Frequently asked questions

We work right across Merseyside and the Wirral, including Liverpool, Birkenhead, Wallasey, West Kirby, Hoylake, Neston, Bebington, Bromborough, Crosby, Kirkby, Knowsley and St Helens, plus the villages around them.

Yes. We come out, look at the job properly, measure up and send you a written quote. There is no charge and no obligation to go ahead.

Where materials have to be ordered in for a specific job, a deposit is normal and it is set out in the written quote before you commit. Nothing is taken on the doorstep.

We aim to reply the same day. If the job is urgent, such as a dangerous tree or a drive you cannot use, say so in the message and we will prioritise it.

No. The survey and the written quote are free and carry no obligation.

Please do. A few photos with your enquiry tell us a lot before we arrive and often mean we can give you a sensible steer on the phone.

That is a normal place to start. Tell us the problem rather than the solution and we will set out the options, what each one costs and what we would do in your position.

Most domestic drives run to somewhere between three days and a week, depending on the size, the amount of excavation and the finish. We give you a realistic timescale with the quote and tell you which days the drive will be out of use.

Usually not, provided the surface is permeable or the rainwater is directed to a soakaway or a border rather than straight onto the road. We plan drainage that way as standard, and we will tell you if your situation needs checking with the council.

That depends on the finish. Block paving and gravel are ready more or less immediately, tarmac wants a short settling period, and resin bound needs time to cure. We tell you the exact stand-off time before we start so you can plan.

Gravel is normally the lowest cost to lay, with tarmac next. Block paving and resin bound cost more up front and tend to be chosen for the finish and the lifespan. The base works are much the same whichever you go for, and that is a large part of the price.

Yes. Breaking out and removing the old surface and spoil is part of the quotation, and we clear as we go rather than leaving it stacked on the road.

We measure the available frontage and set the drive out around real car sizes and the turning space you need to get in and out. You see that layout before the quote is finalised, so there are no surprises about how many cars will fit.

Often yes, but dropping a kerb across a public footway needs the council to approve and carry out that part. We can tell you whether your entrance needs it and how it fits around the rest of the work.

It depends on the ground and the load. Soft or clay sub-grades need more excavation and a deeper stone base than firm ground does. We assess that on site and the quote states the depth we are working to.

We plan access and set boards down where machinery has to cross planting or lawn. Some disturbance around the working area is unavoidable, and we agree with you beforehand what goes back and what does not.

Kiln-dried sand joints on a properly compacted base give weeds very little to root into, and what does appear usually blows in on top rather than growing up through. A jointing stabiliser is available if you want to cut maintenance further.

That is the advantage of block paving. A damaged or stained block can be lifted out and replaced without disturbing the rest of the surface. We normally leave you a few spares from the same batch.

It does not have to be. Sealing can deepen the colour and make the surface easier to clean, but it is a choice rather than a requirement, and we will tell you what it does and does not achieve.

Often we can get close, though blocks weather and exact matches to an older drive are rarely possible. Where a match matters we will show you the nearest options before ordering.

Once the blocks are compacted and jointed the surface is ready to use. We will tell you if any edge haunching needs a little longer to cure before it takes wheel loads.

It can, provided the existing tarmac or concrete is sound, stable and draining. If the base is cracked, moving or holding water we will say so, because resin laid over a failing base fails with it.

The exposed aggregate gives the surface plenty of texture, and because it drains through rather than holding water on top there is no film sitting on it. It is a practical finish for a wet climate.

Curing depends on the temperature and the weather on the day. We give you the expected foot and vehicle stand-off times before we start so you can plan where to leave the car.

The aggregate carries the colour, so the surface keeps its appearance well. A UV-stable resin is used to limit any change in the binder over time.

Very little. Keeping the surface swept and giving it an occasional wash is usually enough. We run through what to avoid, such as harsh chemicals and metal-edged shovels in frost.

Tarmac is usable quite quickly but continues to harden afterwards. We give you a stand-off time and ask you to avoid turning the steering wheel on the spot or parking on stands for the first few weeks.

Nearly always the base. An insufficient or poorly compacted sub-base lets the surface flex until it breaks up. Tree roots, standing water and heavy vehicles on a domestic-spec base do the same.

Sometimes, if it is sound and the extra height does not cause a problem at thresholds and manholes. Where the old surface is breaking up, overlaying just hides the problem for a season.

