Patio installers in Colchester and Essex
Indian sandstone, porcelain and block paving patios laid on a compacted base with falls away from the house, plus the steps, walls and raised beds around them.
What are you looking to have done?
Two quick questions and you'll see a guide price.
Which surface for your driveway?
Not sure? Pick the closest; Tom talks through the options on the survey.
Block paving: roughly what size?
A typical two-car drive is 40 to 50 m². A guess is fine; the free survey measures it properly.
Guide price
Pick a surface
Guide range. Larger areas come in lower per m²; the free survey fixes the price in writing.
Our typical rates per square metre
- Block paving: around £130
- Tumbled paving: around £150
- Resin bound: around £200
- Tarmac: around £130
- Imprinted concrete: around £130
- Gravel: priced on the phone
- Indian sandstone: around £180
- Porcelain: around £200
We're patio installers working across Colchester and Essex, laying Indian sandstone, porcelain, concrete flags, block paving and granite setts. Indian sandstone and porcelain are the two people choose most, and we build the steps, brick walls and raised beds that go with them.
Every patio goes down on a compacted hardcore base and a semi-dry mortar bed, with falls that take the rain away from the house, then it's pointed or grouted. That's the part you can't see once it's laid, and it's why the patio stays level and the water goes where it should.
We're a family-run firm based in Colchester, working across the Essex towns around it, including Chelmsford, Braintree and Harlow. Tom comes out to measure up and talk through materials, the price goes in writing, and every patio carries a written 10-year workmanship guarantee.
The patios we lay
Materials, levels and the details around them, from our own jobs.
Large-format slabs
Big slabs laid in a running pattern for a clean, modern look outside bifold doors.
Porcelain and raised patios
A buff porcelain patio raised on a curved brick retaining wall to meet the back door.
Steps and brick walls
Curved brick steps leading up to the raised patio, built as part of the same job.
Tumbled block paving
Grey tumbled blocks with a contrasting border, laid round the house and up to the lawn.
Black limestone
Dark limestone slabs laid in a random pattern, here with new turf alongside.
Paths and side passages
The same care carried down the side of the house, with borders to frame the path.
What goes under a patio that stays level
A patio that rocks, puddles or sinks has nearly always been laid on too little underneath. So the job starts with the dig-out: the old patio or the turf comes up and the ground is taken down to make room for a proper base.
Compacted hardcore goes in first, then each slab is bedded on a semi-dry mortar bed. Falls are set as we go so rain runs away from the house, not towards it, and the joints are pointed or grouted to finish.
Where the garden slopes, a raised patio with a brick retaining wall and steps can give you level ground at the back door. If your existing patio is sound and only looks tired, cleaning and resealing may be all it needs.
Patio before and after
Three of our own patio jobs, photographed at the start and the finish.
Rubble to a slab path
A side passage full of rubble, cleared and laid as a riven slab path with a step.
Before 
After Muddy path to tumbled blocks
Mud and old slabs down the side of a rendered house, replaced with grey tumbled block paving all round.
Before 
After Lawn to large-format slabs
Lawn beside a conservatory dug out and laid as a large-format slab patio at the new bifold doors.
Before 
After
How a new patio goes in
Six steps, the same on every patio. It's why the guarantee goes in writing.
Step 01 / 06
Free survey
Tom measures up, checks levels and drainage, and talks through materials, steps and walls.
Step 02 / 06
Written quote
Slabs named, guarantee stated, price in writing. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Step 03 / 06
Dig out
The old patio or the turf comes up and the ground is dug out for the base.
Step 04 / 06
Base and falls
Compacted hardcore laid, with falls set to take rain away from the house.
Step 05 / 06
Bed and lay
Each slab bedded on a semi-dry mortar bed, with steps and walls built as we go.
Step 06 / 06
Point and hand over
Joints pointed or grouted, the site swept and the written guarantee handed over.
Indian sandstone or porcelain?
The two patios people ask us for most. Tom brings both up on the survey.
Indian sandstone
- Natural stone, so every slab varies in colour
- A riven, textured face with a traditional look
- Suits older houses and cottage gardens
- Around £180 per m² by our rates
Natural stone weathers, so a clean and reseal every few years keeps it looking right.
Porcelain
- Even colour from slab to slab
- A smooth, modern face, often in large formats
- Shrugs off stains and needs little upkeep
- Around £200 per m² by our rates
Both go down on the same compacted base with the same 10-year guarantee.
Book a free surveyWhat customers say about their new patios
Verbatim from Google. Names as they appear on the review.
4.9 from 30 Google reviews5.0 from 90 on Yell5.0 from 16 on Facebook
charlie willis-foreman
April 2025 · Porcelain patio
Just had these boys round to do my porcalin slabs in my garden and if I could I'd give these boys 6 stars , most friendly and hard working boys I've ever set eyes on. Also these boys smashed out breaking my concrete base for my shed and re concreted within the day.
