CRF Services Ltd

Patio installation for small gardens and paving repairs

Patio installation is about more than the slabs you can see. A patio that stays flat and drains properly depends on what is underneath it: the dig, the sub base, the bedding and the fall. CRF Services Ltd lays small patios, seating areas and paths in modest gardens across Rochester and Medway, and repairs existing paving where slabs have sunk, rocked or cracked. Large driveways and big landscaping schemes are left to firms with a crew and machinery.

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What size of patio suits this service

The work is sized for one tradesman. A seating area outside the back door, a path to the shed, a square at the end of the garden for a table, or replacing a tired patio of a similar size are all typical. Everything is dug and laid by hand, which is ideal for terraced and semi detached gardens where a digger could not get in anyway.

How a new patio is laid

The area is marked out and dug down far enough to take a compacted sub base, a bed of mortar and the slab, finishing below the damp proof course of the house. A layer of hardcore or type 1 is spread and compacted. Slabs are then laid on a full bed of mortar, not dots, so there are no hollow spots for water to sit or slabs to rock. A gentle fall is built in so rain runs away from the house towards the garden or a drain.

Marking out and setting levels against the house
Digging out and removing the spoil
Laying and compacting the sub base
Bedding slabs on a full mortar bed
Building in a fall away from the walls
Pointing the joints once the slabs have set

Choosing slabs

Concrete slabs are the most affordable and come in many colours and textures. Natural stone such as Indian sandstone has more variation and is popular, but each slab differs in thickness, so it takes longer to lay. Porcelain is very hard wearing and easy to clean, though it needs a special primer on the back to bond and cutting it takes more care. If you have a slab in mind, send a link so the quote is based on it.

Paving repair and repaving a garden

A patio that has sunk in places, rocks underfoot or has weeds pushing through every joint does not always need ripping out. Where the base is sound, sunken or loose slabs can be lifted, the bedding renewed and the slabs relaid level with their neighbours, and failed joints raked out and repointed. Cracked slabs can be swapped if a match can be found.

When most of the slabs move, the base was probably never right, and repaving the garden properly is the lasting fix. In that case the old slabs come up, the base is rebuilt and the area is relaid, sometimes reusing slabs that are still sound.

Drainage and the house wall

Two rules matter more than anything else. The finished patio must sit at least 150mm below the damp proof course, and it must fall away from the house. A patio laid too high, or one sloping back towards the wall, can push water into the brickwork and cause damp inside. In England, a new patio or hard surface in a front garden over five square metres needs to be permeable or drain into a lawn or border, otherwise planning permission is needed; most back garden patios are not affected, but check with your council if unsure.

Costs and decisions

What drives the price of a patio, including size, slab choice, access and spoil removal, is set out in the patio laying cost guide. If you are still deciding between paving and timber, the decking vs patio guide compares the two, and decking installation has its own page. Patios are part of the landscaping service. Send a photo of the area, rough measurements and your slab choice through the contact page for a quote.

Steps between levels and path edging are covered on garden steps and edging.

This work is part of our Landscaping service.

Common questions