs a little more to lay. Concrete slabs are the cheapest of the three.
Garden paths
| Path | Per m² | 10m long x 1m |
|---|---|---|
| Gravel, with edging and membrane | £40 to £70 | £400 to £700 |
| Paved (slabs or blocks) | £90 to £160 | £900 to £1,600 |
What adds to the cost
- Slopes: raising a patio with walls and fill adds about £40 to £120 per m²; each step £250 to £600, on our estimates.
- Size: about about two days for 10m², four to five for 40m² or more.
- Access: everything carried through the house takes longer.
Planning
A ground-level patio in a back garden is permitted development. Anything raised more than 30cm counts as a raised platform and needs planning permission. A front garden patio over 5m² follows the same drainage rule as a driveway.
Get patio and paths quotes
Patios and paths are priced by area, paving and what's underneath.
Free, no obligation. We're paid by MyJobQuote when a tradesperson buys your job, never by you.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I expect to pay for a patio?
On our estimates, about £90 to £150 per m² in porcelain, £85 to £140 in Indian sandstone and £70 to £110 in concrete slabs, laid on a new base.
How much would a 25m2 patio cost?
About £2,250 to £3,750 in porcelain or £2,150 to £3,500 in sandstone, on our estimates.
How much for a 30m2 patio?
About £2,700 to £4,500 in porcelain or £2,550 to £4,200 in sandstone, on our estimates.
How much would a 40m2 patio cost?
About £3,600 to £6,000 in porcelain or £3,400 to £5,600 in sandstone, on our estimates. Expect four to five days of work.
How much does a garden path cost?
About £40 to £70 per m² in gravel or £90 to £160 paved, so a 10m path a metre wide is £400 to £700 in gravel.
Do I need planning permission for a patio?
Not for a ground-level patio in a back garden. A raised patio more than 30cm high needs it.
How we priced thisView sources (9, 1 official)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- OfficialThe Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 1, legislation.gov.uk. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- IndustryHow to build and lay a patio, Marshalls. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- IndustryHow to lay porcelain paving slabs, Marshalls. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- IndustryInstallation guidelines for concrete paving (Issue 8, January 2023), Marshalls. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- IndustryCleaning Indian sandstone paving slabs, Marshalls. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- IndustryHow much does it cost to lay a patio?, Bradstone. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- Trade guidePatio laying cost, Checkatrade. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- IndustryHow much does a patio cost in the UK?, Marshalls. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- Trade guideGarden landscaping cost, Checkatrade. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
