Green Garden Paving slabs can be laid for significantly less than many of our competitors stone products; due to them being calibrated and modular metric.
Uncalibrated stone slabs will vary in thickness, so when laid the fixer has to estimate how much mortar is required under each individual stone. A wet sand and cement mortar bed is used to fix uncalibrated stone. Because of the weight of the slab, larger units will require two people to lower the slab using uncalibrated slabs and this fixing method. If not enough mortar has been used, the slab will have to be lifted and more mortar applied.
This is a very time consuming and dirty operation. It is inevitable that the finished surface will be contaminated with mortar that will be difficult to remove. IF this process it hurried, there is a chance that patio would not be level or there could be voids under the slabs that could lead to rocking or broken slabs.
Using this method two men could only fix up to 7.5 sq metres per day
Using calibrated slabs a much quicker method can be used to fix the stone and reduce surface contamination. A dry sharp sand and cement screed is laid across the whole area; a coat of cement is then applied to the surface to which the slabs are laid into.
Using this method two men can fix over 15 sq metres per day
We can now estimate the savings in using calibrated stone. Let us assume a skilled paving person and a labourer will cost £350 a day.
If fixing a 30 sq metre patio, it would take:
4 days to fix the uncalibrated stone - or £1,400 (£47 per sq metre).
Only 2 days to lay using calibrated stone - or £700 (£23 per sq metre).
So if you've seen stone cheaper than Green Garden Paving, ask if it is calibrated. If not, your £2 saving per sq metre will end up costing you £24 MORE per sq metre when fixing is taken into account!!
If your patio uses non modular metric stone then the installation will take a lot longer. As the non modular metric product is laid out the fixer will need to constantly adjust the layout to minimise the effect of irregular joint sizes.
For a 30 sq metre patio the additional time could easily add up to an extra day - or £12 per sq metre EXTRA to fix.
Therefore, if you are thinking about using uncalibrated and non modular metric stone you could be paying up to £34 per sq metre extra to fix the product. If the fixer is VAT registered this could be almost £40 a sq metre extra! You may be able to save a couple of pounds hunting around to find the cheapest stone, but you will no doubt end up paying far more in fixing costs!
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