I have an urgent need to lay a patio, but unfortunately lack the skills to estimate quantities to do it. Just wondering if any one can help me, it’ll be a 14.4m^2 patio. I want to do it as properly as possible, with a sub-base etc, but if there are shortcuts that do the same then I’m all ears. What’s best material for a sub-base, is it mot1 or will any old gravel do the trick? Any help greatly received and may even invite you for a beer. Also costs for someone to do it for me would be greatly received.

I have an urgent need to lay a patio

Another consequence of the lockdown… 🙂

We’re getting a patio done, old one pulled up, new one laid, about 30sqm. Costs:

– the fella is charging us £200 a day and reckons it’ll take three-four days
– 3t sand, 15 bags of cement, some slurry primer stuff – £300ish
– stone slabs – £1300ish

Obviously, you can spend less or more on the slabs, but that’ll give you an idea.

If anyone wants any 600mm concrete slabs, there will be about 100 of them going in Cirencester in about a week’s time…

I’ve just laid a patio slab shed base, so no expert on this, but as a quick guide – one ton (i.e. a jumbo bag) of aggregate should give you about 10m2 at 100mm depth, so at about 15m2 you either get two bags and have half a bag left over or buy one and supplement with smaller bags. You’ll also want sharp sand for the layer above and to mix with cement for the mortar, but one ton should cover you for this (25mm sand plus 25mm mortar = 50mm depth so roughly 20m2 coverage). The convenience of jumbo bags is that they are delivered to you and you offload by the shovel/wheelbarrow full. Buying smaller bags gives you flexibility where you keep them, probably less wastage but higher overall cost.

For the sub base the key is to have an aggregate of mixed sizing so the little particles fill in the gaps between the small rocks. MOT 1 or scalpings should be fine for a patio (scalpings have more fine grained particles and are OK for lighter traffic areas like residential paths and patios) and should be much cheaper than any other gravel type.

Came here for the inevitable sexist joke… kryton provides.
The disappointment continues.