Patios laid flat, filled and falling the right way

Sandstone is warmer, more varied in colour and generally cheaper, and it suits older stone properties around Leeds. Porcelain is dimensionally perfect, very low maintenance, doesn’t stain easily and stays cleaner — but it costs more and needs a slurry primer and precise laying. Both are excellent when they’re laid on a full mortar bed.

Yes. Laying flags on five dabs of mortar leaves voids underneath, and those voids are why flags rock, crack and stain. Everything we lay goes on a full wet bed with the joints filled properly.

We do — steps, sleeper walls, low retaining walls, planters and edging as part of the same job, so the levels work together instead of being bolted on later by someone else.

Finished patio level needs to sit safely below the damp proof course, with the falls running away from the wall. If you want the patio flush with an internal floor level for bi-folds, that’s done with a threshold drain — we’ll set it out so the building stays protected.

Any outdoor surface in Yorkshire will pick up algae in a shaded, damp spot. Porcelain resists it best, good drainage helps a lot, and an occasional wash keeps on top of it. We can also seal natural stone if you’d like.

That’s our favourite way to work. Same team, one lot of access and muck away, one set of levels, and the front and back of the house end up looking like they belong to each other.