The short answer
A patio gives you a hard, dry, low-maintenance surface for tables, chairs and a barbecue, but it costs more up front and cannot be changed easily. A new lawn is usually the cheaper job and gives you a soft, green space for children, pets and planting, but it needs regular care and will not cope with constant furniture or heavy wear. If you want somewhere to sit and eat in all weathers, choose a patio. If you want open space and the lowest outlay, choose turf. Many gardens work best with a modest patio next to a lawn.
How they differ
A new patio is built from the ground up. The old surface is dug out, a compacted sub-base is laid, then a bedding layer, and finally the paving itself, in natural stone or porcelain. Natural stone has a varied, traditional look and can vary in thickness and colour. Porcelain is dense, very consistent in size and shade, and resists staining well. Both need a properly laid base and sensible drainage falls so water runs away from the house.
Turfing means clearing the existing surface, removing weeds, stones and rubbish, loosening and levelling the soil, and often improving it with topsoil. The rolls are then laid tightly together like bricks and watered in. The preparation matters far more than the turf itself. Turf laid onto compacted, uneven or weedy ground will look poor within a season.
In use, they feel very different. A patio is ready to use almost as soon as it is finished and stays usable through wet weather. A new lawn needs to be kept off for a while until the roots knit into the soil, and it can turn muddy in a wet winter if it is heavily used.
Cost: what makes each more or less expensive
In general, a patio costs noticeably more than turf for the same area. Real prices paid by homeowners are shown separately on this page, so use those as your guide. What drives the difference is below.
For a patio, the cost goes up with:
- Material. Natural stone and porcelain both sit towards the higher end of paving, and the price varies a lot between types and finishes.
- Excavation and waste removal. Digging out an old lawn, concrete or rubble and taking it away is labour-heavy and can involve skip hire.
- Ground conditions. Soft or sloping ground needs a deeper or more carefully built base.
- Layout. Curves, steps, borders and lots of cutting take more time and produce more waste.
- Extras such as drainage, edging, lighting or retaining walls.
For turf, the cost goes up with:
- Ground preparation. Heavily compacted soil, building rubble or established weeds take time to deal with.
- Topsoil. Poor or thin soil may need importing.
- Turf quality. Hard-wearing mixes cost more than basic ones.
- Access. If turf and soil must be carried through the house or a narrow side passage, labour rises.
Turf is cheaper to supply and quicker to lay, so the saving over a patio is usually clear. The real expense with turf comes afterwards, in watering, mowing and occasional feeding, but these are small, spread-out costs rather than a big bill.
Lifespan and upkeep
A patio is long-lived. Well-laid stone or porcelain should last for many years with little more than sweeping and an occasional wash. Natural stone may need sealing and can stain or weather, and some types grow algae in shady, damp spots. Porcelain is more stain-resistant but can still get green in shade. Most problems come from poor foundations: sinking, rocking slabs and pooling water. These are expensive to fix because the area often has to be lifted and relaid.
A lawn is never really finished. Properly prepared turf can last for decades, but only with regular mowing, watering in dry spells, and some attention to moss, weeds and bare patches. Shade, heavy clay, pets and football all shorten its good looks. The upside is that repairs are easy and cheap: patch it, reseed it, or relay a section.
In short, a patio costs more at the start and asks very little afterwards. A lawn costs less at the start and asks for your time every few weeks in the growing season.
When to choose New patio
A patio is the better choice when:
- You want a dependable place for outdoor dining or seating close to the house, usable in most weather.
- Part of the garden is too shady, wet or heavily trodden for grass to do well.
- You have little time or appetite for garden upkeep.
- You want a tidy, firm surface for furniture, a hot tub base or a grill area.
- You are willing to pay more now for a surface that should need little attention later.
Bear in mind that paving a large area, especially at the front of a house, can bring drainage rules, and listed buildings or conservation areas may have extra restrictions. Keep paving levels below the damp-proof course so water does not reach the walls. Check with your local council if you are unsure.
When to choose Turfing
Turf is the better choice when:
- Your budget is limited and you want the biggest visible improvement for the least outlay.
- Children or pets need a soft, open space to play.
- You want the garden to feel green and natural, with planting around it.
- The area is mostly sunny and reasonably well drained.
- You do not mind regular mowing, or have someone to do it.
Turf is also the sensible choice if you are not sure how you will use the space. It can be lifted and replaced with paving later, whereas a patio is much harder to undo.
Questions to ask a tradesperson
For a patio:
- What will the sub-base and bedding layer be made of, and how deep will it be?
- How will water drain, and will the surface fall away from the house?
- Is the stone or porcelain suitable for outdoor use, and does it need sealing?
- Who removes the spoil and old surface, and is that included in the quote?
- What type of jointing will be used, and how well does it cope with weeds and washing?
For turf:
- How will the ground be cleared, levelled and improved before laying?
- Will topsoil be added, and is it screened?
- What grade of turf is proposed, and does it suit the sun and use the area gets?
- When is the best time to lay it, and how long must it be kept off?
- What aftercare advice will you give on watering and the first mow?
For both jobs, get more than one written quote, ask what is and is not included, and check that the quotes cover the same area and the same work so you can compare them fairly.