Two budgeting tips to follow when replacing your patio
Here are two budgeting tips to follow when replacing your patio.
Talk to your patio builder about using some of the current patio's parts
You should have a discussion with your patio builder about whether they could utilise some of the existing patio's materials or structural features to build the new patio instead of simply tearing out every part of it and starting from scratch. For example, if the new patio will have the same dimensions and shape as the old one but you want to use different paving stones, it might be possible for the patio builder to keep the existing underlayers that form the sub-base of the patio as long as the reason you're replacing the patio isn't related to these lower layers being structurally damaged.
Similarly, if you like the existing paving stones but want a different paving pattern and a larger patio, you could buy new paving stones for the main section of the new patio (ideally, stones that complement the colour of the existing pavers), and then have the patio builder use the old paving stones to create the new patio's decorative edge. If the builder can do these things, you could shave a lot of money off your patio-building project bill by reducing the number of new materials you need to buy and by potentially reducing the amount of labour your builder must carry out.
Prep the building area yourself
With some verbal guidance from the patio builder, you may be able to prep the patio area yourself and in doing so, lower the project's labour expenses. For example, if your new patio requires a deeper sub-base than your current one and you have to do some excavating to prepare for the construction of this new sub-base, you might be able to do this yourself if you have some decent shovels and enough time to do the digging manually rather than with an excavator.
If you do this, make sure you find out from your builder how deep beneath the existing sub-base you need to dig. Additionally, you should keep a tape measure by your side whilst you're digging so you can periodically check the depth of the hole. This will help you to avoid digging up too much soil. This is important as making this error would mean you would have to partially refill the excavation before your builder could begin making the new sub-base.
Reach out to a patio builder for more information.
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