Block and Beam Flooring Cost & Prices 2024

Expect to pay at least £250 per m² for a block and beam flooring. However, this can change considerably depending on the labour and material cost, plus factors such as the design used.

Cost Per m²

Below is a breakdown of the costs that make up a typical block and beam floor. The rates are for South East/Outer London regions.

ItemCost per m² LabourCost per m² MaterialsCost per m² PlantTotal Cost Per m²
Excavation£13£8£21
Disposal of Excavated Material£7£20£27
Hardcore Fill£7£10£17
Oversite Concrete £6£26£32
Sleeper Walls£3£4£7
Beam & Block Floor£14£68£82
Insulation 100mm thick£5£15£20
Damp proof membrane£1£2£3
Screed – 65 thick£7£16£23
Floor Finish (Approx)£11£20£31
Total£74£161£28£263

Since the material shortage affects a number of items involved in block and beam flooring, we recommend adding an extra 20% onto the material costs.

If these costs seem high, remember to factor in the location indices too (shown in factors) as these are some of the highest.

Factors Affecting Cost

Various factors may affect the cost. These are as follows:

Depth of Excavations Required

 This will also impact disposal and hardcore costs.

Design of the Floor Structure

The floor design affects the size of the items. These include the insulation, concrete, screed and floor finish. These differences impact cost. Some examples include:

  • High-performance insulation like Kingspan Thermafloor may only need to be 100mm thick to reach a certain U-Value. Lower-grade mineral wool insulation may need 200mm/300mm thick.
  • Larger buildings need a thicker concrete base, more support and reinforcement.
  • Screed thickness varies depending on the finishing requirements. For example, when the beam and block slab is placed it may be 100mm below external door openings, meaning 100mm screed is required to level the floor. Equally, a 50mm space means 50mm screed.

How Far the Floor Spans

Sometimes where the floor spans over a long distance, more sleeper walls or intermediate support is required. This will increase the material and labour costs.

Location

The rates shown above are for the South East/Outer London Area. You can use the following adjustments depending on where the work is needed. These are based on the BCIS and Spon indices.

Region% Adjustment
South East (Southampton, Oxford, Kent, Outer London)0
Inner London+4%
South West (Bristol, Exeter)-4%
West Midlands (Birmingham)-10%
East Midlands (Northampton, Nottingham, Leicester)-10%
East Anglia (Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich)-5%
North West (Liverpool, Manchester)-12%
Yorkshire and Humberside (Leeds, Sheffield)-11%
North East (Newcastle, Sunderland)-10%
Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow)-6%
Wales (Cardiff, Swansea)-9%
Northern Ireland (Belfast)-12%

How Do Material Shortages Affect Prices?

Prices within the construction industry have continued to rise into 2022. Because certain material costs are fluctuating rapidly, tradespeople pricing up jobs longer than a month away may add extra to mitigate the risk. Block and beam floors use a number of materials that have been affected by the material shortage. These include:

  • Concrete
  • Blocks
  • Aggregates
  • Steel

Why You Can Trust This Data

We worked directly with a Quantity Surveyor of 7+ years involved in £600M capital expenditure works for a large hotel chain to develop these costs back in 2020. If you see similar cost values and breakdowns on other websites, then you can probably assume they have taken them from this article and Quantity Surveyor. 

Get Prices on Block and Beam Flooring Near You

We’ve done our best to give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay for block and beam flooring.

However, our guides are not a substitute for a fixed written quote specifically for you.

We work with all the best block and beam floorers ready to price your job. Get free, no-obligation quotes in your local area and compare prices using the form below.

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