David Domoney - Choosing the right landscaper for your project.

1 March 2022

Choosing the right installer

We are a nation of home lovers, but we also love our gardens as well. Our gardens are incredibly important; for family life with barbecues, water fights with the kids or relaxing with a nice drink and enjoying the scent of honeysuckle after a hard day’s work.

 

A NATION OF GARDEN LOVERS

Enjoying the space is so much easier when the patio is laid properly. Not only that but it also adds significant value to the home too, giving it more appeal.

 

Paving the way

When choosing patio paving, it’s vital to consider how functional you want it to be, as well as how you can make it a feature that fits with the style of your garden.

 

From Porcelain.........

There are many different types of paving to choose from, from porcelain to sandstone.

 

To Natural stone

Just as you’d take the time to choose the right paving, it’s also ideal to spend the same amount of time choosing the right installer. Opting for a reputable installer means the paving will be laid easily and last for years, whereas choosing the wrong installer can lead to many hiccups down the road.

 

Choosing The Right Installer

Here are some tips and things to look out for when choosing a landscaper to install your paving.

 

The right ingredients

It’s all well and good having the right materials but putting them together to lay the patio requires the know-how. Once you’ve opted for the slabs, block pavers, and edging, you want to create a finish that is top quality.

 

Expert Know How

Here’s where the professionals come in, because they install patios every day, so once it’s been laid well, it’ll last for years.

 

It's All About The Base

It’s not just what’s on the surface either. When installed correctly, the site needs to be prepared, sub-base needs to be laid, and some pavers should be sealed.

 

The right mix of sand, cement, and mortar to create wet mortar is essential to keeping the pavers in place too. Then, finishing with jointing compounds gives a professional and feature-worthy finish.

 

Top quality

When buying stunning natural sandstone like Raj Blend, of which each stone has unique, natural colouring, installing correctly keeps the value up. The brown and red tones of Raj Blend combine to create a warm mosaic of colour.

 

NATURAL BEAUTY

Another great thing about the paving is that the natural stone comes in a variety of different sizes, which helps to create texture and interest to form a distinctive appearance, that fits the size and shape of your garden.

 

Best Laid Plans!

In every pack of paving slabs there is an individual laying guide that shows which size goes where to give guidance on the desired shape and effect to ensure the aesthetic of the paving is optimised.

 

Borders

Although the main surface area of the patio is important, it’s key to get the edging right too. This is because, if done badly, it can impact other areas of the garden, such as preventing grass from growing up to the patio border.

 

Meandering Paved walkways

Our gardens are all different shapes and sizes, some with curves and meandering walkways. Therefore, choosing an installer to get the right look for your garden is a great wat to ensure you get the lovely sweeping curves that accentuate your garden style.

 

 

The Tudor Cobbles are smaller, hand-crafted cobbles, perfect for use on smaller areas or as edging. They have a great effect when lined next to the larger Tudor Antique natural stone paving.

 

Safety first

Of course, it’s not just the aesthetical appeal of the paving – it has to be safe too. Getting patio installed right ensures there are no trip hazards because each of the pavers will be laid at the correct height.

 

Full Mortar Bed

By doing the right prep work and laying the right foundations, the pavers will not rock, move or come up easily. Finishing the patio with good jointing will stop water from running underneath the paving, which again makes it a safe, durable, and reliable patio for you to enjoy.

 

Top tip

To find a local installer, visit the Find an Installer page, where you can search your postcode or nearest town to see a list of Pavestone’s preferred installers. The list of services have been vetted and are trusted by Pavestone.

 

 

Many installers will offer for you to visit some of their jobs so you can see the quality. If they don’t offer, ask! Often, the landscaper will have worked in the area so will have someone not too far away that’ll be happy for you to take a look at their work. Researching the installer and company you are choosing is a great way of ensuring you’re getting the job done well, so you can make the most of your patio for years to come.

 

Your landscaping project represents a sizable investment. Get the wrong landscaper and you will be not only be very disappointed but may also be faced with having to spend thousands of pounds, all over again, to rectify the work done.

I have got together with Mark Brown, Pavestone's resident expert landscaper, to guide you through the issues you need to avoid and to help you to choose the right landscaper.

 

David Domoney, TV gardener, horticultural expert and Pavestone brand ambassador blogs monthly on the Pavestone website on all things landscaping related.

We look forward to seeing you back again next month.
 

< back