Sandstone and slabbed patios on a full bed, not five dots.
Indian sandstone, limestone and concrete flag patios in Doncaster from £90 per m². Full mortar bed, compacted base, proper falls and drainage. 3 to 5 days, one person.
Indian sandstone patio laid random coursed on a real job, being washed down after pointing/img/sandstone-patio-finished.jpg · 1800×1012
Indian sandstone is still the most popular patio in Doncaster, and for good reason: it's natural, it's warm underfoot, every slab is a bit different, and it costs less than porcelain. Limestone is darker and smoother; concrete flags are the budget option and there are some decent riven ones now.
The thing that kills a sandstone patio is dot-and-dab: five blobs of mortar under each slab. Water gets in the voids, freezes, and the slab rocks or the corner snaps. Every slab I lay goes on a full bed of mortar, on a compacted Type 1 base, with a primer on the back so it bonds. The joints are pointed with a proper compound, not sand that washes out in the first winter.
Sandstone is porous, so it needs to be laid with the falls right and it benefits from a sealer once it's dried out. I'll tell you which sealer and when. It'll also green up in shade over a few years; that's the trade-off for the price, and a pressure wash every couple of springs sorts it.
from £90/m²
Typically 3–5 days on site
What moves the price:
- Slab: a good calibrated Indian sandstone is the £90 base; limestone and premium sandstones are £10 to £25/m² more; concrete flags a bit less
- Size and shape: cuts cost time, so a plain rectangle is cheaper than a garden full of curves
- Levels: steps and walls where the garden slopes
- Muck away: what's under the old patio and how much of it there is
Dig and base
Excavate to 175mm below finished level, 100mm Type 1 compacted. Levels checked against the DPC and set to fall away from the house.
Lay
Calibrated 22mm slabs on a full bed of 6:1 sharp sand and cement, primed on the back. Random or coursed pattern set out beforehand so the cuts land where they don't show.
Point
Two-part or brush-in jointing compound, 10 to 15mm joints, struck and cleaned the same day so there's no haze.
Edges and extras
Steps, low walls, sleeper edges, a circle feature if you want one, drainage where the falls need it.
An old flagged patio, repointed rather than ripped out.
The same patio before, joints cracked and blown out/img/patio-pointing-before.jpg · 1500×1000
The joints raked out and repointed, stone cleaned down/img/patio-pointing-after.jpg · 1500×1000
Not every tired patio needs taking up. If the flags are sound, raking the joints out and repointing them properly is a fraction of the price of a new patio.
How much does an Indian sandstone patio cost?
From £90 per m² for the full job including dig, base, slabs, laying and pointing. A 30m² patio is around £2,700 to £3,300. Add £900 to £1,500 if it needs a drain and soakaway.
Sandstone or porcelain?
Sandstone if you like the natural look and a lower price, and you don't mind sealing it and washing it now and then. Porcelain if you want it to look the same in fifteen years with no maintenance. I lay both and I'll show you samples of each.
Can you lay onto my existing concrete base?
If it's sound and the levels work with the DPC, yes, and it's cheaper. If it's cracked or too high, no.
How long does it take?
Three to five days for most patios. I do it in one go; I don't bounce between jobs.
One person accountable, start to finish.
I'm Jack. I price it, I'm on the tools for it, and it's my name on it. Twelve years on site, a first-class degree in construction management, SMSTS and First Aid, and I operate the excavator myself. Where a job wants more hands I bring in people I've worked with for years and I run them. I cover Doncaster and everywhere within about half an hour of it: Bessacarr, Bawtry, Tickhill, Armthorpe, Thorne, Sprotbrough, Mexborough and over into Rotherham. More about me.
- 5.0 stars on Google6 reviews from real customers
- Fully insuredPublic liability
- SMSTS and First AidLegally qualified to run a UK construction site under CDM
- BSc (Hons) Construction Project Management, First ClassSheffield Hallam University, degree apprenticeship
- CIOB Certificate of ExcellenceChartered Institute of Building
- Twelve years on siteUK and Australia, £10m+ delivered as project manager
- Three full back to brick house renovationsTwo in Scawsby, one in Sprotbrough
- All aspects of groundworksAnd I operate the plant myself
Want a price for slabbed & sandstone patios?
Send a few photos and your postcode. I'll usually come back the same day.