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.
Addresses across S18 fall within our coverage for a new patio, so if your home is in Dronfield we can arrange a survey on a day that works for you. We inspect the existing building, discuss materials and layout, and then price the agreed specification in writing. Expect a guide range of £2,400–£5,300 including VAT before that visit.
- Guide price
- £2,400–£5,300 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 3–7 days on site
- Postcodes
- S18
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Derbyshire
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Patios and paving prices in Dronfield
The costs listed here are typical for a new patio around Dronfield and include VAT. They reflect labour and material costs in the East Midlands, about 4% below the national guide, giving a range of £2,400–£5,300. Exact pricing depends on your home, so we only fix it once a free site survey is done.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Dronfield |
|---|---|---|
| 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–£5,300 |
| Large or multi-level patio | Bigger areas, steps, retaining walls or premium stone. | £5,300–£11,500 |
What moves the price up or down:
- Patio area and the amount of excavation
- Ground levels, slopes, steps and retaining walls
- Drainage needed to keep water away from the house
- Access for materials and removing spoil
What’s included?
- Survey of levels, damp-proof course, drainage and access
- Compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base
- 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
Local housing and a new patio
Derby has wide areas of Victorian red-brick terraces and interwar semis, while Peak District villages use gritstone and limestone under stone-slate or Welsh slate roofs. Former mining towns in the north-east of the county have brick terraces and post-war housing built for mining communities, and modern estates have grown around Derby, Chesterfield and the M1 corridor.
The High Peak gets heavy rain, snow and frequent frost, while the lower Trent valley is milder; old mine workings can also affect ground conditions in places.
Whatever era your Dronfield home dates from, we plan a new patio around how it is actually built rather than a one-size-fits-all specification.
Permissions for a new patio in Dronfield
For anyone in Dronfield, the relevant framework is England's. The summary below is general, so we always contact the council about your address before putting a price in writing.
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.
From survey to handover
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 Dronfield 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.
Why homeowners choose us
Common questions
Can you combine a new patio with other work?
Yes. Because we manage several trades under one contract, we can plan a new patio alongside other work on your Dronfield home, such as new windows with rendering, or a kitchen refit with an extension. Combining jobs can reduce repeat set-up such as scaffolding, skips and access, and every element is listed and priced in the same 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.
How much does a new patio cost?
A typical 20m² patio in sandstone or porcelain costs £2,400–£5,300, 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.
Is the price fixed?
Yes, for the specification we agree. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included at a fixed price. It only changes if you ask for something different, or if a problem the survey could not reasonably reveal later needs extra work. In either case we explain the change and confirm it in writing before going ahead.
Nearby towns
Coverage for Dronfield spans S18. Close by, Nether Edge, Chesterfield and Fulwood are covered too, and the rest of our UK-wide area follows the same survey-then-quote process from start to finish.