Coloured finishes are available. We will show you what is realistic, because colour behaves differently to standard black material as it weathers.

Unrestrained tarmac edges crumble under wheel loads. We install proper edgings or haunching wherever the surface is not held by an existing kerb or wall.

Not if the edges are restrained and the stone is held in a grid at the right depth. Loose gravel tipped on bare ground migrates; a properly built gravel drive does not.

Smaller, angular stone in a grid system walks much better than deep rounded pebble. We will show you the difference before you choose.

A well-built gravel drive loses very little. An occasional top-up and a rake through is normally all it asks for.

A grid-stabilised surface with fine angular stone is far more manageable than loose gravel. If accessibility is the priority we will talk you through resin bound as well, which is smooth throughout.

A membrane under the stone stops weeds coming up from below. Anything that appears has blown in on top and pulls out easily.

It can, if it is done at the wrong pressure or too close. We match the technique to the surface, which is exactly why some cleaned drives end up looking pitted and scarred afterwards.

On block paving, yes. Cleaning washes the kiln-dried sand out of the joints and the blocks lose their interlock without it. Re-sanding is part of the job, not an extra.

That depends on shade, tree cover and drainage. A north-facing drive under trees greens up faster than an open sunny one. Sealing extends it.

We can usually improve them considerably. Old oil that has soaked deep into a porous surface does not always come out completely, and we will tell you what to expect before starting rather than after.

On block paving and some natural stone it holds the colour and makes future cleaning easier. On other surfaces it adds little. We will tell you which yours is.

Usually the base has moved or washed out, very often because water is getting under the surface. Digging out and rebuilding that area is the fix; re-laying the blocks on their own just sinks again.

We get as close as the range allows, but paving weathers, so a repair patch is often slightly cleaner than its surroundings at first. It usually blends within a season.

If the failure is localised and the rest of the base is sound, a repair is much better value. If the base has failed across the drive, patching it will keep coming back. We will tell you which you have got.

Yes. We cut back to sound material, rebuild the base where needed and reinstate, rather than tipping cold material into the hole, which lifts out again in a few months.

Small repairs are usually straightforward to fit in. Call or send the form with a photo of the damage and we will tell you where we are on availability.

Work backwards from what goes on it. A table with chairs pulled back needs more room than people expect. We set the area out on the ground before anything is cut so you can see it at full size.

No. A patio needs a slight fall away from the house so rainwater runs off rather than pooling or tracking back towards the wall. It is barely noticeable underfoot but it is what keeps the surface dry.

Porcelain is dense, colour-stable and easy to keep clean. Natural stone has more variation and a softer look. Porcelain generally wins in shade and where staining is a worry; stone wins on character.

Yes, and it is worth planning both together so levels, coursing and materials tie in rather than meeting awkwardly at a step.

A typical domestic patio runs a few days to a week depending on size, excavation, steps and walls. The quote gives you a timescale.

Slabs dabbed on five spots of mortar are unsupported in between. They rock, they crack at the corners and they let water underneath. A full bed supports the whole slab.

Paving must stay clear of the damp-proof course, usually a couple of brick courses below it. We set levels around that, adding a channel or a step where the ground is high.

Some natural stones are porous and mark more than others, particularly under trees or in permanent shade. We will tell you which materials behave best where your patio is going.

Usually we can find something that works with the brick or render. We bring samples and look at them in daylight against the house rather than choosing from a screen.

The falls do most of the work. Where a patio is enclosed, sits below the lawn or runs against the house, we add a channel or a soakaway so water has somewhere to go.

It is a lichen that roots into the surface of the stone, and it is stubborn. It usually needs treating rather than simply blasting, and we will be honest about how much will lift.

Weak or already-failed pointing will come out under pressure. That is a sign it needed replacing. We rake out and re-point as part of the job where that happens.

A shaded patio under trees may want doing yearly; an open sunny one goes much longer. Keeping leaves off it over winter makes a noticeable difference.

Yes. Beds and borders next to the patio are protected and rinsed down afterwards so nothing is left sitting in the soil.

On porous natural stone it helps with staining and makes the next clean easier. On porcelain it does very little. We will tell you which applies to your patio.

