A patio is a paved outdoor area next to the house or in the garden, laid in porcelain, natural stone or concrete slabs on a compacted sub-base and mortar bed, with falls that direct rainwater away from the house.
In Cheshire, we price a new patio against our guide for the North West, £2,400–£5,200 including VAT, then adjust it once we have surveyed your home. We work across Warrington, Chester, Crewe and Ellesmere Port and the rest of the county or region. Planning and building control requirements follow the rules for England, and we look into your property's position before a written quote is sent.
- Guide price
- £2,400–£5,200 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 3–7 days on site
- Planning rules
- England
- Price level
- About 5% below the national guide
- Towns listed
- 12
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
How much does a new patio cost in Cheshire?
What should you budget for a new patio in Cheshire? Use the figures below as a starting point. Prices in the North West sit about 5% below the national guide, so the range here is £2,400–£5,200 including VAT. Your fixed price comes in writing once we've surveyed the property, at no charge.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Cheshire |
|---|---|---|
| Small patio or path | Around 10m² of concrete slabs or a garden path. | £950–£2,400 |
| Typical 20m² patio | Sandstone or porcelain on a full sub-base with jointing and edging. | £2,400–£5,200 |
| Large or multi-level patio | Bigger areas, steps, retaining walls or premium stone. | £5,200–£11,500 |
Your price depends mostly on:
- Patio area and the amount of excavation
- Slab material, size and laying pattern
- Ground levels, slopes, steps and retaining walls
- Drainage needed to keep water away from the house
What’s included?
- Survey of levels, damp-proof course, drainage and access
- Excavation and removal of turf, soil or old paving
- Slabs laid on a full mortar bed with falls away from the house
- Jointing with mortar or a brush-in compound
- Edging and neat cuts around drains and walls
- Site cleared, waste removed and paving cleaned
Housing across Cheshire
Chester mixes Georgian and Victorian terraces with black-and-white revival frontages, and red sandstone shows up across the west of the county. Crewe has railway-era brick terraces, Macclesfield has mill workers' cottages, and Wilmslow, Knutsford and Alderley Edge are known for large detached homes. Interwar semis and newer estates surround Warrington and Northwich.
Terraced and mill-era cottages often need repointing, roof work and loft space. Larger detached homes commonly take on kitchen extensions, bifold doors and garden landscaping, while interwar semis suit side extensions and replacement windows.
The Cheshire Plain is fairly mild, but rainfall rises towards the Pennine edge, and parts of mid Cheshire have a history of subsidence linked to salt extraction.
Do you need permission in Cheshire?
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and Cheshire is in England. What follows is a plain summary; we check the specifics for your property with the council before pricing anything.
A ground-level patio in a back garden does not usually need planning permission in England. Raised decks or platforms more than 30 cm high do.
Building Regulations do not normally apply to patios, but levels must stay below the damp-proof course and drain away from the house.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
How does the job run?
A visit to your home
It starts with a survey at the property, free of charge. We check condition, access and services, ask how you want the finished result to look, and answer any questions you have about a new patio.
Quote in writing
You get the price in writing, itemised so you can see where the money goes. As long as the specification stays the same, that is the price you pay for a new patio.
Plan and prepare
With the quote agreed, we book the work in and handle preparation: permissions where needed, building control notifications, material orders and access arrangements for your Cheshire property.
Build and hand over
Our trades complete a new patio while your point of contact keeps you updated. When everything is finished, we clear the site, take away waste and go through the result with you before handover.
What you can expect from us
Frequently asked questions
How long will a new patio take?
On a typical home, allow 3–7 days on site. Larger projects, older buildings and extra work found once things are opened up can extend that, while simpler jobs may be shorter. Your quote includes an estimate of time on site, and your point of contact keeps you updated on the programme as the work progresses.
How much does a new patio cost?
A typical 20m² patio in sandstone or porcelain costs £2,400–£5,200, including excavation, sub-base, laying and jointing. As a guide, allow roughly £100–£220 per square metre plus fixed costs for set-up and waste. Concrete slabs cost less, while slate, granite and large-format porcelain cost more. Steps, walls and drainage add to the total. We confirm a fixed price after the survey.
How do you make sure water drains away from the house?
A patio needs a gentle fall, usually a little over 1 in 80, so rainwater runs away from the house towards the garden, a drain or a soakaway. The surface should also sit well below the damp-proof course. If the patio meets a door threshold, a channel drain may be needed. We set levels with string lines and check falls as we lay each section.
What happens at the survey?
We visit your home at a time that suits you, look at the area involved, take measurements and check access, condition and any services that might be affected. We talk through what you want from a new patio, explain the options and answer questions. There is no charge and no obligation; afterwards we send a written quote.
What should I do before the work starts?
Before work starts, clear garden furniture, pots and ornaments from the area and agree where materials will be delivered and stored. We need a route for wheelbarrows and, on larger jobs, a small digger, so let us know about side gates, narrow passages or access through the house. Tell us about any known drains, cables or pipes in the area.
Towns in Cheshire
We offer a new patio in each of the towns below, all within Cheshire. Select yours for guide prices, postcodes covered and nearby places.