Hard Landscaping Specialists
Patios & Paving in Birmingham
Porcelain, sandstone and block paving laid across Birmingham and the surrounding areas, with the falls, the base and the drainage worked out before a single slab is cut.
Patios Built From The Sub-Base Up
A patio is only ever as good as what sits under it. Most of the failed paving we get called out to look at across Birmingham has the same story behind it: slabs bedded on a thin dab of mortar over soft ground, no compacted sub-base, and no thought given to where the rainwater was supposed to go. Two winters of freeze and thaw later the joints have opened, the edges have dropped and there is a puddle sitting against the back door.
We build the other way round. The ground is dug out to a depth that suits the make-up, the sub-base is laid and compacted in layers, the falls are set before the first slab goes down, and the finished surface is kept clear of the damp proof course. With over 20 years of experience in hard landscaping we have laid most things Birmingham gardens throw at us: porcelain, Indian sandstone, riven and sawn natural stone, block paving and slabbing, on level plots and on the sloping ones that need terracing first.
Laid Level, Drained Right
Porcelain Paving
Dense, low porosity slabs on a full mortar bed and primed backs, for a crisp modern finish that stays clean.
Indian Sandstone
Riven or sawn natural stone in mixed sizes, laid to a pattern that suits the shape of your garden.
Block Paving
Interlocking blocks over a compacted sub-base with a restrained edge, so the pattern holds its line.
Patio Steps & Levels
Terracing, steps and split levels where the garden falls away from the house.
Edging & Borders
Brick, setts or steel edge restraint to stop the surface creeping and to hold planting back.
Falls & Surface Drainage
Crossfalls, channel drains and a proper outfall designed in before the paving is set out.
A Patio Should Still Look Right In Ten Years
Anyone can make paving look good on the day it is jet washed and photographed. The test is what it looks like after a run of wet Birmingham winters. That comes down to unglamorous things: the depth and compaction of the sub-base, a full bed rather than five dabs of mortar, jointing compound suited to the slab and the joint width, and a surface that sheds water away from the house instead of holding it. We would rather spend an extra day on groundworks than come back to a sunken corner.
Before You Commit To A Layout
Where The Water Goes Decides What You Can Lay
Surface water is the rule that actually bites on paving work in England, and it is the one most quotes stay quiet about. The short version: a hard surface has to have somewhere legitimate to send its rainwater, and in some positions on a property adding one needs planning permission. None of this is difficult, but it is much cheaper to design for at the quoting stage than to retrofit once the slabs are down.
Everything below depends on your particular property, so treat it as the set of questions worth asking rather than a verdict on your garden. We check them on site before we price the work.
The five square metre rule at the front
Since October 2008, laying more than five square metres of impermeable hard surface between the principal elevation of a house and the highway has needed planning permission in England, unless the surface water is directed to a permeable or porous area inside the property boundary. A rear patio is normally well outside this. A front garden seating area, a widened path to a front door or a paved bin store can sit squarely inside it. If your project touches the front of the house, we work out whether it falls under the exemption before we quote, and design the outfall so that it does where we can.
Building Regulations Part H and the discharge order
Approved Document H sets an order of preference for rainwater. Soak it into the ground first, by soakaway or other infiltration; if that is not reasonably practicable, take it to a watercourse; only after that to a sewer. Discharging new surface water into a foul sewer is the option of last resort and needs agreement. On the clay and made ground common across parts of Birmingham, infiltration is not always viable, which is why we dig a trial hole rather than assume.
Soakaways, distances and sizing
Where infiltration does work, a soakaway is normally kept at least five metres away from a building so the discharge does not soften foundations, and it is sized from a percolation test rather than a rule of thumb. BRE Digest 365 is the standard method. If your plot is tight, or the water table sits high, a soakaway may not be the answer at all, and a channel drain to an existing surface water gully will usually be the better route.
Levels, the damp proof course and your neighbours
Paving against the house is kept at least 150mm below the damp proof course, with a fall running away from the wall, so rain is not bridging into the brickwork. Where a patio raises ground level near a boundary, or where we have to excavate close to a neighbouring wall or foundation, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply and notice may be needed. If your garden is terraced or your property sits on a slope, this is worth raising with us early.
This is general guidance on the rules that commonly apply in England, not advice on your specific address. Where a project looks like it needs a planning check, a soakaway design or a Party Wall notice, we will say so before we start rather than after.
Why Homeowners Choose Us For Paving
We are a hard landscaping team first. Paving is not a sideline bolted onto a gardening round, and it shows in the groundworks, the setting out and the edge details that decide whether a patio still looks square in five years.
