Patio repairs in south Manchester
A patio that has dropped, rocks underfoot or holds water after rain has almost never failed at the surface. The slabs are usually fine. What is underneath them is not.
We lift the affected area, find out why it moved, rebuild the base properly and relay the same paving wherever it can be saved.
£650 minimum
What you are probably seeing
- A dip near the house, or along one edge, that gets worse each winter
- Slabs that rock or knock when you walk over them
- Water that sits in puddles for hours after rain instead of running off
- Lipped edges between slabs — a trip hazard, and the usual first complaint
- Joints opening up, with weeds and ants taking advantage
- A hollow sound when you tap a slab, which means a void underneath
Why it happened
Most patios in this area were laid on a sand bed or on five blobs of mortar — one in each corner and one in the middle, with a void between them. It looks flat on the day. Then water gets in, the void collapses and the slab tips.
The other common one is hardcore that was tipped in and raked level rather than compacted in layers. Uncompacted stone settles under its own weight within a couple of years, whatever is laid on top.
How we do it
The method, start to finish.
- 01
We lift a slab before we quote
It is the only honest way to price the job. What is under the paving decides whether this is a small repair or a relay, and we would rather find out before you have a number than after.
- 02
Lift and dig out to formation
The affected area comes up, slabs stacked and kept. We dig down past whatever failed to firm ground.
- 03
Membrane and sub-base
Geotextile membrane, then MOT Type 1 compacted in layers with a plate — not one deep lift. Depth depends on the ground and what the surface has to carry.
- 04
Laying course, falls and relay
A fresh laying course, a fall of around 1:80 away from the house, and the paving relaid on a full bed. Falls are the part that stops it happening again.
- 05
Joints and clean up
Jointed to suit the material, washed down, and the waste taken away.
Straight talk
When we will tell you not to bother
If only a corner has moved and the rest of the base is sound, we will relay that corner and charge you for a corner. A full lift is not always the answer and we are not going to pretend it is.
Questions we get asked
Can you repair just the sunken part?
Often, yes. If the rest of the patio sits on a sound base we lift only the failed area and tie the new base into the old. Where the whole thing was laid on sand, patching buys you a year or two and you would be better rebuilding it.
Will my slabs survive being lifted?
Usually. Concrete flags and porcelain lift cleanly if they were bedded on sand. Slabs set in a strong mortar bed are more likely to break — we will tell you what to expect before we start, and we always allow for a few losses.
What if you cannot match a broken slab?
Older ranges get discontinued. Where we cannot match, we take replacements from a hidden area — behind a shed, down the side of the house — and put the odd new slab there instead, where nobody looks.
How long will it take?
A small repair is usually a day. A full lift and relay of an average rear patio is typically three to five days depending on access and what we find when we dig.
Patio repairs in Wythenshawe, Northenden, Gatley, Heald Green, Cheadle, Timperley and Altrincham.
Send us a photo of the problem.
Quickest way to get an answer. We reply the same day, and the quote is free either way.