Q&A - Building a Patio and Landscape the Garden
Building a Patio
Q - We would like to have a patio built and would like to have an idea of the costs using different materials.
A - A contractor would probably charge you the following per square metre.
| Material | Cost £ |
| Brick/block | 60 |
| Concrete flags | 50 |
| Granite setts | 89 |
| York stone | 140 |
Garden Building
Q - We have bought a pre-war house and there is dilapidated building in the garden that was once a double garage (22 by 20 feet) It seems to have been used as storeroom/office as well at some stage. It is single-skin brick construction with an asbestos-cement corrugated roof. We have had a structural engineer's report prepared and it says that we it would cost almost £35,000 to convert it back into a garage. Is this good value?
A - No, it is not. You could have the building demolished and a new double garage built for about £24,000.
Garden Brick Wall
Q -What is the cost of common and facing bricks and how do I assess the quantity I will need for a garden wall I want to build?
A - As with other materials, the costs vary in accordance with quality but common bricks cost about £250 per thousand and good quality facing bricks range between £350 and £500 per thousand although you can pay up to twice that sum for special hand-made bricks.
For a half brick wall (112mm wide), multiply total area of the brickwork by 60 to produce the number of bricks you will need. This figure applies for stretcher bond which is the most common bond in use.
JCB Hire Prices
Q - We need to hire a JCB and driver for a few days and the hourly rate we have been quoted seems reasonable but it excludes the cost of fuel. How much should we budget for
A- It depends upon the size of the engine and how many hours the plant is in use but you should expect to pay for about six litres per working hour and that should add about £8 to £9 to the hourly rate.
Landscaping Prices
Q - What should we allow in our budget for using a landscape contractor to redesign out garden. We are keen to include some trees but wonder what distance they should be away from the house.
A - Here are some approximate costs that a landscaping firm would charge.
Prepare and sow grass seed £6 per m2
Prepare and lay turf £8 per m2
Plant standard tree (8cm girth) £50 each
Plant heavy standard tree (14cm girth) £130 each
Here is a list of distances trees should be planted from a house.
Poplar 35 metres
Oak 30 metres
Maple 20 metres
Beech 15 metres
Birch 10 metres
Gardening Work
Q - We have bought a house and back garden is overgrown with bushes, saplings and a few mature trees. We intend getting quotations for clearing the plot and wonder what sort of figures we should expect to receive.
A - Expect to pay about 75p per square metre for clearing the site of bushes, £30 each for the saplings and £700 for each of the mature trees including grubbing up the roots. But make sure that there are not any preservation orders on the mature trees.
Click here to purchase a wealth of home improvement advice and pricing information
The cost of House Improvements, Extensions, Attic Conversions and New Houses
(contents provided by Bryan Spain in partnership with Whatprice)
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