A patio should sit flat, shed water away from the house and still be that way in ten years. The market is full of patios laid on sand and hope. Ours are laid on a proper compacted sub-base with a full mortar bed, correct falls, and drainage that actually goes somewhere.
Hard landscaping covers patios, paths, steps, retaining walls, garden drainage, brick or block boundary walls, edging and the associated groundworks. It's the built structure of a garden, the elements that shape how it drains, how it's used and how long it lasts.
Homeowners upgrading tired existing patios, landscaping a new-build garden, replacing a lawn with a low-maintenance hard-surfaced entertaining area, or coordinating hard landscaping alongside a new extension or driveway.
Any time except deep frost. Spring and autumn are the busiest and most weather-reliable seasons in Norfolk. Booking a survey early in the season helps secure a slot.
Patio failures are almost always down to the same three things: wrong or thin sub-base, spot-bedding instead of a full mortar bed, and no drainage plan. All three are avoidable if the job is treated as a groundworks job with a paving finish, which is how we approach it.
The five-day, cheap-price patio installer usually does the same things, scrape 100mm off, sand blinding, spot-bed the slabs, brush kiln-dried sand in the joints and leave. It looks fine in July and starts moving by January.
Spot-bedded slabs on thin sub-base rock underfoot within a season, then sink at the corners as water tracks under them and washes the base out.
Patio laid with fall towards the house or without a drainage plan puts standing water against the wall, damp, staining, and over time cavity issues.
Poor jointing material, incorrect brushing-in and no compaction pass mean joints wash out fast, weeds seed in and moss establishes.
Cheap Indian sandstone laid without a full mortar bed cracks under load. Once split, individual replacement rarely matches the weathered colour of the rest.
the owner walks the garden, checks levels, drainage options, existing structures and how you want to use the space, then discusses realistic material choices.
Itemised quote in 3 working days, dig depth, muck-away, sub-base, edge detailing, drainage, paving material, jointing and reinstatement all separately listed.
Existing surface removed, dug to design depth, geotextile where required, MOT Type 1 sub-base whacked in 100mm lifts to correct compaction.
Slabs laid on a full mortar bed to the correct fall, drainage installed where required (linear channel at door thresholds, downpipe run-offs).
Joints filled with the appropriate jointing compound for the slab and gap width, compacted, patio washed down and workmanship guarantee issued in writing.
Full mortar bed on a proper sub-base means slabs stay exactly where they were laid, no rocking, no sinking corners.
Falls calculated and set from the start, with drainage installed at any door threshold or low point. Standing water designed out.
Correct jointing material for the slab type, brush-in, slurry, or fully-mortared, compacted and finished so it doesn't wash out in one wet week.
Patios laid to the right level against damp course lines, with linear drainage at thresholds so external levels don't compromise internal damp protection.
Groundworks and paving by the same crew, no arguments about whose bit failed if something moves.
Written workmanship guarantee, backed by our £1M public liability insurance.
Indian sandstone, limestone, granite and porcelain-effect natural stone all lay differently and want different jointing. We match the laying method to the slab, and we don't use spot-bedding on any of them.
Porcelain has taken over the premium patio market, dimensionally accurate, colour-stable, and low maintenance. Laying method is different (primer, full mortar bed, slurry jointing), and we install to the manufacturer's system correctly.
Not just for driveways, block paving and setts make hard-wearing paths, courtyard patios and edging. Laid on the same sub-base and edge-restraint principles as our driveway work.
Retaining walls, steps between levels and boundary walls are structural elements of hard landscaping. Built on proper footings, with the correct drainage behind retaining walls and safe step dimensions to Building Regulations Part K.
Water is what kills gardens, puddling lawns, damp against the house, patios that stream in a downpour. We install linear drains at thresholds, French drains where lawns won't drain, and connect run-offs to soakaways sized properly.
Straight answers on cost, timelines, guarantees and how the job runs. If yours isn't here, call Jason on 07880 333321.
Free site survey within 7 days. Written, itemised quote within 3 working days. Owner-managed by Jason personally, no call centre, no middlemen.
