Builder's quote example — patio, retaining wall & steps
A worked example of how a builder prices external groundworks: excavate and cart away, pour foundations, build a retaining wall, lay a sub-base and 30 m² of porcelain paving with steps — including the prelims most quotes forget.
The job
Transform a sloping rear garden: excavate and remove spoil, pour a foundation and build a 900mm block retaining wall, then lay a compacted sub-base and 30 m² of porcelain paving with three formed steps. This is a groundworks-led building quote — muck-away, sub-base and prelims are where these jobs are won or lost.
Unlike a room refurb, external work carries real plant, spoil-removal and welfare costs. Pricing them openly (as prelims) keeps the headline rate honest.
The worked quote
| Item | Qty / basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Set up, protect site, excavate & cart away spoil | Enabling | £780.00 |
| Concrete trench-fill foundation to retaining wall | Foundation | £640.00 |
| Build retaining wall in facing block | 12 m² | £1,320.00 |
| Supply, lay & compact MOT Type 1 sub-base | 30 m² | £560.00 |
| Lay 100mm concrete base / bedding | 30 m² | £720.00 |
| Supply porcelain paving (30 m² + waste) | Materials | £1,050.00 |
| Lay porcelain paving — labour | 30 m² | £1,200.00 |
| Form & pave steps | 3 no. | £480.00 |
| Point, seal & clean down | Finishing | £260.00 |
| Prelims — welfare, skips, plant & mini-digger hire | Project | £520.00 |
| Subtotal (ex VAT) | £7,530.00 | |
| VAT @ 20% | £1,506.00 | |
| Total | £9,036.00 |
How the pricing works
Muck-away is priced, not swallowed
Excavation and carting spoil away is a real cost with real skip and haulage charges. It's the number that most often gets forgotten and eats the margin.
Prelims are a line
Welfare, skips and plant hire (the mini-digger and dumper) total £520 here. On external work these are unavoidable — quoting them stops the price looking artificially low then creeping up.
Sub-base separates from paving
The base build-up (MOT sub-base and concrete) is priced apart from the paving. A patio is only as good as what's under it, and customers should see that work valued.
Materials and labour split
Paving supply (£1,050) and paving labour (£1,200) are separate lines, so a change of slab changes one figure, not the whole job.
What's excluded
External groundworks border other work — set the edges of scope clearly.
- Drainage alterations, soakaways or connecting to existing surface water
- Electrical work for external lighting or sockets
- Fencing, gates, planting or turfing
- Removal of unforeseen obstructions (old foundations, tree roots) below ground
Build this quote in ProQuoter
FAQ
- How much does a builder charge for a patio and retaining wall?
- This worked example prices 30 m² of porcelain paving with a 12 m² retaining wall and steps at £7,530 ex VAT (£9,036 inc VAT), including groundworks and prelims. Size, access, ground conditions and slab choice move the figure. Figures are an illustrative UK example for guidance only — set your own rates, materials and margins in ProQuoter.
- What are prelims in a builder's quote?
- Preliminaries are the project-wide costs that aren't a specific trade item — welfare, skips, plant hire, site set-up and protection. Here they total £520. Leaving them out makes a quote look cheaper but almost guarantees a shortfall.
- Should a builder's quote include muck away?
- Yes. Excavation without carting the spoil away is only half the job. This example prices set-up, excavation and disposal together at £780 — the removal cost is real and belongs on the quote.
- Do builders charge VAT?
- VAT-registered builders charge 20% on most domestic work (shown here as £1,506). Some new-build and certain conversions are zero- or reduced-rated — but a standard patio and wall are standard-rated.