New Patio in Eaton Socon

Eaton Socon has a mix of older cottages, period houses and later homes, and many gardens sit alongside mature boundaries or old brick walls. A new patio here often needs to look as though it belongs, rather than standing out as obviously new.

The construction is the same careful process wherever we work: dig out to a firm level, lay a compacted sub-base and set each slab on a full mortar bed. Around older properties we take extra care near walls, keeping the paving slightly back from their bases and avoiding any disturbance to old footings.

Damp proof courses on older houses can be low or, in some cases, absent. We keep the finished surface well below any damp proof course and fall it away from the house. Where an older property has no clear damp course, we keep the patio lower still and may suggest a gravel strip against the wall so rain can soak away rather than splash back onto the brickwork.

Garden levels often vary in older plots, and a small step or a short low wall can create a level seating area without heavy excavation. Where the garden rises, a gently sunken area can be formed, but only with drainage planned at its lowest point.

Access in older streets can be through narrow passages or the house itself. Laying irregular natural stone takes longer than uniform porcelain, so most projects here run to several working days or more.

Reclaimed materials sometimes come up in conversation. If you already have old bricks or flags on site, we can look at whether they are sound enough to edge the new patio or form a step, which helps the new work tie in with what was there before.

Trees deserve attention in established gardens. We avoid cutting through large roots close to a trunk and may adjust the outline or build up rather than dig down in that area. If a tree might be protected, it is sensible to check with the council before work starts.

We also leave the joint against any old wall slightly open or gravel filled, which lets the brickwork breathe.