20+ Years of Expertise
Two decades of paving, groundworks and garden construction across Birmingham.
Sub-Base Done Properly
Dug out, laid in compacted layers and set to falls before any slab is cut.
Cut Lines You Can Live With
Set out from the house so cuts land where they are least visible, not at the patio door.
Clean, Tidy Site
Waste taken away, surfaces washed off and the garden left usable at the end of every day.
What Our Clients Say
What Else We Do
Our Services
Garden Design & LandscapingFull garden makeovers that set levels, drainage and planting out as one plan rather than piecemeal.View service 
Turfing & Artificial GrassNatural turf and artificial grass laid over a free draining base so the surface stays usable.View service 
Garden Walls & BrickworkRetaining walls, sleeper terraces, steps and brick edging built to hold ground and shed water.View service 
Drainage & GroundworksChannel drains, soakaways, sub-bases and level changes: the part of the job nobody sees.View service 
Driveways & SurfacingBlock paving, tarmac, gravel and resin bound driveways installed across Birmingham.View service 
Fencing & DeckingClose board and panel fencing, gates and timber decking built to last a Birmingham winter.View service 
Talk Through Your Patio
Questions & Answers
How long does a patio take to install?
Most domestic patios run to three to seven working days once we are on site. Excavation and sub-base usually take the first day or two, laying takes the middle of the job, and jointing and washing off finish it. Split levels, steps or a retaining wall add time, and so does a wet week, because jointing compounds need dry conditions to cure.
Do I need planning permission for a patio?
For a patio in a rear garden at existing ground level, normally no. The rule that catches people out applies at the front of the house: more than five square metres of impermeable surfacing between the principal elevation and the highway needs permission unless the water drains to a permeable area within the boundary. Raised platforms are a separate case, and a listed building, a conservation area or an Article 4 direction can remove permitted development rights entirely.
What is the difference between porcelain and Indian sandstone?
Porcelain is fired, dense and has very low porosity, so it resists staining and algae and keeps its colour. It needs a slurry primer on the back and accurate cutting. Indian sandstone is a natural stone, warmer and more varied in tone, more forgiving to lay and usually cheaper, but more porous, so it weathers and may want sealing. Both work well when the base underneath is right.
Can you lay a new patio over my existing one?
Sometimes, but we rarely recommend it. Laying over an old surface raises the finished level, which is the quickest way to end up within 150mm of the damp proof course, and you inherit whatever movement is already in the old base. We would rather lift it, check what is underneath and rebuild from a known starting point.
Where will the rainwater from my patio go?
We work that out before pricing. The options in order of preference are infiltration into the ground by soakaway, then a watercourse, then a surface water sewer, which is the sequence Approved Document H sets. On heavier ground we often use a channel drain along the house wall or the low edge and connect it to an existing surface water gully rather than force a soakaway that will not perform.
Will a new patio cause damp in my house?
Not if the levels are right. Paving should finish at least 150mm below the damp proof course and fall away from the wall. Where the existing ground is already high, we can drop the level, or run a recessed channel drain along the house so water is intercepted before it can pond against the brickwork.
How do I stop weeds coming up through the joints?
Most joint weeds are seeds landing on the surface and rooting in silt, not plants pushing up from below. A full mortar bed and a good jointing compound leaves them nothing to root into, and an annual brush and wash keeps the joints clear. Loose kiln dried sand in block paving is more prone to it, which is why a stabilising sand or a jointing compound is worth the small extra.
Can you build a patio on a sloping garden?
Yes, and it is a lot of what we do around Birmingham. A slope is dealt with by terracing: cutting a level platform and holding the change of level with a retaining wall or sleeper structure, with steps between. Retaining structures need drainage behind them and foundations sized for the load, so we treat that as groundworks rather than decoration.
Do you take the old patio and spoil away?
Yes. Breaking out and removing the existing surface, and carting away the arisings from the excavation, is priced into the job. It is worth checking that any quote you compare includes it, because spoil removal on a full depth excavation is a real cost and it is a common thing to leave out.
How much does a new patio cost in Birmingham?
It moves with the area, the material and how much groundwork is involved. The biggest variables are excavation depth, spoil removal, whether the ground needs draining, whether steps or retaining are needed, and the slab itself. Rather than quote a rate per square metre that ignores all of that, we come and look, dig a trial hole if we need to, and price the actual job. Call 07837 577358 or send us the dimensions and a photo to get started.
Get A Patio Quote For Your Birmingham Home
Send over a photo of the space and a rough size and we will come and look, check the levels and the drainage, and give you a written price for the whole job including groundworks and waste removal.