Most patio price guides give you a price per square metre that nobody can check. This one is different: every number below is the real price of a patio we built in South London, including VAT, taken from our own case studies. There are 38 of them, from a £1,850 two-row extension in Tooting to a £23,850 garden in Forest Hill.
In short: On our jobs, around 20m² of patio cost £2,820 to £5,000. A typical 20 to 35m² patio with groundwork and drainage cost £4,000 to £7,000. Larger patios with steps, walls or fencing cost £7,350 to £12,000, and whole-garden projects £13,000 to £23,850.
What our patios have cost
Here are the 38 patio jobs grouped by price. Each one links to its case study, with photos, the work done and how long it took.
Under £4,000: small patios and extensions
- Two-row patio extension, Tooting SW17: 2 days, £1,850.
- 20m² Raj Green sandstone, Greenwich SE10: full dig-out, 2 days, £2,820.
- 20m² grey Indian sandstone, Thornton Heath CR7: new base, eco drain and manhole cover, 3 days, £3,320.
- 22m² grey Indian sandstone, Balham SW12: through the house and down steps, 2 days, £3,920.
£4,000 to £7,000: the typical back garden patio
This is where most of our patios land: 20 to 35m², an old surface dug out, a new base, and drainage where the garden needs it.
- 3m x 3m patio and footpath in gravel, South Norwood SE25: 3 days, £4,620.
- Curved Raj Green sandstone, Wandsworth SW18: 3 days, £4,000 to £6,000.
- 20m² sawn grey sandstone, Cheam SM3: old timber barn removed first, 3 days, £5,000.
- Mint Indian sandstone with side return, Mitcham CR4: 2 days, £5,000.
- Curved Indian sandstone and new turf, Wimbledon SW19: £5,000.
- 20m² grey porcelain, clad wall and footpath, Tooting SW17: 4 days, £5,000.
- Grey granite with an eco drain, New Malden KT3: digger used, £6,250.
- Porcelain with eco drains and 2 new manholes, Wimbledon SW19: 5 days, £6,300.
- Buff porcelain after removing a raised deck, Bexleyheath DA7: 4 days, £6,320.
- Grey porcelain with channel drains, Streatham SW16: 5 days, £6,480.
- 35m² grey Indian sandstone, Hayes BR2: old concrete dug out, 4 days, £6,500.
- Sandstone patio, path and new lawn, Streatham Hill SW2: 5 days, £6,500.
- Beige porcelain fence to fence, Lewisham SE13: 7 days, £7,000.
- Porcelain patio, 4 clad steps and a slatted fence, Crystal Palace SE19: £7,000.
£7,000 to £12,000: bigger patios, steps and extras
- Porcelain courtyard patio, Clapham SW4: 6 days, £7,350.
- 25m² Kandla grey and new turf, Shortlands BR2: dug out through the house, £8,000.
- Porcelain paving, fence and gate, Perry Vale SE23: 1 week, £8,860.
- White porcelain and a 2m slatted fence, Dulwich SE22: 1 week, £9,000.
- 25m² porcelain and bullnose steps on a steep garden, Shortlands BR2: 1 week, £9,250.
- Sandstone and artificial grass, Kew TW9: £9,350.
- 30m² sandstone and a balau deck, Elephant and Castle SE17: 1 week, £9,360.
- 30m² sandstone, footpath and fence, Stockwell SW9: access through the house, £9,620.
- Kandla grey paving and footpath, Lewisham SE13: 10 days, £10,000.
- Dark grey porcelain, shed base and turf, Raynes Park SW20: 1 week, £10,000.
- Paving circle, stepping stones and turf, East Sheen SW14: 1 week, £11,000.
- 50m² porcelain on two levels with 4 steps, Norbury SW16: 1 week, £12,000.
Over £12,000: whole gardens
- 53m² Kandla grey across two gardens, Kew TW9: 10 days, £13,000.
- Beige porcelain with clad steps, Bromley BR1: budget £12,000 to £15,000.
- Paving, brick walls, turf and drains, Streatham SW16: 2 weeks, £15,760.
