A patio that still looks good in ten years’ time comes down to three things: the right material for the setting, solid groundwork underneath, and careful installation on top.
We see a lot of patios across Cambridge where corners have been cut – slabs laid on sand or dot-and-dab mortar, no proper sub-base, and drainage that was never thought through. The result is slabs that sink, crack, or shift within a couple of years.
Every patio we install starts with full excavation, a compacted sub-base, and slabs laid on a proper mortar bed. We include drainage as standard and finish every joint cleanly. It takes a bit longer, but it’s the difference between a patio you enjoy and one you end up replacing.