Guides and prices
Garden guides written on site, not in an office
Real costs, real timescales and the questions we get asked in gardens across Southampton and Hampshire every week.
Costs
How much does a patio cost in Southampton?
Real square metre rates, what the base adds and why two quotes for the same garden can differ by thousands.
Read the guide 6 minute readDecking cost in Southampton: timber against composite
What a deck costs to build, why height matters more than area, and which board is cheaper over ten years.
Read the guide 5 minute readTurf cost per m2, and how much to turf a garden
Laid rates per square metre, what clearance and topsoil add, and the number that actually matters on a turf quote.
Read the guide 6 minute readHow much does it cost to level a garden?
Cut and fill rates, spoil removal per load and why holding a new level costs more than creating it.
Read the guide 7 minute readHow much does landscaping cost in Southampton?
Whole garden prices from a refresh to a full rebuild, plus the individual job rates that make up a landscaping quote.
Read the guide 5 minute readFence installation cost in Southampton
Per bay prices for panel and close board fencing, what concrete posts add and the cost of clearing the old run.
Read the guide 5 minute readHow much does garden clearance cost?
The things that make one clearance quote bigger than another: volume, type of waste, access, roots and old paving, and what happens next.
Read the guide 5 minute readPatio cleaning and repointing cost
Size, stone, joints, moss and loose slabs: what moves the price of restoring a patio, and the point where relaying gives better value.
Read the guide 7 minute readGravel driveway cost: what drives the figure
Why two gravel drives of the same size can be priced far apart, and what to look at in a quote before you compare figures.
Read the guide 7 minute readArtificial Grass Installation Cost: What to Allow For
Artificial grass installation cost depends on the preparation and detailing as well as the surface area.
Read the guideComparisons
Patio or decking: which is right for your garden?
A straight comparison on cost, upkeep, lifespan and sloping ground, with no preference for the dearer option.
Read the guide 6 minute readFence panels or closeboard: which suits your garden?
Two common ways to fence a garden, built very differently. How they compare on strength, repairs and looks.
Read the guide 6 minute readChoosing a material for your garden pathway
Slabs, gravel or stepping stones. How each path material walks, drains and wears in a real garden.
Read the guide 6 minute readPorcelain vs sandstone patio: an honest comparison
How porcelain and Indian sandstone differ on price, laying method, grip, weathering and everyday upkeep.
Read the guide 6 minute readGravel driveway cost, and how it compares with slab
Guide prices for gravel and slabbed drives, why the base costs what it does, and which surface suits your parking.
Read the guide 5 minute readConcrete vs timber fence posts
How concrete and timber posts compare on lifespan, wind, looks and cost, and why fences blow down in storms.
Read the guide 6 minute readComposite vs timber decking: is composite worth it?
Build cost, maintenance, look and lifespan of composite and softwood decking compared side by side.
Read the guide 6 minute readTurf vs seed: which is right for your new lawn?
How turf and seed compare on cost, speed, weather and weeds, and when to returf rather than reseed.
Read the guide 5 minute readPatio jointing compound vs mortar: which is better?
Brush in jointing compound against traditional mortar pointing, why joints crack and when to repoint.
Read the guideProcess
How long does it take to lay a patio?
A realistic day by day programme, what causes delays and when you can actually use the finished surface.
Read the guide 6 minute readHow to make a sloping garden usable
Terracing, decking, planted banks and steps compared, with the costs and the trade offs of each on a real fall.
Read the guide 6 minute readThe right order of work for a garden redesign
What comes first, what comes last, and the sequencing mistakes that force people to pay for the same work twice.
Read the guide 6 minute readReturfing an old lawn: what actually happens
Stripping a worn lawn and relaying it is a different job to turfing bare ground. Here is each stage and why it matters.
Read the guide 6 minute readWhat a garden digout involves
The unseen first stage of most hard landscaping. How deep, why it matters and what happens to all that soil.
Read the guide 6 minute readSlabbed bases for sheds, bin stores and garden buildings
A shed is only as good as what it sits on. How a slabbed base is sized, levelled and built to stay flat.
