DIY vs Hiring a Pro – How Much Could I Save?
Pick a job and a size, and we'll compare doing it yourself — materials, tool hire and your weekends — against typical UK tradesperson day rates.
DIY vs Pro Cost Calculator
Difficulty: Hard. Consider a pro if the patio is over about 25 m², needs steps, or has to tie into a damp-proof course.
You need
£154saved by DIY
Lay a patio — 20 m². Rough guide only: get at least three quotes.
- DIY total
- £1,920
- Pro total
- £2,074
- Your time
- 10 days (5 weekends)
- Difficulty
- Hard
How we worked this out
Side by side
- Materials
- £1,160
- Tool hire
- £480
- Skip
- £280
- DIY total
- £1,920
- Pro labour (2 days, 2-person team)
- £740
- Pro total (supply and fit)
- £2,074
Estimate only — prices vary by supplier, region and season.
Typical UK pro output rates and difficulty
| Job | Pro output | Team | Difficulty | DIY time (2.5× pace) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lay a patio | 10 m²/day | 2 | Hard | 5 days per 20 m² |
| Put up a fence | 10 m/day | 2 | Moderate | 10 days per 20 m |
| Paint a room | 1 room / 1.5 days | 1 | Easy | 3.75 days |
| Lay laminate | 20 m²/day | 1 | Easy | 2.5 days per 20 m² |
| Tile a wall | 5 m²/day | 1 | Moderate | 4 days per 8 m² |
| Lay turf | 40 m²/day | 2 | Easy | 6.25 days per 50 m² |
| Gravel driveway | 15 m²/day | 2 | Moderate | 13 days per 40 m² |
| Build decking | 5 m²/day | 2 | Hard | 15 days per 15 m² |
How this calculator works
The two sides of the comparison are built differently, because they genuinely are different. The DIY total is materials + tool hire + a skip if you need one. The professional total is labour + materials with a merchant mark-up, because most quotes are supply-and-fit and the trade adds 10–20% on what they buy.
Labour comes from output rates: a two-person team lays about 10m² of patio a day, a tiler does about 5m² of wall a day, a fencing pair covers about 10 metres. Divide the job size by the daily rate, multiply by the team size and the day rate, and that is the labour figure. We default to £220 for a tradesperson and £150 for a labourer.
Your own time is assumed to run at two and a half times a professional's pace, which is realistic for a first attempt. You can put a value on that time in the Advanced settings if you would rather see the honest number.
Worked example: a 20m² patio
Materials at about £58 per m² come to £1,160 — slabs, MOT Type 1, sharp sand, cement, jointing compound and membrane. A two-person team lays 10m² a day, so the job is 2 days at £370 a day = £740 of labour. Add the 15% mark-up on materials and the professional price lands around £2,074.
Doing it yourself, you pay the £1,160 for materials, roughly £360 for four days of compactor, mixer and disc cutter hire, and £280 for a skip — about £1,800. The saving is modest for a job that will take you five days, and this is exactly the case where many people decide a pro is worth it.
Run the same numbers on 50m² of turf and the picture flips completely: £450 of turf against a pro price near £1,000, for a job that is genuinely easy and finished in a weekend.
How to read the result honestly
The saving figure is only half the story. A professional carries insurance, brings the right kit, and puts the job right if it fails. You carry the risk yourself — and on groundworks, the cost of getting it wrong is digging it all up again.
Be realistic about what you enjoy. Painting and turfing are pleasant weekend work with a visible result. Laying a patio in February involves moving several tonnes of stone by wheelbarrow, and the money saved works out at surprisingly little per hour.
If the saving is under about 20% of the professional price, it is usually not worth it unless you actively want to do the work. Above 40%, DIY generally makes sense on the easy and moderate jobs.
Getting comparable quotes
- Get three written quotes. One quote is a price; three is a market.
- Ask what is included. Excavation, spoil removal, edging and making good are the usual gaps.
- Check supply-and-fit versus labour-only. Labour-only quotes look far cheaper and are not comparable.
- Ask to see recent work. Photos of a job two winters old tell you more than a brochure.
- Never pay large sums up front. A deposit for materials is normal; the balance is on completion.
Jobs to leave to a registered trade
This calculator deliberately excludes gas and electrical work. Gas appliances must be worked on by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and most new or altered electrical circuits are notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. Structural alterations, work at height on roofs and anything affecting drainage or a party wall also need professional involvement.
Some jobs also need permission — a driveway over 5m² draining to the road, a fence over 2m, or a wall next to a highway, for example. Check with your local council before you start.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a tradesperson charge per day in the UK?
Typically £180–£280 a day for a skilled tradesperson and £130–£170 for a labourer, higher in London and the South East. We default to £220 and £150 — change them to match quotes in your area.
Is DIY always cheaper?
On materials-heavy jobs like turf or painting, yes, and by a lot. On labour-heavy skilled work like a large patio or decking, a poor DIY job can cost more once you redo it. Value your weekends honestly.
How much longer does DIY take?
Assume about two and a half times a professional's pace for your first attempt at a job. A patio a two-person team lays in three days is realistically two or three weekends on your own.
What tools will I need to hire?
Most groundworks need a plate compactor (£50/day) and often a cement mixer (£30/day) and disc cutter (£40/day). Hire costs are small next to labour, but do include them — they add up over several weekends.
Should I get quotes even if I plan to DIY?
Yes. Get at least three written quotes. They tell you what the job is really worth, and occasionally come in low enough to change your mind.
Which jobs should I not do myself?
Anything involving gas or mains electrical work, structural alterations, roof work at height, or anything notifiable under the Building Regulations. This calculator deliberately excludes gas and electrical jobs.
Does a pro quote include materials?
Usually yes, often with a mark-up of 10–20%. When comparing, check whether the quote is labour-only or supply-and-fit — otherwise you are not comparing like with like.