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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 2:48 pm
by pippasmum
Hello All
Hoping i get can some help, I have an area that is quite large that I would like to patio, from the research I have done so far it seems its going to be very costly, not including labor as I will be doing it myself
The area is 37sqm, The current sub-grade is clay soil which is roughly level which need to be further compacted
I wanted a border using bricks laid out in a "soldier" fashion, with the patio slabs laid in a brick style
What is the most affordable way of doing this, my prices for material come to around £600 was hoping for a lot less
How much sand/cement will i need
Or am i better off doing decking for a more affordable option and does decking really encourage mice rats etc
what would people recommend, I am in greater London so this may affect prices too
any help is most welcomed
pippasmum
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 4:56 pm
by lutonlagerlout
pippasmum
sorry to inform you that you are being unrealistic in your estimate of costings
is there any sub grade to dig out?
are you physically able to do this?
its very hard work and you are unlikely to be able to produce any sort of decent finish on your first attempt on such a large area (relatively)
a rough kinda ball park estimate would be around £3000 +VAT depending on dig and slabs
normally its around 50/50 labour materials
if money is that short maybe lay a soldier around the edges and lay type 1 then terram and then gravel
good luck
LLL
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:36 pm
by pippasmum
Hi
Thanks for the response, have done a lot of the work already prepping the ground, not sure what you mean by terram:rock:
I guess a better question would be what can I do with a budget of £400 :laugh:
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:42 pm
by local patios and driveway
pippasmum wrote:I guess a better question would be what can I do with a budget of £400 :laugh:
bodge it? theres no way to do it cheaply if you want it done right, thats usually always the case with hard landscaping. theres no reason why you cant do the work if you read some of the advice given here but for 400 quid you might be better turfing the area and sitting out on that
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:50 pm
by pippasmum
yeah, really been cracking the numbers, don't want a bodge job either - more than happy to do it myself (use to doing stuff for myself) may need to revise my plans, seriously though suggestions for what can be done on a limited budget
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 6:35 pm
by Carberry
If there is no digging out and you lay them yourself on 10:1 sharp sand cement then £400 will get you 50mm grey council slabs.
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 6:36 pm
by rab1
Dig out 150mm below base of intended patio and load into skips (that's your budget spent), fill with mot type 1 compacted in layers, then mix your sharp sand and cement (5-1) and screed to levels not forgetting run off and then lay your 2nd hand council greys 3x2 slab and even this will cost a dam sight more than £400.
I`m not being cheeky here but you couldn't even deck it for that money.
Why not wait a year and save up for a realistic budget for a diy project?. ???
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:04 pm
by mitzimad
we used the spoil in raised beds to save the cost of removing it. patio was about 20msquare laid on sand and cement cost us £800 for matierials using very cheap slab packs from selcos which were on special offer but we already had a surround to infil to and got free use of petrol saw and wacker which would have added another £140 to the price
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:07 pm
by lutonlagerlout
i would say edge it with bricks then turf it
nothing else comes closs to that budget
LLL
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:50 pm
by pippasmum
thanks for all the responses, luton is probably right, i was thinking another option could be edge with bricks and fill with gravel if i shop around,
I have moved soil from higher parts to level lower parts so no need to have soil added, taken away etc,
this was the year I was hoping to sort it out:p four kidd and no budget is what I have
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 12:19 pm
by local patios and driveway
mum, make sure you do have a read on this site how to do it, i have a sneaky feeling you are going to be bodging it because you are not sure how to do the job correctly
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:01 pm
by pippasmum
I have read and read for the past few weeks this site, lol
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:40 pm
by lutonlagerlout
its mystic meg and the lotto numbers you need
me too!
LLL 
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:45 pm
by pickwell paving
Why not reduce the area that you want paving and gravel/seed the rest then when funds allow gradually increase it, £400 is a pretty tight budget but you should be able to get some area paved especially if your doing all the work yourself.
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 9:59 pm
by London Stone Paving
If you want some multi coloured crazy paving you can have it FOC. Got a skip full of the stuff. Only problem is that your patio would look like Vera Duckworths house 