Thanks for visiting. Anything you think, write it in the box or use the voting buttons — what looks good, what's useful, what isn't worth doing.
Any thoughts? Anything we should add?
The Patio section is a working first draft — open it, decide whether it looks useful, and you'll find the sections that might come next (fencing, driveways, decking, sheds and so on) listed underneath.
Open the patio section →Patio
What would a patio cost me?
The Patio Reckoner
A free calculator, working now. Four quick questions, then two numbers: what materials cost, and what you'd likely pay all-in.
What exactly should my landscaper be pricing?
The Patio Job Sheet
Every line a proper landscaper prices, with your quantities and the fair range for your region — print it and hand it over.
Got a quote? What's in it — and what isn't?
The Patio Quote-Checker
Reads a real quote against your job sheet: where it lands, what it's probably missing, and the questions to ask before you sign.
What furniture can I fit on my patio?
The Patio Arranger
Drops real furniture onto the patio you’ve set up — drag it about, halos show honest clearance, and every piece says whether it truly fits.
My patio isn’t a rectangle — what would mine cost?
The Patio Shapeshifter
Paint your patio’s actual outline in half-metre squares on the picture above — corners, cut-outs, L-shapes — and every costing follows that exact shape.
Herringbone or straight — what difference does it make?
The Patio Patternmaker
Re-lays the patio you’ve set up in each pattern — stack, running, basketweave, herringbone — with the waste and slower laying priced honestly.
What could I save by doing some of it myself?
The Patio Grafter
Splits the job into stages and shows what each is worth, so you choose what to do yourself — minus the kit you’d have to hire.
What if I’ve found cheaper slabs?
The Supplier's Quote
Swaps our supplier basket for your local yard’s prices, so the estimate matches where you’ll actually buy.
Which stone should I choose?
The Patio Stone Comparator
Compares the common paving families on price, wet grip, upkeep and how they age — sized and priced on your actual patio.
Fencing
Rough fencing costings.
The Fence Reckoner
Will price a fence run all-in from length and height: panels, posts, concrete and the labour.
Fix-or-replace after storm damage.
The Storm Mender
Will price storm repairs — replace the blown panels, or is the whole run on borrowed time?
Fence vs hedge, costed over years.
The Boundary Settler
Will compare a planted hedge, an instant hedge and a fence per metre — including what each costs over 25 years.
Dog-proof fencing heights and costs.
The Fence Escapologist
Will recommend fence heights and styles by dog size and price them — including stopping the digging-under.
Driveways
Rough driveway costings.
The Driveway Reckoner
Will price your driveway in any surface, dig-out and drainage included.
Will your cars actually fit?
The Driveway Arranger
Will let you drag real-sized cars around your drive to see what genuinely fits — doors opening included.
Driveway surfaces, compared.
The Surface Comparator
Will compare surfaces on the full picture: upfront cost, weeding, resurfacing, and what buyers think.
When a driveway needs permission.
The Permission Checker
Will check whether your driveway plan needs planning permission under the permeable-surfaces rules.
Decking
Rough decking costings.
The Deck Reckoner
Will price a deck properly — frame, posts and labour included, not just the boards on top.
Decking vs patio, costed honestly.
The Deck-or-Patio Settler
Will compare a deck against a patio for your space — build cost plus a decade of oiling, cleaning and repairs.
Timber vs composite, over their lives.
The Timber-or-Composite Settler
Will compare timber and composite over the deck's life — price, maintenance, lifespan.
Bases (sheds, garden rooms, hot tubs)
Shed and base costings.
The Base Reckoner
Will spec and price the right base for a shed, greenhouse, garden room or hot tub — driven by what it has to hold up.
Drainage
Soakaway sizing and cost.
The Soakaway Reckoner
Will size and price a soakaway from your roof and paving area and your soil.
Fixes for a waterlogged garden, costed.
The Waterlog Referee
Will judge whether a soggy lawn needs aerating, drains or regrading — with costs for each.
Lawn
Measure an awkward lawn properly.
The Lawn Shapeshifter
Will measure a lawn that isn't a neat rectangle and tell you exactly how much turf or seed to order.
New lawn from seed or turf, costed.
The Lawn Reckoner
Will work out the cost of a brand-new lawn, comparing turf against seed with the preparation underneath.
Re-turfing costings.
The Lawn Renewer
Will compare repairing your lawn against lifting and re-laying, DIY or done for you.
Artificial grass
Real grass vs artificial over ten years.
The Ten-Year Truth
Will compare real and artificial grass over ten years: install, mowing, infill, replacement — honestly.
Artificial grass, all-in costings.
The Fake-Grass Reckoner
Will price an artificial lawn properly: the grass plus the digging, base and edging underneath.
DIY artificial grass — what you save.
The Fake-Grass Grafter
Will split the job into stages and show what each is worth, so you choose what to do yourself.
Pets
Dog run sizing and costs.
The Dog-Run Warden
Will price a dog run properly: base, drainage and fencing, sized for your dog and space.
Pet-proof artificial grass costings.
The Pet-Lawn Survivor
Will compare real and artificial grass for households with dogs, with honest costs for each.
Dog-proof fencing heights and costs.
The Fence Escapologist
Will recommend fence heights and styles by dog size and price them — including the digging-under problem.
Garden clearance
Garden clearance costings.
The Clearance Reckoner
Will estimate your clearance volume and compare every way of shifting it — including why soil breaks the rules.
Garden rooms & offices
Garden room budgets, reality-checked.
The Garden-Room Reality-Checker
Will give an honest budget range for a garden room or office by spec — including the extras quotes forget.
What this isn't
- Not a gardening blog — we won't tell you what to plant.
- No product pushing — nobody pays us to recommend anything.
- No lead selling — we're not passing your details to tradespeople.
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Straight answers