£3600 for new patio?

[apollo18]

Hello everyone. First poster here. I have had two quotes to have my garden paved and was wondering what people thought of them.

The garden is 30sqm, is fairly flat (a small part about 2m wide to be put a step where it slopes a bit) and is mostly an earth surface as the grass doesn't grow. There is also one of those small circle patio things to remove (about 1.5m diameter). I am located in East London.

The first person originally quoted me £2000 to have it decked but I decided I didn't want the maintenance involved with decking and he then quoted me £3600 to have it paved with limestone slabs (York Green) from Global Stone Paving and 30m edging (£3000 for slabs, £600 for edging). I wasn't really expecting it to be so expensive but have no idea if this is a fair price or not.

The second person quoted me £950 for cash + removal costs but cannot start until October. This is also for limestone slabs but no specific one has been shown to me yet. This quote seems too cheap making me a bit suspicious of what I will end up with.

Can anyone help me with what they think of these two quotes?
Thanks in advance for any help.

[PavingSuperstore]

Do you have a breakdown of the price, e.g. materials and labour separately? The York Green colour by Global Stone is a sandstone by the way, but do you know if it's a sawn, flat surface finish or a standard riven/ natural finish stone that you've been quoted for? If it's the latter, I would anticipate the slabs costing you in the region of £600-£800 including VAT plus the edging. Usually, I would avoid someone who can start straight away, but in this case, I'm not sure I like sound of the £950 cash either - this is way too cheap so I cannot imagine there's going to be much ground prep or sufficient base under the paving to make it last. It could be that the contractor who can fit you in straight away has a genuine reason for being able to do so.

I would recommend you spend a bit of time looking at the work undertaken by both contractors and perhaps even get a third one in to quote. Seeing their work and speaking to the homeowners is the best advice. Similarly, there's lots of professional contractors on this forum who may be local to you, so that would be a better option.

[apollo18]

Thank you very much for your reply. My mistake, I meant sandstone.

He wasn't available for about a month and he was booked in to do the decking until I changed my mind earlier in the week - but he has left those days open for me. He said it would take about 3 days and he would use 4 workmen (there is no rear access and they have to carry everything through the property).

He didn't give a separate breakdown of the price for materials & labour. It's a riven finish (not my preferred option but he said this is the best option for the price). http://www.globalstonepaving.co.uk/global-....-paving

He said he had used the same slabs in his last two jobs and they looked great. He forwarded me a photo of the last job and it looked fine (although the grouting looked a little bit messy). I would post the photo but can't see how to.

The cheaper contractor said he was going to lay concrete and then put the slabs on top of the concrete.

[lutonlagerlout]

the first price is about right for a correct job
the patio cannot be done right for the second price,he has priced it wrong and would end up costing you lots more long term
LLL

[apollo18]

Thank you LLL. It's reassuring to know the price is about right and I'm not being taken for a ride.

The contractor said he would have to leave a space of about a foot or so unpaved between the neighbouring property and the garden (my lawn abuts right up against the neighbouring house) because he cannot dig down below their damp proof course. I'm sure he knows what he is doing but for reassurance does this sound right?

Also, I asked him about drainage and he said there is no need to put any drainage in because the slabs will slope slightly to each side so that the rain water will run off. Is this how it should be done?

Sorry for what may be silly questions to you but as you've probably guessed, I don't have much clue how it should be done properly.

I appreciate any advice.

[lutonlagerlout]

hmmm sounds like total bollocks
I would get further quotations
east london is too far out for us but pop your details in here and you will have half a chance
http://www.londonstone.co.uk/london-stone-connect.php
LLL

[apollo18]

Oh no! Do you mean it's bollocks about the damp proof course and the drainage?

Thanks for the link. I'll call a couple of companies tomorrow.

[GB_Groundworks]

The paving needs to be 150mm below damp proof level

[apollo18]

Oh right, I see. I'm wondering now if I'm misremembering and what he said was that the damp proof course went below the surface of the soil and that he wouldn't be able to dig down that far (because there are existing steps coming up to the lawn area and so the paving would need to be level with those). Would that make more sense?

Sorry, it was a bit in through one ear and out the other I'm afraid as I didn't understand exactly what he meant.

[PavingSuperstore]

It would be an idea to read up on the advice on this website in terms of how to lay paving, this way you can ask relevant questions to the prospective contractors you have in to quote to ascertain how they will be doing the job, i.e. what sort of base they plan to use and how they will overcome any DPC level issues. Forewarned is forearmed, knowledge is power and probably a few more cliches would be applicable!

[lutonlagerlout]

Also, I asked him about drainage and he said there is no need to put any drainage in because the slabs will slope slightly to each side so that the rain water will run off. Is this how it should be done?

its this bit that sounded odd to me
but without seeing the site and listening to what he actually said its hard to tell
LLL

[London Stone Paving]

Thanks for the plug of our connect scheme Luton. Its doing really well at the moment. we have nearly 400 members and were getting loads of feedback from contractors who are getting leads and jobs of the back of it.

I have got to say a lot of the information you are getting from the contractors does sound a bit suspect. Trust your instinct, if it doesn't feel right then just find someone who can explain things to you in a way that you will understand. Talking to an experienced contractor will remove any nagging doubts you may have

Steve