How long does it take to lay a patio properly?

2/1/2023

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Getting a new patio installed can be both exciting and stressful at the same time.

A new aesthetically pleasing and functional seating area can provide the perfect stage for family gatherings and relaxing weekends. At the same time, hiring a professional contractor can be a new experience for many people.

It can also be difficult to formulate an accurate idea of what to expect. Therefore one of the most common questions people ask is how long does it take to lay a patio?

In this article I will break down all of the construction stages of a patio with timings. I will explain these based on an average sized patio of 50 square metres for one and for two tradesmen.

Understanding the variables

Laying patios and any outdoor work in general is extremely difficult to time gauge. Site and weather conditions can make it extremely difficult to run any project perfectly on time.

Building sites with numerous different contractors can also be very challenging to work to a set schedule.

Access

One of the most important factors of any landscaping project is access. If a project has very poor access the chances are your project will take much longer.

Most contractors will factor this into their quotation and works schedule. Poor access typically includes; no parking, no driveway, narrow sideways, through home access, and back alley access.

Excavation

Excavating out for patios is faster with a digger but the truth is access is not always possible.

Furthermore, even with a digger, a certain amount of hand digging will still be necessary. Therefore I will work out my digging times based on hand digging to a depth of 150 millimetres.

The average landscaper can dig out around 12 square metres of soil per day and load it into a skip. For two men this will be around 24 square metres.

This means for a 50 meter patio digging out will take about 5 days for 1 man and 2.5 days for 2 men.

Laying the sub base a preparation

The next stage of the patio will include laying the sub-base, compacting the base and setting materials ready to lay.

For one man on a 50 meter patio this will involve shovelling and spreading 8 tone of type 1 level. It will also include shifting 5 tonne of sand, 25 bags of cement and about 3 packs of paving to the patio.

This will normally take around 3 days for 1 man and 1.5 days for two men.

Laying the paving

How long it takes to actually lay the paving will depend on the skill and fitness of the contractor.

However, for one man on his own mixing and laying he should be able to lay about 10 square metres. With two competent contractors this should be around 16 square metres a day.

Therefore a 50 meter patio should take 5 days for a single man to lay. This will become about 3 days for a two man team!

Cutting

Cutting in around a 50 meter patio and bedding is should take about a day for one man.

Jointing

Grouting a 50 meter patio should also take about a day for one man.

Therefore, the average 50 meter patio should take around 15 days (three weeks) for one man.

For a two man team a 50 metre patio should take about 9 days (1.5 weeks)

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The Author
Paul Nicolaides
BA (Hons) Dip

Paul Nicolaides has over 30 years of recreational gardening and 20 years of professional landscaping experience. He has worked for landscape contractors including design and build practices across London and the South East. In 2006 he qualified with a BA Hons degree and post graduate diploma in Landscape Architecture. In 2009 he founded Ecospaces an ecological landscaping practice which aims to improve social cohesion and reduce climate change through landscaping. In 2016 he founded Buckinghamshire Landscape Gardeners which designs and builds gardens across Buckinghamshire and the South East. This blog aims to provide easy problem solving information to its audience and encourage others to take up the joy of landscaping and gardening.