Exteriors
Most gardens end up as a patio from one year, a fence from another, and planting nobody quite chose. We design and build the whole space as one project (layout, hard surfaces, planting and drainage) so it works together, rather than as a series of unrelated jobs that happen to share a boundary.
We start with how you actually use the space (dining outside, somewhere for children or a dog to run, how much maintenance you realistically want to do) rather than starting from a material or a Pinterest board. That decides the layout: where the dining area sits in relation to the kitchen doors, how much lawn survives, where planting screens a neighbour's window.
A garden has the same sequencing problem as a house: drainage and groundwork have to go in before hard landscaping, and hard landscaping before planting, or you end up redoing something because it was built in the wrong order. Running it as one project under one plan means that sequence is fixed once, not negotiated between separate contractors.
Any paved area against the house has to fall away from the building and sit at least 150mm below the damp-proof course, or you have created a damp problem in the wall behind it. Patios and terraces are laid on a properly compacted sub-base with a full mortar bed and the correct falls. Laid on sand over soft ground, they sink unevenly within a couple of winters, which is the most common failure we are called out to fix.
Planting is chosen for the aspect and soil you actually have, not the picture in the catalogue: a scheme that ignores a north-facing wall or heavy clay looks right for one season and then starts dying back. Irrigation, outdoor lighting and power are planned in from the start so the garden stays usable into the evening and does not need cables chased in later.
How it runs
We look at aspect, levels, soil and drainage, then design the whole garden as one layout: surfaces, planting and how water leaves the site, rather than pricing separate jobs.
Drainage and sub-base go in first, then patios, paths and any structural work, all built to the falls the design calls for.
Topsoil, planting and turf go in last, with irrigation and lighting connected and a written care schedule for the first season.
Recent work
A sloping, waterlogged rear garden regraded and drained, with a porcelain terrace laid to fall away from the house and planting chosen for a shaded aspect.
Questions
Next step
Tell us roughly what you have in mind and we will arrange a free site visit. No obligation, and no pressure afterwards.
Often needed together
Timber and metal fencing, gates and boundary work — set properly so it survives the first winter gale.
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First and second fix carpentry, fitted storage and staircases — made to fit the house you actually have.
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Whole-property refurbishment under one contract, one programme and one point of contact.
Learn moreA free site visit, a written fixed quote, and no obligation to go any further. Most quotes are back with you inside 24 hours.
