Why the ground has to come out
Topsoil is soft, full of roots and organic matter, and it moves. It swells when wet, shrinks when dry and settles over time. Laying a hard surface straight onto it is a recipe for rocking slabs, dips and cracks.
A digout removes that soft layer so a firm, compacted sub-base can go in its place. The new surface then sits on something stable rather than on ground that behaves differently every season.
How deep a digout goes
The depth depends on what is going on top. A path that only takes foot traffic needs less depth than a driveway that has to carry a car. The finished height matters too: the new surface has to sit correctly against the house, below damp courses, and meet lawns, steps and doorways cleanly.
That is why a digout is planned backwards from the finished level. Work out where the top surface must end up, subtract the thickness of the slabs, bedding and sub-base, and that gives the depth to dig to.
- Foot traffic surfaces such as paths and patios need a moderate depth
- Surfaces carrying vehicles need more
- Finished levels near the house must respect the damp course
- Soft or made up ground may need to go deeper to reach firm soil
What turns up underneath
Gardens hide things. Old footings, buried rubble from past building work, tree roots, abandoned paths and pockets of soft clay all appear during a digout. Finding them now is far better than having them surface under a new patio.
Services are the other thing to be careful of. Drains, cables and pipes can run through gardens in places you would not expect, so digging is done with care around anything that might be live.
Garden digouts
- Clear scope before work starts
- Suitable machinery for the space
- Site left ready for installation
Where all the spoil goes
Even a modest area produces a surprising volume of soil and rubble once it is out of the ground, and it bulks up further once loosened. Getting it off site is a real part of the job and a real part of the cost.
Some of it can occasionally be reused, for example to fill a low corner elsewhere in the garden, but most is taken away. A quote should say clearly whether spoil removal is included, because leaving a mound on the lawn is not a finished job.
What comes after the digout
Once the ground is down to depth and the base of the excavation is firm, sub-base material is spread in layers and compacted. This is the foundation the new surface rests on. Getting falls built in at this stage means rainwater runs away from the house rather than towards it.
Only then does the visible work begin, whether that is slabbing a patio, building a path or setting out a base for a shed. The quality of everything above depends on what has been done here.
Why winter is a sensible time
Groundwork does not depend on warm weather the way planting and turfing do. Booking a digout and base work over autumn and winter means the heavy, messy stage is out of the way, and the garden is ready to finish and enjoy once spring arrives.
If you have a project in mind and want to know what the digout will involve for your garden, call Ashley on 07904 481178.