How we work
Five stages. One family firm. No surprises we haven't told you about.
Most of a good driveway or terrace is the groundworks nobody photographs. Here is how a job with ECO Contractors & Sons actually runs, stage by stage, and what changes the timescale.
01
Usually within a few days of your call
Free site visit & written quote
Arban comes out, walks the plot with you and looks at the things that actually decide the job rather than the things that are easy to measure: the levels and the fall, where surface water currently goes, whether a machine can physically get to the back garden, and what the ground is made of. Then you get a written, itemised quote that spells out the build-up under the surface as well as the surface itself — because that is the only way you can meaningfully compare us with anybody else. Free, and no obligation.
- Free site visit
- Written, itemised quote
- The build-up spelled out, not just the finish
02
The first days on site
Clearance, excavation & muck-away
We strip and clear the area, take out any redundant hardstanding or structure, and excavate down to formation level. Spoil is carted away rather than piled in a corner for somebody else to deal with — it is in the quote from the start, because on a tight town plot access and cart-away are often the single biggest variable in the price. This is also the stage where surprises surface: made ground, old foundations, roots, a forgotten drain run. If we find one, you hear about it that day, along with what it means for the price and the programme.
- Cleared and stripped to formation
- Spoil removed, not stockpiled
- Surprises reported the day we find them
03
The stage that decides everything
Sub-base, drainage & edge restraints
A compacted structural sub-base goes in to the depth the ground and the loading require. Falls are set so water runs away from the house rather than towards it. Channel drains, soakaways and surface-water runs go in now, along with any ducts or services that have to pass underneath. Then kerbs and edgings are set and haunched so the surface has something to push against. Almost every failed drive or patio we are ever called to fix failed here, not on the surface — so this is where we spend the time.
- Consolidated structural sub-base
- Drainage and falls built in
- Edge restraints set and haunched
04
Days for a drive or a terrace; longer for a whole plot
Laying, walling & finishing
With the base right, the surface goes down: blocks laid and cut in to a clean edge, stone bedded individually and set to falls, or resin trowelled to an even depth. Retaining and feature walling, steps, raised beds, fencing, decking, turf and planting follow as the scheme requires, in the order that keeps the levels tying together rather than fighting. We keep the working area and the street tidy while we are there, because a job like this is disruptive enough without adding mess to it.
- Surface laid to falls and cut in clean
- Walls, steps, turf and planting to finish
- Site and street kept tidy
05
On completion, and afterwards
Walk-round, hand-over & aftercare
We walk the finished job with you, deal with snags on the spot and clear the site properly. Before we go you get a straight briefing on the first year: watering new turf hard for the first few weeks, keeping jointing topped up, keeping channels and gullies clear, and why blasting block paving at full pressure strips the joints faster than weather ever will. After that we are a phone call away — we work the same towns week in, week out, so being easy to get hold of afterwards is simply how a firm our size survives.
- Snags dealt with on the day
- Site cleared and swept
- A plain briefing on the first year
What changes the timescale
Weather, ground and access — in that order.
Weather
Concrete needs curing time it does not negotiate over, resin wants a dry spell, and there is no sense laying turf into ground you cannot walk on. We would rather lose two days than hand over work that was rushed through wet weather.
What is under the ground
Made ground, old slabs, tree roots and forgotten drain runs turn up regularly and are impossible to price with certainty from the surface. We allow for the likely, tell you the moment we hit the unlikely, and price the change before we do it.
Access
A back garden reachable only through the house is a different job from one with a side gate wide enough for a machine. Barrowing everything in and out by hand changes both the programme and the price, so we measure the gate on the first visit.
Start at stage one.
The site visit and the written quote cost you nothing and commit you to nothing. Call the office, ring Arban's mobile, or send the details over and we will come and look at the ground.
Still deciding on a surface?
Our materials guide sets out what block paving, resin, natural stone, gravel and concrete are each genuinely good at — and where each one disappoints.
Read the materials guide