Driveways, Patios & Landscaping in Kings Hill

Building in Kings Hill: what to know

Typical jobs are widening a driveway so two cars fit side by side, swapping a small slab patio for porcelain across the back of the house, levelling a sloping garden with steps and walls, and laying artificial grass where a new-build lawn never took.

• New-build ground: check what is under the turf

  On estates built over a former airfield, what sits under a new-build garden varies plot to plot: imported topsoil, builders’ hardcore, compacted subsoil and sometimes buried rubble. We dig test areas on the site visit, take out anything soft, and build the sub-base on firm ground so the new surface doesn’t sink.

• Estate rules and covenants

  Many Kings Hill homes have estate management rules or covenants covering front gardens, driveways and boundaries. It’s worth checking your deeds or with the management company before changing anything visible from the road; we can work to whatever they require.

• Front gardens and drainage

  Paving a front garden over five square metres needs to be permeable, or drain to a lawn or border, to avoid needing planning permission. We design new and widened driveways with that in mind from the start.

• Dropped kerbs through Kent County Council

  Kent County Council is the highways authority here. Widening a driveway across the pavement needs their approval for the crossing before any kerbs are lowered, and we plan the driveway to line up with it.