Wayne Parker
December 2025 · Driveway and patio
Great job on my new driveway A great bunch of guys wouldn't hesitate to recommend Installed a new driveway and patio will have them around next time to do my pathway couldn't recommend them enough
Abas Kociaj
January 2025 · Drive and patio
I was looking for a company to replace my drive and patio my friend recommended Tom and his company who had done he's around 10 years ago and still looks brilliant so I decided to go with them and they fulfilled my best expectations highly recommend great service 10/10
Why people pick First4Driveways for patios
What customers mention in their reviews, and what we put in writing.
10 years, in writing
A written workmanship guarantee on every patio, handed over with the job.
Steps and walls too
Brick steps, retaining walls and raised beds built by the same team as the patio.
Tom quotes in person
He measures up and talks through materials himself. Nine Google reviewers mention him by name.
Insured, tidy, on time
Public liability cover on every job. Reviewers mention sites cleared away and work done when promised.
Patios questions
Straight answers to what people ask us most.
How much does a new patio cost?
By our rates, Indian sandstone is around £180 per m², porcelain around £200 and block paving around £130, and larger areas come in lower per m². The price card gives you a guide in seconds; the free survey fixes the price in writing.
Which is better, Indian sandstone or porcelain?
They're the two people choose most. Sandstone is natural, textured and varied in colour; porcelain is even, modern and very low maintenance. Both go down on the same compacted base with the same 10-year workmanship guarantee.
Is a raised patio a good idea?
On a sloping garden it often is: a raised patio gives you level ground at the back door. It needs a proper retaining wall and steps, which we build in brick as part of the same job.
Can you take up my old patio first?
Yes. Taking up the old patio or the turf is the first part of the job, before the new base goes down.
How do you stop water sitting on the patio?
Falls are set as the slabs go down, so rain runs away from the house to the garden or a drain. Where the ground needs more, we add drainage as part of the job.
Can you build steps and walls as well?
Yes. Brick steps, retaining walls and raised beds are part of our patio work. For bigger garden projects, see landscaping.
Other jobs we do
One team for the drive, the patio and the garden. Every job starts with a free survey and a written quote.
Landscaping
Project guarantee
Paths, walls, steps, drainage, turf, artificial grass, sleeper raised beds, planting, fencing and decking. One team from clearance to the finished garden.
Landscaping
Block paving
10-year written guarantee
Herringbone, basketweave or stretcher bond on a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, with concrete-haunched edges and a soldier-course border. Standard or tumbled blocks.
Block paving
Resin driveways
10-year written guarantee
Resin bound only, never bonded. UV-stable resin and natural aggregate hand-trowelled to 18mm over a solid base. Walk on it after 24 hours, park on it after 48.
Resin driveways
Cleaning and resealing
Priced on the survey
Block paving and patios pressure cleaned, re-sanded and resealed. Tarmac drives recoloured and resealed. The cheap way to make an old drive look new again.
Cleaning and resealing
Patios across Colchester and Essex
Based in Colchester. We lay patios across Essex; the towns below have their own pages.
Colchester
Our base. Every service, across the town and the villages around it.
Our base
Chelmsford
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across Chelmsford. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Chelmsford
Braintree
About 16 miles from our Colchester base. Driveways, patios and landscaping with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Braintree
Harlow
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across Harlow and Old Harlow. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Harlow
Hertford
Driveways, patios and landscaping across Hertford, Ware and the Hertfordshire villages around them.
Driveways in Hertford
St Albans
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across St Albans, Harpenden and the villages. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in St Albans
Bishop's Stortford
About 36 miles from our Colchester base along the A120. Driveways, patios and landscaping with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Bishop's Stortford
Southend
Block paving, resin driveways and patios from Leigh-on-Sea to Shoeburyness. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Southend
Brentwood
About 37 miles down the A12. Driveways and patios across Brentwood, Shenfield, Hutton and Ingatestone.
Driveways in Brentwood
Stevenage
Block paving, resin driveways and patios from the Old Town to Great Ashby. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Stevenage
Cambridge
Driveways, patios and landscaping across Cambridge and its villages, with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Cambridge
Also covering: Witham, Clacton-on-Sea, Maldon, Halstead, Basildon, Billericay, Wickford, Rayleigh, Saffron Walden, Burnham-on-Crouch and the villages between. Not listed? Call and ask.
Get a free quote
Let's talk about your drive or patio
First4Driveways is a family-run business based in Colchester. Tom comes out to quote every job in person, talks through the options and materials, and puts the price in writing before anything is dug up. Block paving, resin and patios carry a written 10-year workmanship guarantee; tarmac and gravel carry five years.
- Free survey and a written quote
- Written guarantee on every job
- Fully insured, public liability cover
- Family-run, based in Colchester
Need to talk now?
Call Tom directly
Start your free quote
Tell us about the drive or garden and we'll arrange a free survey.