- York stone, brick wall and turf, St Helier: 4 weeks, £17,000.
- Autumn Brown sandstone and a sleeper wall, Brixton SW2: 2 weeks, around £18,000.
- 100m² Indian sandstone, front and back, East Sheen SW14: 2 weeks, £19,350.
- Two-level sandstone and a Victorian tile path, Clapham SW4: 2 weeks, £22,000.
- 105m² porcelain with French drains, Forest Hill SE23: 2 weeks, £23,850.
What about the price per square metre?
Where a job was mostly patio and we know the size, dividing the full price by the area gives a rough guide. Greenwich SE10 worked out at about £141 per m² and Thornton Heath CR7 about £166. Balham SW12 was about £178, Hayes BR2 about £186 and East Sheen SW14 about £194. Forest Hill SE23 was about £227, and Norbury SW16, with two levels and steps, about £240.
That is the whole job divided by the area: digging out, the base, the stone, laying, drainage where it was needed and taking the waste away. It is not the price of the slabs on their own.
What pushes the price up
Looking across the 38 jobs, the stone itself was rarely what made one patio cost twice as much as another. These things did:
- Access through the house. In Balham, Stockwell and Brixton, every slab and every bag of waste had to go through the house. It takes longer, and the whole job is planned around it.
- What has to come out first. Old concrete in Hayes, a raised deck in Bexleyheath, an old timber barn in Cheam. Digging out to a firm level is where a patio that lasts begins.
- Drainage. Eco drains, channel drains, French drains and new manhole covers appear on many of these jobs. In Forest Hill, the 105m² patio was laid to an exact 1:60 fall with French drains along the house.
- Levels and steps. The Norbury patio was built on two levels with 4 clad steps. In Shortlands the garden was so steep that the concrete was pumped uphill.
- Everything else in the garden. Fencing, turf, decking, sleeper walls and beds turn a patio into a garden project, and that is most of the gap between a £6,000 job and a £15,000 one.
Porcelain or Indian sandstone?
Both appear at every price level in our list. Porcelain went from £5,000 in Tooting SW17 to £23,850 for 105m² in Forest Hill SE23. Sandstone went from £2,820 in Greenwich SE10 to £22,000 for a two-level front and back garden in Clapham SW4. Choose the stone for the look you want: the size of the area, the groundwork and the access will set the price.
How long a patio takes
On our jobs, a patio of around 20m² took 2 to 3 days. A typical patio with a new base and drainage took 4 to 5 days. Whole gardens with paving, walls or turf took 1 to 2 weeks.
Want a price for your patio?
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a 20m² patio cost in South London?
On our jobs, around 20m² of paving has cost between £2,820 and £5,000 including VAT. Raj Green sandstone in Greenwich SE10 was £2,820 and grey Indian sandstone in Thornton Heath CR7 was £3,320. Sawn grey sandstone in Cheam SM3 was £5,000 because an old timber barn had to come out first, and grey porcelain in Tooting SW17 was £5,000 with a clad wall, a new manhole cover and a footpath included.
How long does it take to lay a patio?
On our jobs, a patio of around 20m² has taken 2 to 3 days, a typical 20 to 35m² patio with a new base and drainage 4 to 5 days, and a whole garden with paving, walls or turf 1 to 2 weeks.
Is porcelain more expensive than Indian sandstone?
Across our 38 patio jobs, porcelain and sandstone both appear at every price level. Porcelain ranged from £5,000 in Tooting SW17 to £23,850 for 105m² in Forest Hill SE23, and sandstone from £2,820 in Greenwich SE10 to £22,000 for a two-level garden in Clapham SW4. The size of the area, the access, the dig-out, drainage and steps changed the price far more than the choice of stone.
Do these prices include VAT?
Yes. Every price in this guide is the price of a finished job including VAT, as shown on its case study. Three are not exact: a Brixton SW2 garden at around £18,000 all in, a Wandsworth SW18 patio at £4,000 to £6,000, and a Bromley BR1 patio with a budget of £12,000 to £15,000.