Level and stable
Full-bed laying on a compacted base means no rocking, no tilting and no trip hazards.
Patios That Stay Leveland Drain ProperlyCardiff, Newport & the Vale
Turn an unused corner of garden into a space you actually sit in: full groundworks, correct falls, steps and edging finished neatly, priced as one fixed figure.
Free site visit · fixed-price quotes · 10-year workmanship guarantee
15 years
in the trade, trading as MB Construction since 2019
10-year guarantee
workmanship guarantee on completed work
Fully insured
public liability & employer's liability
Fixed-price quotes
free, in writing, never a day rate
24/7 emergencies
emergency roof repairs, day or night
Patios, What's Involved
A patio is groundwork with a nice surface on top. Excavation, a compacted sub-base, a full mortar bed, the right falls away from the house and jointing that stays put, get those right and the finish looks the same in ten years as it did on day one.
We build patios in porcelain and natural or concrete slab, including the steps, edging, retaining and drainage needed to make an awkward or sloping garden usable.
Levels matter more here than anywhere: a patio laid up against the house has to sit clear of the damp-proof course and fall away from the wall, or you solve an outdoor problem and create an indoor one.
- Who it's for
- Homeowners with an unused, muddy or sloping garden, a cracked and rocking old patio, or new bifold doors that need a proper terrace outside them.
- When it's needed
- When slabs rock, water pools, weeds have taken the joints, or a garden simply has nowhere flat to put a table.
- Why a professional job matters
- Slabs laid on dabs of mortar rock and crack, wrong falls send water at your wall, and porcelain in particular needs a full bed and the correct primer or it lifts.
What Happens If It's Left
Nothing outside a house gets cheaper to fix by waiting. Here is how this one escalates.
Water against the house means damp inside it
A patio that falls the wrong way, or sits above the damp-proof course, pushes rainwater into the wall and damp into the room behind it.
Rocking slabs are a trip hazard
Spot-bedded slabs work loose, tilt and become dangerous, especially at steps and thresholds.
Frost finishes what bad bedding starts
Voids under slabs fill with water. Frost lifts and cracks them, and the failure spreads across the patio.
Redoing it costs more than building it once
Lifting a failed patio means paying again for breaking out, disposal and materials before any new work starts.
Common mistakes we're called in to undo
- Laying slabs on five dabs of mortar instead of a full bed.
- Building the patio level with or above the damp-proof course.
- Forgetting falls, so water sits in the middle of the terrace.
- Using untreated jointing that washes out in the first heavy rain.
- Skipping the sub-base over soft or made-up ground.
Our Process
The same five steps on every job, so you always know what happens next.
01
Site visit and design
We look at levels, drainage, access and what you want to use the space for, and talk through slab options.
02
Fixed price in writing
A free, no-obligation quote covering excavation, disposal, sub-base, slabs, steps, edging and jointing.
03
Excavation and sub-base
Ground dug out to depth, spoil removed, compacted sub-base laid and falls set away from the building.
04
Laying and detailing
Slabs laid on a full wet mortar bed with primer where the material needs it, steps and edging formed, cuts kept clean and consistent.
05
Jointing, clean-down and completion
Joints filled with the correct pointing compound, surface washed down, site cleared and the 10-year workmanship guarantee handed over.
What You Get
Drains away from the house
Correct falls and finished levels below the damp-proof course protect the wall behind it.
Usable space you actually gain
Steps, retaining and edging make sloping or awkward gardens genuinely usable.
Low maintenance finish
Properly jointed paving stays clean with an occasional wash rather than constant weeding.
One team, one guarantee
Groundwork, paving and finishing by the same small team, backed by a 10-year workmanship guarantee.
Fixed price
Excavation, disposal, materials and finishing quoted as one figure before we start.
Patios in Detail
Materials, methods and the variations we cover across Cardiff, Newport and the wider South Wales area.
Porcelain paving
Dense, low-porosity and dimensionally consistent, so joints stay tight and the colour does not fade. It requires a full mortar bed and a slurry primer to the underside to bond properly, the step most commonly skipped.
Natural stone and concrete slab
Sandstone, limestone and riven concrete slabs give a softer, more traditional look. Calibrated slabs lay to a consistent bed; uncalibrated natural stone needs the bed adjusting piece by piece.
Falls, drainage and thresholds
Patios are laid with a fall away from the building, with channel drainage or a soakaway where the ground cannot take the run-off, and always kept below the damp-proof course at the house.
Steps, retaining and level changes
Sloping gardens need retaining, sleepers, blockwork or walling, with steps set to a consistent rise and going so they are comfortable and safe to use.
Jointing and edging
Brush-in or slurry jointing compounds appropriate to the slab and joint width, with perimeter edging and haunching to stop movement.
Finishing the rest of the garden
Because we cover groundworks, fencing and landscaping too, the patio, the path, the boundary and the levels can all be handled in one job by one team.
Where we carry out this work
We work from Crumlin Drive in St Mellons across Cardiff, Newport, St Mellons, Vale of Glamorgan, Caerphilly, Penarth and the surrounding South Wales area. See the areas we cover, browse all of our services or head back to the MB Construction homepage.
Patios, Common Questions
How much does a new patio cost?
Area, slab choice, how much excavation and disposal is needed and any steps or retaining all affect the price. We measure on site and give you a free fixed written quote.
How long does a patio take to build?
Most domestic patios run over several days including groundworks. Your quote confirms the expected timescale before we start.
When can I use it?
The bed and jointing need time to cure. We tell you on the day exactly when furniture can go back on.
Porcelain or natural stone?
Porcelain is the lowest-maintenance and most consistent; natural stone has more character and variation. We will show you both against the house before you decide.
Can you build on a sloping garden?
Yes. Retaining, steps and level changes are part of the groundwork we do rather than an extra trade to arrange.
Will it flood or pool?
Not if the falls and drainage are designed in. Working out where water goes is part of the site visit, before anything is priced.
Can you clean an existing patio instead?
Yes, if the paving is sound, a jet wash and re-point often makes replacement unnecessary, and we will say so.
Are your quotes really free?
Yes. We come out, look at the job properly and put a fixed price in writing. There is no charge for the visit and no obligation to go ahead.
Do you charge a day rate?
No. Every job is quoted as a fixed price. The figure you agree is the figure you pay, whether the work runs quicker or slower than we expected.
Is the work guaranteed and are you insured?
All of our work carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee, and we hold both public liability and employer's liability insurance. Ask to see the documents before work starts and you will get them.
Which areas do you cover?
We are based on Crumlin Drive in St Mellons and work across Cardiff, Newport, the Vale of Glamorgan, Caerphilly, Penarth and the surrounding South Wales area.
Related Services
Block Paving
A driveway is 90% the ground you never see. We excavate to depth, compact a proper sub-base and lay blocks that stay flat and level years after a surface-dressed job has rutted and sunk.
View Block Paving →Fencing
Fences fail at the posts, not the panels. We dig proper post holes, concrete them in and set the line straight, so your boundary is still standing after the next February gale.
View Fencing →Jet Washing
The cheapest way to transform the front of a house: algae, moss and ingrained dirt stripped off, joints re-sanded, and the surface left looking new, for a fraction of replacing it.
View Jet Washing →Get a fixed price for your new patio
Book a free site visit. We will work out levels, falls and steps on the day and put a fixed price in writing.
- Free, no-obligation site visit and fixed price in writing
- 10-year workmanship guarantee on completed work
- Public liability & employer's liability insured