A homeowner gets three quotations for a patio. They range from one figure to nearly four times it.
She assumes somebody is overcharging. In fact one price is for lifting the existing slabs and relaying on sand, one is for a full excavation with a proper sub base and drainage, and one includes removing a retaining wall that the other two did not mention.
Nobody explained any of this. She chooses on price, gets the cheapest, and has a patio that moves within two winters.
What a patio price is actually made of
Six components. Excavation, disposal, the sub base, drainage, the surface material and the laying labour, plus access affecting all of them.
Component 1: excavation
Digging out to the required depth, which depends on the use and the ground, and which is invisible in the finished result.
Component 2: disposal
Removing what came out and whatever was there before. A substantial cost, priced by volume and by how far it has to be carried.
Component 3: the sub base
The part that determines whether the patio is still level in five years, and the easiest place for a cheap quotation to save money.
Component 4: drainage
Falls, drainage channels and where the water actually goes, which is the ground in drainage and waterlogging questions from owners.
Component 5: the surface material
The part the homeowner has been choosing between, and frequently a smaller share of the total than they assume.
Component 6: the laying labour
Which varies considerably by material, since some are far slower to lay well than others.
The multiplier: access
Everything in and everything out, by barrow through a house or by machine from a driveway. This alone can change the total substantially.
A worked example on a straightforward property
Good access, level ground, an existing base in reasonable condition, and a mid range material produces the lower end of any range quoted.
The same area on a difficult property
No side access, a level change, heavy clay, an old concrete base to break out and remove, and the same square metres cost several times as much.
Why the material choice matters least
Homeowners spend their deciding time on the surface and their money on everything underneath it, which nobody tells them.
Why the cheap quotation is usually a different job
Not dishonesty in most cases, but a different specification, and comparing them requires knowing what each includes.
Why a range with drivers converts
A homeowner given a range and the reasons can place themselves within it, which is considerably better than a refusal until a visit.
Why the guarantee position belongs in the comparison
A quotation covering settlement and workmanship for several years is a different product from one that does not, and homeowners comparing figures rarely think to ask. Stating it turns a price comparison into a value one.
Why the cheapest quotation costs most
A patio relaid on sand over an inadequate base moves within two winters and is then done again properly. The homeowner pays twice, and the second contractor inherits a customer who no longer trusts anybody in the trade.
Give the range and the drivers at the enquiry
An assistant that asks for dimensions, photographs, access details and what is there now can give an honest range, explain that the groundwork rather than the slab drives the figure and make three quotations comparable. The process sits in design and build questions from garden clients, a comparable cost conversation in cost and funding questions from families, and the handling in ai receptionist pricing questions. See pricing, run the numbers on the chatbot ROI calculator, and the sector view sits under landscaping.