Patio Installers in Milton Keynes
Patios and paving across Milton Keynes. Porcelain, natural stone and block, on a proper base, with the drainage sorted.
A patio is the cheapest room you will ever add to the house, and the one most often laid badly. Almost every failed patio we are asked to look at in Milton Keynes has the same faults: slabs on dabs of mortar, no proper sub base, and no fall, so it rocks, stains and holds water against the wall. We lay them the slow way, and they stay flat.
Typical works can include
Every project is different. Depending on the agreed scope, works may include:
- Excavation, ground clearance and muck away
- Compacted MOT Type 1 sub base and edge restraints
- Porcelain paving with slurry primer on a full mortar bed
- Indian sandstone, limestone and natural stone paving
- Block paved patios, paths and borders
- Falls, channel drains, gullies and soakaways
- Steps, sleeper edges, brick borders and planters
- Jointing compound, sealing and pointing
- Level thresholds from bifold and sliding doors, with linear drainage
- Lawn, fencing and garden structures to finish, where included within the agreed scope
Elements such as decoration, flooring, structural engineer fees, Building Control fees and any professional or design costs are dealt with according to the individual project, and are included only where the quotation says so.
Porcelain, sandstone or block
Porcelain is what most people want now, and for good reason. It does not stain, it does not grow algae the way sandstone does, and it comes in large formats that make a small garden look bigger. It is harder to lay: every 20mm slab needs a slurry primer on the back and a full mortar bed, and the cutting is slow. Budget for that and it is the best surface for a patio you will sit on.
Indian sandstone is warmer to look at, cheaper per square metre and forgiving to lay, though it needs sealing if you want it to stay the colour it was on the pallet. Limestone sits between the two. Block paving is the practical choice where the patio runs into a path or a drive, because it takes vehicles and you can lift and relay it if a service needs digging up. We are honest about which suits your garden rather than pushing the dearest one.
What is underneath matters more than what is on top
The build up is the job. Dig out to depth, a compacted MOT Type 1 sub base of at least 100mm and more where the ground is soft, then a full wet bed of mortar rather than five spots, and the slab tapped down level. Joints get a proper jointing compound rather than a brush in of dry sand that washes out by the second winter.
Then falls and drainage. Paving needs to fall away from the house at about 1 in 80, and it has to finish at least 150mm below the damp proof course. Where a patio has to sit higher than that, for a level threshold from bifold doors say, we put a channel drain along the house and take the water to a soakaway or a gully, which is what stops a dry house becoming a damp one.
Level thresholds from bifold doors
The look everyone wants is the floor inside running straight out onto the patio. It can be done, but only with a linear drain along the threshold, a drained sub base and an honest conversation about the damp proof course. It is a detail we plan on the site visit, not one we improvise on the day.
Steps, edges and the rest of the garden
Most patios are not flat rectangles. They need a step down to the lawn, a retaining edge where the garden slopes, a border in a contrasting block or a sleeper planter along one side. We build all of that as part of the same job, and because we are landscapers as well as patio installers, we can carry on into the lawn, the fencing and the structures if you want the whole garden done in one go.
CB Builders came out today after a last minute plea following a DIY mistake we had made. They were obliging, responsive, tidy and fairly priced. Thanks again for coming to our rescue!!
Examples of this work
Some of these are mid build rather than finished, because that is where you can see how something was put together.
Worth knowing
A patio laid properly costs more than one laid quickly, and most of the difference is underground where you will never see it. If a quote comes in at half the price of the others, ask what the sub base is and how the slabs are bedded. Those two answers usually explain the gap.
Where we do this work
Milton Keynes is home and most of this work is inside the city. We also take it on across the surrounding towns.
Every area we cover, and what is different about building there
Common questions
Why do patio quotes vary so much?
Mostly because of what is underground. A patio laid on a compacted sub base with every slab on a full mortar bed costs more in labour and materials than slabs on dabs over whatever was there before, and you cannot tell the two apart on the day it is finished. You can tell them apart two winters later.
The slab itself matters less than people think. Porcelain costs more to buy and to lay than sandstone, but the base and the drainage under either should be the same.
When is the best time of year to have the garden done?
Book it in the winter, build it in the spring. The diary fills from March, so a garden quoted over the winter gets a far better start date than one quoted once the good weather has arrived. We lay paving and build walls all year round in reasonable weather, but turf, planting and anything with mortar in it does better between March and October.
Do you do small jobs?
No. We do not take on handyman work, single repairs or odd jobs, and it is better to say so up front than leave you waiting for a quote that never comes.
We are set up for substantial building and renovation work: extensions, structural alterations, whole house projects, conversions and significant external works. For smaller repairs or handyman-type work, we would recommend using a tradesperson who specialises in that type of service, as our team is structured around larger building and renovation projects.
Are you insured, and what happens if something goes wrong afterwards?
We carry £5 million public liability insurance and we will send you the certificate on request, before you commit to anything.
On workmanship, we come back. If something we did is not right, call us and we will put it right. Manufacturer guarantees on windows, doors, boilers and appliances are passed on to you at handover.
Related work
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Groundworks and external works
Foundations, drainage, bases and levels. The part nobody sees.
Read moreTalk it through before you commit
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