People climb steps without looking once they have taken the first two. A riser that is a different height from the rest is exactly where a fall happens, and it is entirely avoidable at the setting-out stage.

Wide enough for the job. A main route wants to take two people or a wheelbarrow comfortably; a secondary path to a shed can be narrower. We will talk through what it is actually for.

Yes. Material choice makes a big difference, and so does making sure water runs off rather than lying. Shaded paths under trees need more thought than open ones.

We can allow for and fit handrail fixings as part of the build, which is far tidier than drilling into finished stonework afterwards.

Yes. Steps carry load and get used constantly. They are built off a proper base so they do not settle and go out of level.

Almost always foundations or drainage. Saturated soil is far heavier than dry soil, and if the water has nowhere to go the pressure keeps building until the wall moves.

Low garden retaining is straightforward. Once the height climbs, the structure needs proper design rather than assumption, and we will tell you when you have reached that point instead of guessing.

Height and position matter, particularly near a boundary or a highway. We will flag when your situation is worth checking with the council before you commit.

Yes. The structure comes first, the finish afterwards. Render, stone facing and timber cladding are all possible once the wall itself is right.

That is exactly what it is for. Retaining turns an unusable slope into flat, usable levels, and we will set out how the levels work with the patio and the lawn.

Yes. We can work to a plan you already have, or set the garden out with you from scratch and build what we design. Either way you see the layout before the work is priced.

Anything from a few days for a single element to several weeks for a full redesign with groundworks, walls and paving. The quote sets out the timescale and the order of works.

Yes, and slopes are often where landscaping makes the biggest difference. Retaining and terracing turn an unusable bank into flat, usable space.

Rear gardens with no side access are common and entirely workable. We plan how material gets in and out before we start, and protect the route through.

Yes. Clearance, removal and disposal are part of the quotation. Where clearance needs trees or heavy overgrowth taking out, our tree team handles it.

No. The design stands on its own. Most people do go on to have us build it because the team that planned it already knows the levels and the drainage, but there is no obligation.

Yes, and it is a sensible way to spread the cost. The point of planning it up front is that later phases do not mean undoing the earlier ones.

An honest account of how you want to use the space and how much maintenance you want. Plot dimensions and any existing plans help, but we survey what we need on the visit.

Wherever they are worth keeping, yes. A mature tree is an asset that takes decades to replace. Where one is genuinely in the wrong place, our tree team can deal with it properly.

Always. Levels and drainage are decided at design stage, because they are the two things that are ruinously expensive to change once the hard landscaping is down.

Almost always the posts. Too shallow, not concreted, or rotted through at ground level. A solid panel acts like a sail, and everything depends on what is holding it.

Often yes. If the panels are sound there is no sense replacing the whole run, and we will tell you when a repair is the better value option.

Concrete posts outlast timber and will not rot at ground level, though timber looks softer. We will run through the trade-off for your boundary.

Your deeds or title plan normally show which boundary you are responsible for. It is worth checking before work starts, and we will always flag it if a neighbour needs a conversation.

Two metres is the usual limit for a rear boundary without permission, and lower where a fence fronts a highway. We will tell you if your plan needs checking with the council.

Usually. It is normally compacted ground, a high water table or water with nowhere to go. Land drainage into a soakaway, along with decompaction, is the standard answer.

A stone-filled or crated pit that takes surface water and lets it disperse into the ground away from the house. It needs to be the right size and in the right place to work.

Yes, and it is much cheaper while the ground is already open. We duct for lighting and other services during groundworks so nothing has to be lifted later.

We remove it. Muck-away and disposal are priced into the quotation rather than left as a surprise or piled at the side of the garden.

We check for known services before excavating and work carefully around drains and manholes, keeping covers accessible in the finished levels.

Yes. The backing is perforated and the base beneath is built free-draining, so rain passes straight through rather than sitting on the surface.

It is one of the most common reasons people choose it. It rinses down easily and there is no mud tracked through the house. A free-draining base matters even more with dogs.

Not if the pile direction is kept consistent and the seams are properly made. Visible joins are an installation fault, not a feature of the product.

It can warm up in strong direct sun, more than real grass does. Worth bearing in mind for a south-facing garden with no shade at all.

A well-installed lawn on a proper base lasts many years. The base is what determines whether it still looks flat and even later on.

