Landscaping & Garden Works Across Cornwall

Patios, paths and paving

The build-up matters more than the slab choice: excavation to formation, compacted sub-base at a depth suited to the use, then a full mortar bed for natural stone and concrete paving or a laying course for block paving. Falls are set out away from the building, typically shedding water to a channel drain, gully or permeable area - and the finished level is kept clear of the damp proof course, which is one of the most common faults we are asked to correct. Joints are filled with the appropriate mortar or jointing compound, and edges are restrained so nothing creeps.

Driveways and hard standings

A drive carries vehicle loads, so sub-base depth is set for the traffic, not for the surface. We build in block paving, concrete, tarmac-ready formations, gravel with a stabilising layer, and reinforced concrete for farm and commercial hard standings. Edge restraint is essential wherever wheels can run over the edge. Crossfalls, channel drains and linear drainage take water off, and where the drive is at the bottom of a slope we intercept run-off before it reaches the property. Dropped kerbs and highway-facing work are dealt with in line with the requirements that apply.

Retaining walls, banks and terracing

Cornish gardens fall. Making them usable means holding ground back safely: a designed footing, block, brick, stone or reinforced concrete construction to suit the height and load, free-draining granular backfill, a land drain behind the wall taking water to an outlet, and weep holes where they belong. Height and surcharge determine whether the engineer needs to design it, and on anything significant we get that done properly. Terracing a slope into two or three usable levels often gives far more usable garden than trying to keep one continuous fall.

Steps, ramps and level changes

Steps are built with consistent riser heights and adequate goings, on proper foundations, with falls that shed water off the treads rather than let it sit and ice. Where access matters we build ramps at a usable gradient with a non-slip finish and handrail provision. Level changes between a house threshold, a patio and a lawn are set out so surface water always has a route away from the building, and so nobody has to negotiate an unexpected single step.

Drainage in the garden

Because drainage is one of our core trades, external drainage is designed rather than bolted on:

• Channel and linear drainage across drives, thresholds and patios
• Gullies, ACO channels and grates connected to a proper discharge point
• Soakaways sized to the hard surface area draining into them, sited clear of buildings
• Land drains and cut-off drains to intercept run-off from higher ground
• Permeable build-ups where discharge has to be limited
• Rainwater downpipe connections and existing surface water repairs

Ground shaping, topsoil and turfing

Machine work shapes and grades ground into usable falls, then the soft landscaping stage decides whether it grows. Construction traffic compacts subsoil badly, so it is broken up and cultivated rather than simply covered. Topsoil stripped at the start of the project is returned and spread to an adequate depth, graded to the finished levels and prepared before turf is laid or seed sown. Turf is laid on a prepared bed, staggered and rolled, with the edges cut in; where a lawn will get heavy use or sits on wet ground, land drainage goes in first.

Fencing, boundaries and finishing

We install post and rail, close board, panel and stock fencing, gates, and boundary walls, with posts set to a depth that suits the height and exposure, Cornish wind takes down under-set fencing regularly. Boundary work also means being clear about the line: where a boundary is uncertain we would rather establish it with you before building than move a fence afterwards. Finishing includes clearing debris, removing surplus material, sweeping and jointing paving, and leaving the property clean.

Domestic gardens, developer plots and commercial work

Domestic garden work is careful, tight-access work with small plant, protection of the house and surfaces and consideration for neighbours. Developer plots need consistent, repeatable external works completed to a programme and to the levels the drainage was designed around. Commercial and agricultural external works are about loadings, drainage and durability: yards, tracks, parking and hard standings that take heavy machinery. We take on all three across Cornwall and Devon as far as Exeter.