Read the guide 7 minute readHow to choose a landscaper you will not regret hiring
The questions that separate a careful landscaping contractor from a quick one, and what a fair quote should spell out.
Read the guide 7 minute readDriveway installation: what to expect from start to finish
How a new driveway is actually built, what you will see each day, and what to sort out before the digger turns up.
Read the guide 6 minute readHow long does decking take to build?
What decides whether a deck takes a couple of days or longer, and what you will see happen on each day of the build.
Read the guide 7 minute readGarden levelling: what to expect when the ground is reshaped
How to tell whether your garden needs levelling, what happens on site, and how the work sets up a patio, lawn or deck.
Read the guide 6 minute readWater pooling on your patio: why it happens and how to fix it
The usual causes of puddles on a patio, from missing falls to clay ground, and which fixes work.
Read the guide 5 minute readDo you need planning permission for a driveway?
The front garden surfacing rules in England, what counts as permeable, and how dropped kerbs are approved.
Read the guide 6 minute readFence repair or replacement: which does your fence need?
How to tell whether a blown panel, leaning post or rotten board can be fixed on its own, or whether the whole run is due.
Read the guide 6 minute readPatio sub-base: what goes under a patio that lasts
The layers under a patio, from the digout and MOT Type 1 to compaction and falls, and why each one decides how long the slabs stay flat.
Read the guide 6 minute readPatio Repair: Sunken Areas and Loose Patio Slabs
Why patio slabs sink and rock, when a few can be reset, and how a full relay works from lifting and cleaning to a renewed base and drainage.
Read the guide 6 minute readLevelling a bumpy lawn
Shallow hollows, lumpy turf or a garden that falls the wrong way: how to tell which fix your lawn needs before you buy a bag of soil.
Read the guide 6 minute readDecking Repair: Boards, Joists or Replacement?
How to check a tired deck from the boards down to the posts, which faults can be fixed on their own, and when a rebuild is the honest answer.
Read the guide 5 minute readWeeds in patio joints
Where the weeds between your slabs actually come from, why pulling them never ends, and the repair that stops them coming back.
Read the guide 6 minute readFence height and boundary rules in the UK
How high a fence can be without planning permission, what changes beside a road, and how to work out which fence is yours.
Read the guide 7 minute readRotten Fence Posts: Dealing with a Storm-Damaged Fence
Rotten fence posts can let an otherwise serviceable fence lean or collapse when strong wind arrives.
Read the guide 7 minute readDo I Need Planning Permission for Decking?
In England, decking at a house may be permitted development if it is no more than 30cm above ground and decking, other extensions and outbuildings together cover no more than 50% of the garden.
Read the guideSeasonal
When is the best time to lay turf?
Why autumn is the strongest window locally, what to avoid in high summer and how to look after a lawn in its first month.
Read the guide 5 minute readBook winter groundwork so your garden is ready for spring
Which garden jobs are better done in the cold months, which should wait, and how to phase the work sensibly.
Read the guide 6 minute readWhy your lawn stays waterlogged, and how to fix it
Puddles that never drain usually have one of four causes. How to spot which, and what a lasting fix looks like.
Read the guide 5 minute readNew turf aftercare: the first six weeks
Watering, walking and first mowing advice for a freshly laid lawn, and the warning signs to watch for.
Read the guideIdeas
Small garden ideas that make a tight space work
How to plan a courtyard or terraced garden under 30 square metres so it feels bigger and needs almost no upkeep.
Read the guide 6 minute readSleeper retaining walls and terracing a sloping garden
How sleeper walls hold a new level, sensible heights, drainage behind the wall and terracing a slope.
Read the guide 6 minute readGravel garden ideas
Planting pockets, stepping stones, edging and the right stone size: ideas for a gravel garden that looks deliberate and stays where you put it.
Read the guide 6 minute readLow maintenance garden ideas
Where the weekend hours really go in a garden, and the hard landscaping choices that give most of them back without losing the lawn.
Read the guidePlan ahead
Book winter groundwork so your garden is ready for spring
Autumn and winter are useful times to tackle digouts, levelling, fencing and foundations. Get the preparation done before the days get longer.
Areas covered
Local landscaping within 20 miles
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