Most patios and driveways are priced per square metre installed. Rough 2026 ballparks: a sandstone patio around £90–£150/m², a block-paving driveway £100–£150/m², resin or tarmac £50–£90/m² (all approximate, varies by region and ground). The big levers: the material, the sub-base and groundworks underneath, and drainage.
The ballpark, by material
Patios and drives are almost always priced per square metre installed, then the groundworks and extras get added. These are illustrative 2026 UK ranges, not a fixed price list — ground conditions, access and levels move them a lot.
| Scenario | Price range (approx) |
|---|---|
| Gravel driveway | £40–£70/m² |
| Tarmac driveway | £50–£90/m² |
| Resin-bound driveway | £50–£90/m² |
| Block-paving driveway | £100–£150/m² |
| Indian sandstone patio | £90–£150/m² |
| Porcelain patio | £120–£200/m² |
So a typical 25m² patio in sandstone is very roughly £2,500–£3,750, and a 45m² block-paving drive very roughly £4,500–£6,750 — before you touch the groundworks, which can be a big chunk on their own.
What actually moves the price
The material sets the headline rate, but the ground sets the real cost. A drive going over soft ground or a demolished old surface needs deep excavation, muck-away and a proper MOT Type 1 sub-base — that's days of digging and lorries before a single slab goes down. Access matters too: if every barrow of spoil and aggregate has to go through a side gate 30 metres from the road, that's slow, expensive graft. Then levels and falls, edging and haunching, and any steps or retaining. On patios, the laying pattern and cutting (porcelain is slow to cut) add time.
Day rate vs price per metre
Landscaping and groundwork usually goes out as a per-m² or fixed-job price, not a day rate — but the honest maths behind it is a team's day rate (roughly £150–£250 a day per person in 2026, approximate) times the days, plus materials, plus muck-away and plant hire. Price the days properly. The classic loss is quoting the nice top surface at a tidy rate and forgetting the two days of digging and the three grab lorries it took to get there. Walk the site, tell your PA the numbers, and TradePA has the quote written before you're off the drive — £10 a month, two weeks free.
The costs people forget (and the drainage rule)
Groundworks and muck-away are the biggest forgotten cost — excavation, sub-base, membrane and hauling spoil away can rival the surface itself. Skips or grab lorries, edging, a compactor or digger hire, and sand and cement all add up — which is exactly why this is a job to take a deposit on before you order a lorry of aggregate. And there's a real rule to know: a new front-garden driveway over 5m² in England that drains onto the road usually needs to be permeable (like gravel, permeable block paving or resin), or to drain to a soakaway — otherwise it may need planning permission. Quote the drainage in, and flag it to the customer, or it becomes your problem later. Skimping the sub-base to win the price is the one mistake that comes back to haunt you — that's the job that sinks and cracks in a year.
Honest note: these are illustrative 2026 ballparks, not a quote and not financial advice. Prices vary by material, ground, access and region — survey the actual site and check current drainage/planning rules before you price.
Common questions
How much does it cost to lay a patio per square metre in the UK?
What's the cheapest type of driveway to lay?
Do I need to include drainage in a driveway quote?
Why do groundworks matter so much to the price?
A word on the above. This is general information for UK trades, written to be useful, not advice for your situation. Prices vary by job and by region, and tax and legal rules change. Check the current position on GOV.UK or ask your accountant or legal professional for actual advice.
