How Much will it Cost for a Paved Patio?
We recently turned a small courtyard garden into an entertainment area with concrete paving slabs and share how this was done and the cost.
08/10/2019
In this studio apartment, the garden is fairly small and, due to the lie of the land, the grassed area becomes soggy and wet - not ideal if you have a dog that runs in and out of the garden. To solve the problem and also set up an area for entertainment, the entire area was levelled out and the area divided into two sections.
About a third of the garden, a space that is approximately 3.5 metres wide by 5 metres in length, was paved with concrete slabs to create an area where garden furniture can be placed for socialising with family and friends. The other two-thirds of the garden was levelled out and replanted with instant lawn.
The entire process took two full weekends but was well worth the effort. The concrete pavers were purchased from Builders Warehouse at a cost of R38 each and for the paved area a total of 90 pavers were used. The sand and stone were also ordered and delivered by Builders.
The total cost of the materials and labour required from this project came in at just under R10,000 in all, and this included the pavers, instant lawn, sand and stone, as well as hiring a compactor for a day. If you need to hire extra labour for the project, add this to the cost. The cost also included having the rubble taken away once the project was complete.
The newly paved area is the perfect size for a fairly large patio suite or for an outdoor dining table and chairs.
YOU WILL NEED:
Concrete pavers
45 bags of river sand, 40kg - reduce this by half if no levelling out is needed
6 bags of stone
2 bags of plaster sand
TOOLS:
Shovel, spade and garden fork
Steel rake
Straightedge
Plumb or string line and stakes
Spirit level
Compactor - hire for a day
Wheelbarrow
Rubber mallet
Sweeping brush
HERE'S HOW:
1. The first step in the process was the remove the existing grass to level out the area. The garden slopes from the far end to the front of the house and excess soil was removed to level out the area.
GOOD TO KNOW: Cut the grass into sections as you remove to make it easier to transport away from the site.
2. After removing the grass and taking away excess soil, a string line was set up in order to level out the area as best as possible. Quite a bit of soil was removed from the far end of the garden to level out.
3. Before installing the pavers, the compost and instant lawn was laid on the other section of garden.
4. To begin the process of setting out the pavers, a layer of stone was placed over the entire area. This was then compacted and checked for level before moving on to the next step.
5. The next step was to pour the river sand over the stone bed, compact and check for level.
6. Installing the pavers is the last step towards creating your new patio. Place the pavers in position and lightly tap with a rubber mallet to bed the pavers in the sand.
7. After laying the concrete pavers, pour plaster sand over the entire area and fill up all the gaps between the pavers.
