Groundwork & Excavation

Before anything is built, the ground has to be right. This is the least visible stage of a garden and the one everything else depends on.

What the work involves

We excavate to the levels the design requires, grade for falls and drainage, and compact sub-bases to the tolerances each surface needs. Where the site slopes, we cut and fill to create the terraces the plan calls for. Existing soil is assessed — kept and improved where it's good, replaced where it isn't.

Resolved before it's covered

• Levels set to the master plan, checked and re-checked
• Falls established so water goes where we intend
• Sub-base depths matched to the load each area carries
• Root protection zones respected and worked around
• Access routes planned so machinery doesn't damage what stays

Why it can't be skipped

A terrace laid on poor groundwork settles and cracks. Planting in compacted subsoil struggles for years. Water pools where nobody wanted it. Every one of those is a problem you can only fix by taking the garden apart. Getting the ground right first is cheaper than getting it wrong twice.

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