Patio quotes vary wildly, and homeowners are often left wondering why one price is double another for what looks like the same job. Most of the difference sits underground, in the base, the drainage and the ground conditions, none of which you will see once the slabs are down. Here is a straight explanation of what you should expect to pay around Skegness and the wider Lincolnshire coast, and what actually moves the number.
For a supplied and laid patio in this part of Lincolnshire, most jobs land somewhere between £90 and £200 per square metre in 2026. That figure includes excavation, disposal of spoil, a compacted sub-base, bedding mortar, laying, cutting and pointing. A 20 square metre patio, which is a common size for a rear garden on a modern estate, therefore usually sits in the £2,000 to £4,000 bracket, with porcelain schemes pushing higher.
Material choice accounts for a large slice of that. Concrete slabs and block paving are the cheapest route, Indian sandstone sits in the middle and is still the most popular choice locally, and vitrified porcelain is the premium option. Porcelain costs more to buy and more to lay, because it needs a full mortar bed, a slurry primer on the back of every unit and diamond blades for cutting.
Much of Skegness, Ingoldmells and the surrounding marsh sits on soft, silty or sandy ground with a high water table. That matters, because a patio is only as good as what sits beneath it. On weaker ground we often need a deeper excavation and more Type 1 hardcore than the standard 100mm to 150mm, and that extra depth means more muck to take away as well as more stone to bring in. Two loads of spoil removal and a couple of tonnes of extra aggregate can add £300 to £600 to a job before a single slab is laid.
Salt-laden wind is the other local factor. It does not damage a well built patio, but it does encourage algae and green film on porous stone, particularly on shaded north facing patios. Porcelain and sealed sandstone stay cleaner with less scrubbing, which is worth weighing up if long term maintenance bothers you more than the upfront cost.
Quotes differ most in the extras, so check what is and is not included before comparing. Levels are the usual culprit: a sloping garden may need a retaining edge, a step or two, or built up ground, and that is real bricklaying work rather than an afterthought.
Drainage is worth taking seriously. Since 2008, paving over five square metres in a front garden generally needs to be permeable or to drain to a soakaway or border rather than straight onto the road. Rear patios are usually simpler, but they must fall away from the house at roughly 1:80 and finish at least 150mm below the damp proof course.
The sensible savings are in design rather than in the build. A simple rectangle with few cuts costs less to lay than a curved or circular layout. Keeping the patio the same level as the lawn avoids retaining work. Choosing a single slab size rather than a random pattern speeds up laying, and sourcing a mid range sandstone instead of a premium porcelain can cut the total by a third without looking cheap.
What is never worth trimming is the sub-base, the mortar bed and the pointing. A patio laid on sand or on five spots of mortar under each slab will rock, stain and lift within a few winters, and it costs more to put right than it did to build. If a quote is dramatically lower than the others, ask what depth of sub-base is allowed for and how the slabs are bedded. The answer usually explains the gap.
Send a quick message or give Gordon a ring. We will come and have a look, no charge, no pressure.