Patios Cost Calculator
A new patio in the UK typically costs £70–£180 per m² installed, depending on the paving you choose — a standard 20m² patio works out around £2,400–£4,600 fully laid, with concrete slabs at the budget end and porcelain or natural stone at the top. This calculator uses the figures published in our patios cost guide, adjusted for your region, so you get a realistic per-square-metre range in about 30 seconds. Set your paving type and size below, then use the estimate to sense-check the quotes you get.
Open the calculator →Price patios in 30 seconds
2 steps, using the figures from our cost guide.
How this calculator works
Every figure in this calculator is the one published in the cost table on our patios guide. Pick the option that matches your job and the calculator returns that published range, adjusted for your region - it does not model anything the guide does not already say.
That is deliberate. A calculator whose rates drift from the page it sits under is worse than no calculator, because two numbers on the same site disagree.
What it cannot know: access, the condition of what is already there, and anything structural. Those are what separate three real quotes from each other.
Published patios costs (2026)
| Option | Typical 2026 cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete slabs (riven / smooth) | £20–£40 | |
| Block paving (concrete / clay) | £25–£50 | |
| Natural sandstone (Indian) | £28–£55 | |
| Limestone | £35–£60 | |
| Porcelain (20mm outdoor) | £40–£75 | |
| Granite | £45–£80 | |
| Reclaimed / Yorkstone | £50–£120 |
These are the figures from our patios cost guide.
Which patio paving is worth the money
The material sets the price, but it also sets how the patio looks in five years. Porcelain has taken over the top end for good reason: it barely stains, does not fade, and a quick brush keeps it looking new, which is a big part of why it costs more than most natural stone. Indian sandstone is the value pick and looks lovely laid, though the riven surface holds algae and wants a wash each spring. Concrete slabs are the cheapest and have come a long way, but the printed ones can look tired once the colour weathers. Limestone and granite sit in between on both price and upkeep.
Whatever you lay, the money you cannot see is in the groundwork: a proper sub-base, a slight fall away from the house so water drains off, and a full mortar bed rather than five spot-blobs under each slab. Skimp there and even expensive porcelain lifts, rocks or pools within a couple of winters. A patio usually needs no planning permission, but if you are paving a large area or raising the level near a boundary it is worth a quick check first. For the full breakdown read our patio cost guide, browse the landscaping hub, or if you are torn between a hard surface and lawn, price up artificial grass too.
Patios calculator — FAQs
A 20m² patio typically costs £2,400–£4,600 fully installed. Concrete slabs land at roughly £1,400–£2,200, natural sandstone £1,900–£2,900, and porcelain £2,500–£3,800. Those figures include excavation, a compacted sub-base, laying, jointing and waste removal. Extra excavation, a soakaway, steps or poor access can add £600–£1,500.
Sandstone is cheaper to buy and lay (£90–£140/m² installed) and gives a warm, natural riven finish, but it needs sealing every 2–3 years and can stain or grow algae. Porcelain costs more (£120–£180/m²) but is virtually stain-proof, frost-proof, colour-stable and needs only soapy water — so over 10–15 years many owners find porcelain the better value. Porcelain does demand a full wet mortar bed and a primer/slurry, so professional laying is strongly advised.
A rear-garden patio is almost always Permitted Development and needs no permission. A front garden is different: if you lay more than 5m² of non-permeable surface that drains onto the road, you need planning permission — unless you use permeable paving or drain to a soakaway/border within your own boundary. Listed buildings and conservation areas may have extra rules, so check with your local planning authority first.
A two-person team lays a standard 20m² patio in 3–5 days: roughly a day for excavation and muck-away, a day building and compacting the sub-base, one to two days laying and cutting, and time for jointing and curing. Allow 7–10 days for 40m² or where drainage, steps or a retaining wall are involved. Wet weather can extend curing times for mortar and jointing.
Related cost guides
- Patios cost guide — The full price guide
- All driveways services — Browse the hub
- All BestBuilders services — Every trade we cover
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