The rate per square metre, honestly
Across the patios we lay locally, the finished cost lands between £120 and £220 per square metre. That includes lifting the old surface, the digout, spoil removal, a compacted sub-base, a full mortar bed and the slabs themselves.
Anything quoted well under £100 per square metre is usually cutting the base, spot bedding the slabs on five dabs of mortar, or leaving the waste with you. All three show up within two winters.
Where the money actually goes
People assume the slabs dominate the cost. On a typical 30 square metre patio the slabs are around a third of the figure. The rest is excavation, stone, mortar, cutting and labour, which is exactly why the base is the first thing a cheap quote sacrifices.
- Digout and waste removal: often £900 to £1,800 on its own
- Sub-base stone, compacted in layers rather than tipped and raked
- Cutting time at edges, steps, manholes and curves
- Drainage where the fall would otherwise run to the house
Slab choice in plain numbers
Concrete slabs are the cheapest way to get a sound patio and look perfectly respectable. Indian sandstone sits in the middle and suits most Hampshire houses. Porcelain costs the most both to buy and to lay, because it needs a primer and precise bedding, but it stays the same colour for years.
What makes a Southampton patio cost more
City and terraced gardens carry an access premium. If a machine cannot reach the garden, the digout is hand worked and barrowed through the house, and that can add 30 to 50 per cent to the groundwork stage.
The other local factor is what we find underneath. Older properties frequently hide a buried yard, a filled coal store or loose rubble, which changes the depth we need to dig. We open a test hole before quoting so that is priced rather than guessed.
Typical Southampton patio prices
Ranges reflect what we see locally and are a guide only. Every garden is quoted after a visit.