Hardscaping
Patios, walls and paths built to last
Hardscaping is the built part of a garden: the paving you walk on, the steps you climb, the wall that holds a slope back. We lay it on a proper compacted base so it stays level season after season.
Site visits Monday to Saturday. Written quote within three days, materials and labour listed separately.
A circular paver patio with a low retaining wall, laid on a compacted base.
Site visit and measurement. We come out, look at the ground, and tell you what it needs.
From site visit to a written quote in your hands, with materials and labour priced separately.
Guarantee against settlement and movement on every base we lay.
What we build
Four kinds of work
We keep to the hard landscaping. If a job needs planting or turf as well, we will say so and work alongside whoever does that part.
Patios and terraces
Concrete pavers, natural stone or clay brick, laid to fall so water runs off. We cut edges on site rather than leaving gaps filled with mortar.
Retaining walls
Dry-stacked or mortared, with drainage behind and a footing below frost depth. For anything over a metre we bring in an engineer first.
Paths and steps
Level, even treads with a non-slip finish. We match the riser height across the whole flight so nobody trips on the odd one out.
Driveways
Block paving on a sub-base built for vehicle weight, with a proper edge restraint so the blocks do not spread over time.
Recent work
Some of what we have laid
A brick patio with a sunken fire pit. The ring is laid on its own slab so it does not shift.
A terraced wall on a sloping bank. Two low walls instead of one tall one, so it needed no engineering sign-off.
A curved path between beds. Curves cost more in cutting, but they suit an older garden.
A cobbled drive. We lifted and relaid the section under the trees where roots had pushed it up.
How the work goes
Three steps, and you know the price before we start
Site visit
We walk the ground with you, check the fall and the drainage, and dig a small hole to see what is under the topsoil. Half an hour, no charge.
Written quote
Within three days. Materials and labour are listed separately so you can see where the money goes and change the spec if you want to.
Build
A typical patio takes four to six working days. We clear up at the end of each day and take the spoil away when we finish.
They dug down further than the last people did and showed me why. Three winters on, the patio has not moved and there is no moss in the joints.
Ranjit Kaur, Preet Vihar
What goes under it
Most paving that fails was laid on too little base. This is what we put down before the first slab goes on.
Topsoil and roots dug out to firm ground, not just skimmed
Compacted hardcore sub-base, thicker under driveways than patios
Sharp sand or mortar bed, depending on the paving and the traffic
Edge restraint on every open edge so the paving cannot spread
A fall of about one in eighty, running away from the house
Want it done before next summer?
Groundwork is easier booked early. Call 98110 45620 or send us the measurements and a photo of the space.