We get as close as the available ranges allow. Old brick weathers and an exact match is rarely possible, but a well-chosen brick and a matched mortar make a repair sit in quietly.

When the mortar is soft, crumbling or has washed back behind the brick face. Left alone it lets water into the wall, and in frost that is what causes the brick faces to blow.

Yes. Even a low wall moves and cracks without one. Height, ground conditions and whether it retains soil all determine how much foundation it needs.

Yes, including allowing for gate fixings and any ducting for automation while the pier is being built rather than drilling into it afterwards.

One suited to the brick. A mortar harder than the brick forces moisture through the brick face instead of the joint, which causes damage rather than preventing it.

It may be. Trees can be covered by a Tree Preservation Order, and any tree in a conservation area needs notice given to the council. We flag it before any work is agreed, because it is not something to find out afterwards.

Yes. Chip, timber and brash are removed and the ground raked over as part of the job, unless you want the logs or chip left for your own use.

Yes. Where there is no access for machinery the tree is dismantled in sections and brought out by hand. It takes longer, and the quote reflects that.

It depends on the species and the work. Winter suits many jobs, but nesting birds are protected from spring through summer and that governs the timing of a lot of what we do.

Yes, and you are welcome to ask for the details when we quote. It is a reasonable thing to check with anyone bringing a chainsaw near your house.

It depends on the species and the condition of the tree. There is a sensible limit beyond which you are damaging it rather than managing it, and we will tell you where that is for yours.

Yes, that is normal and healthy. Properly reduced trees regrow in shape, and a light re-reduction every few years keeps things manageable.

Very rarely. It leaves large wounds, causes decay and produces weak, densely crowded regrowth that becomes more dangerous than what you started with.

You generally have a right to cut back growth overhanging your boundary, back to the boundary line. It pays to talk to the neighbour first, and protection orders still apply.

Done correctly, no. Sensible reduction can reduce wind loading. Bad cutting is what creates weak regrowth and decay, which is the reason technique matters.

You may. A Tree Preservation Order or a conservation area both require consent or notice. We check before agreeing the work, because doing it without is an offence.

Yes, by dismantling it in sections from the top and lowering the pieces on ropes. It takes longer than a straight fell and the quote reflects that.

We can leave it cut low or grind it out. Grinding is the option if you want to re-turf, pave or replant over the spot.

We remove everything as standard. If you want logs cut to length for a burner, say so when we quote and we will leave them stacked.

Some marking is normal where sections land and are dragged out. We use boards and plan the drop zones to keep it to a minimum, and we will be upfront about what to expect.

It varies by species, and nesting birds are protected through spring and summer. We check for active nests before cutting and will reschedule where we find one.

Often, but it depends on the species. Yew and beech take hard cutting well; conifers such as leylandii do not regenerate from bare old wood, so there is a limit you cannot go past.

Most formal hedges want cutting once or twice a year to stay tight. A fast grower left for several years takes a lot more work to bring back.

Yes. The clippings go with us and the base is raked over. It is usually the main reason people would rather not do it themselves.

Only with their agreement, and we will not go onto a neighbouring property without it. You can cut growth overhanging your own boundary back to the line.

Enough for what comes next. Re-turfing needs less depth than paving or replanting a tree in the same position. Tell us the plan and we will grind to suit it.

Usually. Machines come in different sizes and the smaller ones go through a standard gateway. We check access when quoting rather than turning up and finding out.

It can go back into the hole topped with soil, or be removed. Removal costs a little more but leaves cleaner ground if you are paving over it.

Once the stump is ground out the tree cannot regrow. Deeper roots simply decay in place. Some species sucker from roots, and we will tell you if yours is one.

Better to grind deeper and replace the soil, or plant slightly to one side. Old root material breaking down in the ground makes a hard start for a young tree.

There is no such thing. Plots that have been left for years are exactly what clearance is for, and it usually looks worse than it is once the machinery arrives.

Whatever you want kept. We walk the plot with you first and agree what stays, because it is a lot easier to save a shrub than to replace it.

Nesting birds are protected, and some species and their habitats are too. We check before clearing and will reschedule or work around something where we find it.

Yes. Green waste, timber, old structures and rubbish are removed and disposed of responsibly. The site is raked over before we leave.

Yes, and it works well as one job. Once the plot is clear we can set out and build the garden with the same team, so nobody hands the site over halfway.