Garden Groundworks in Kensington that set your project up for success. From site clearance and excavation to drainage, foundations and precise levelling, we prepare gardens properly. Expect careful access planning, tidy waste removal and a finish ready for paving, lawns or planting.
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Whether you’re upgrading a courtyard near Kensington High Street or reshaping a rear garden close to Holland Park, the groundwork stage determines how everything performs. We handle site clearance, excavation, grading and levelling to create clean lines and stable levels. Drainage is designed in from the start so patios and lawns don’t suffer from pooling. Our team works across W8 and W14 with a focus on neat, controlled operations.
Kensington homes often include stucco townhouses, mansion blocks and period conversions, where gardens can be compact and access is tight. That means careful spoil handling, quieter methods where possible, and protection for shared hallways or communal routes. We’re used to working around basements, lightwells and mature planting that needs safeguarding. If your property sits in a conservation-sensitive street, we plan the approach so the finished levels and edges look appropriate.
We start with a site visit, level checks and a practical plan for access, waste removal and sequencing. Groundworks are completed to specification with clear falls, consolidated sub-bases and robust foundations where required. You’ll get straightforward communication, tidy working practices and photo updates if you’re away. Homeowners choose us for dependable results and a 10-year warranty on qualifying groundwork installations.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea brings strict parking controls, narrow mews access and plenty of basement-level gardens. We plan deliveries, skip permits and waste collections to minimise disruption. Ground conditions can vary between made ground and heavier London clay, so we adapt excavation depths, compaction and drainage design accordingly. Our approach suits everything from South Kensington terraces to Earl’s Court mansion blocks.
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Costs vary with access, excavation depth, waste volumes and whether drainage or foundations are needed. As a guide, small clearance and levelling jobs often start around £900–£2,500. Typical groundwork packages for patios or lawns with sub-base and drainage commonly fall between £3,000–£9,000. Larger projects involving significant excavation, retaining structures or multiple levels can reach £10,000–£25,000+.
Most garden groundworks take 2–7 working days, depending on the size of the area and how much excavation and spoil removal is required. A straightforward dig-out and sub-base for a patio may be 2–4 days, while multi-level gardens with drainage runs and foundations can take 1–3 weeks. Tight access, parking restrictions and wet weather can extend timescales.
Many garden groundworks are permitted development, especially where you’re repairing or replacing like-for-like surfaces. However, rules can apply for listed buildings, conservation areas, works affecting trees, changes to boundary walls, or new drainage connections. Permeable surfacing requirements may also influence driveway and paving build-ups. We’ll flag likely permissions early and can help you check RBKC guidance before work begins.
We provide a 10-year warranty on qualifying groundwork installations, covering issues linked to our workmanship such as sub-base failure, settlement caused by inadequate compaction, or drainage falls installed incorrectly. The warranty applies when the build-up and materials follow our specification and the finished surface is used as intended. We also document key stages so you have a clear record of what’s been installed beneath the surface.
We prepare bases and falls for a wide range of finishes, including porcelain paving, Yorkstone, granite setts, resin-bound surfacing, turf and artificial grass. Groundworks can also include concrete pads for garden rooms, foundations for walls, and drainage solutions such as channel drains or soakaways. We’ll advise on build-ups, edging details and levels so the final design suits your property and performs well year-round.
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