New patio over the old one — sometimes brilliant, sometimes a disaster

Going over the top saves the dig-out and the skip. It also raises your levels by 50mm and inherits every problem the old patio has. Here's how to tell which side of that trade you're on.

5 m × 3 m · 15 m²

How big is it?

Length

Width

What's it made of?

What's there now?

Under your patio

Slabs · 20mm
Full mortar bed · 30mm
Existing sub-base, topped up and re-compacted · 50mm
Old patio lifted and carted away

Where in the country?

Materials only

£830–1,010

the quote gap+£1,280–1,950mind the gap between these

Typical installed total

£2,100–2,960

That gap is labour, prep, waste and access — the slabs are the cheap part. It's the part quotes keep vague, and it's most of what you'll pay.

Prices checked August 2026 · Placeholder prices — real data landing soon.

That's the estimate. Now plan the patio you actually want.

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Your real shape

Grow yours into an L, notch it round the shed, price the garden you've actually got — the wing below is costed from your own numbers.

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Money back if it doesn't pay for itself.

When over-the-top works

The old patio is sound, flat within 10mm, drains away from the house, and you can afford the height: 50mm of build-up still leaves you 150mm below the damp-proof course.

When it doesn't

Rocking slabs, hollow spots, or moss that never dries mean the base underneath has failed — a new layer fails with it, just slower. That's the lift-and-relay estimate in the calculator above.

The honest comparison

Run the calculator both ways: "an old patio" prices the lift-and-relay; if yours is sound concrete, "concrete" prices the over-the-top route. The difference is what the dig-out is really costing you.