Landscaping · Bracknell
Patios, paths, fencing, soakaways and full garden transformations — by a team that already knows what's underground because we install drainage. No surprises, no soggy lawns, no patios that sink in two winters.
Drainage-led groundwork · 25-year build standards · Fixed quotes
Need landscaping today?
Speak to a Bracknell engineer right now.
07949 996627Same-day across Berkshire. 24/7 for emergencies.
Or request a callbackDrainage
Led Design
150mm
Sub-Base Standard
Fixed
Written Quotes
12 mo
Workmanship Guarantee
Local
Crew, Local Knowledge
The Service
One Bracknell-based team. 15+ years of Berkshire pipework, drainage and installation work behind every job. Same-day service guaranteed across the region.
What it covers
Garden and external works covering patios, paths, driveways (block paving and resin), garden drainage, soakaways, French drains, fencing, raised beds and full garden re-design. Anything from a £1,500 patio repair to a £25,000 full garden transformation.
Who it's for
Homeowners with garden problems that won't go away (standing water, sinking paving, fence sections that keep falling), people extending or rebuilding and needing the garden put back properly, and clients running our internal projects who'd rather have one team carry on into the garden.
When you need it
Before puddles become permanent. Before block paving rocks under foot. Before fence posts rot enough to take the panel with them. And ideally before the first frost — autumn is the right time to put drainage in before the wet season exposes every weakness.
Why professional matters
Landscaping is mostly invisible work. The 150mm of compacted MOT Type 1 under your patio is what stops it sinking; the 50mm of bedding sand is what keeps the slabs flat. Most failed patios fail because someone skimped on the bit you can't see. Doing it properly costs slightly more on day one and lasts twenty-five years.
What Happens If You Wait
Every plumbing and drainage problem follows the same curve — cheap to fix early, painful to fix late. Here's what the wait actually costs.
Persistent puddling against a house wall wets the wall above damp-proof course level. Over years, this rots floor joists, causes interior damp and undermines foundations. Garden drainage is structural protection, not aesthetics.
100mm of unconsolidated sub-base, slabs spot-bedded on five blobs of mortar, no edge restraints — it'll look fine for one summer, sink visibly in the first winter, and need lifting and relaying inside three years.
Some insurers explicitly exclude flood damage where garden drainage is documented as inadequate. A surveyor's report citing 'no apparent drainage strategy' on a known floodplain property is a claim killer.
Common Mistakes We See Weekly
Our Process
01
We walk the garden, identify drainage issues, take levels with a laser, and discuss what you want from the space.
02
Itemised written quote covering excavation, materials, drainage, paving and finishing. Sketch design where layout changes.
03
Existing surfaces removed, ground excavated to depth, geotextile laid, 150mm of MOT Type 1 sub-base compacted in 75mm lifts. The boring bit that determines the lifespan.
04
Drainage routed and connected (soakaway, French drain or surface water to the public sewer where permitted). Paving bedded on properly mixed mortar or full-screed sand, jointed with the right material for the surface.
05
Edges restrained, fences re-fixed, lawn made-good, site swept and cleared. Photographs and a 12-month workmanship guarantee issued.
Why It's Worth Doing Right
Because we install drainage as our core trade, we understand the underground before we touch the surface. No buried surprises.
150mm of compacted MOT Type 1 under every paved surface as standard. Twice what budget operators use.
Slabs laid on a full mortar bed with no voids underneath. They don't rock, they don't sink, they don't crack.
Falls calculated, drainage routed, soakaways sized to actual rainfall data — not eyeballed.
Concrete-in or sleeved metal posts, gravel boards to prevent panel rot at ground level. Properly tensioned, properly aligned.
If your project includes internal works, the same business carries on outside. One number to call, one accountable team.
Technical Detail
Berkshire soils swing from heavy clay (Bracknell, Wokingham) to free-draining sandy loam (parts of Sandhurst, Ascot). Soil type completely changes the right drainage strategy and the right paving sub-base — there's no single answer.
Local Knowledge
Bracknell-based, working daily across Wokingham, Maidenhead, Windsor, Ascot, Reading, Woodley, Woking and into West London. The right kit for Berkshire soil, Berkshire pipework and Berkshire weather.
Indian sandstone (cost-effective, attractive, needs sealing in shade-prone gardens), porcelain paving (premium, low-maintenance, slip-rated R11+ available), natural granite (premium, durable), concrete block paving (driveways, vehicular loadings), resin-bound (SuDS-compliant, permeable, modern look). Each has different bedding, jointing and edge-restraint requirements.
Surface-water gullies linked to soakaways (where percolation allows), French drains with perforated land-drain in pea shingle, linear ACO drains across patio thresholds, swales for gentle level changes, and connection to public surface-water sewers where the property permits (always check before connecting). Soakaway sizing follows BRE Digest 365 with a percolation test on Berkshire clay.
MOT Type 1 sub-base at 150mm minimum, compacted in 75mm lifts with a vibrating roller or plate compactor. Geotextile separation membrane between subsoil and sub-base to prevent migration. Edge restraints on block paving (haunched concrete to prevent spreading). Falls of 1:80 minimum on patios to drainage.
Concrete-in 100x100 timber posts at 1.8m centres, gravel boards to keep panels off ground level, post caps to slow rot. Where soil is wet or rotting prone, we use sleeved galvanised steel posts with timber panels slotted in — same look, 25+ year post life.
Residential gardens optimise for use and aesthetics. Commercial landscaping (office curtilage, retail thresholds, school playgrounds) demands SuDS compliance, vehicular loading classes (HB30 / FACTA Class 6 for occasional use), DDA-compliant gradients and surfaces, and CDM-managed sites. We handle both with the right specification for each.
Questions
Still got a question we haven't answered? Phone the office and ask an engineer directly — no call centre, no script.
07949 996627A typical 30 sq m back garden patio with sandstone or porcelain paving, full sub-base, drainage and edge restraints lands £4,500–£9,000 depending on material choice and access. Tighter access (rear gardens with no side gate) adds cost because everything goes through the house.
Usually we recommend lifting and relaying — patios sink because the sub-base wasn't built properly. Topping-up the bedding sand under sunken slabs is a 6-month fix at best.
Yes. French drains, soakaways and surface-water management are common standalone jobs across Bracknell and Wokingham — heavy clay gardens here often need active drainage, not just surface falls.
25+ years on the structure (sub-base, drainage, edges). The visible surface materials vary — porcelain effectively indefinite, sandstone 20+ years with occasional sealing, block paving 25+ years with re-jointing every decade.
Yes — block paving, resin-bound, and concrete. Resin-bound is increasingly popular because it's permeable (no planning approval needed for SuDS), low-maintenance and modern-looking.
Yes. Replacement panels, new fence runs, gates. Concrete-in or sleeved-steel posts, gravel boards, proper tensioning. Most fence problems we see are post-rot at ground level — gravel boards eliminate this.
12 months on workmanship as standard. Most paving manufacturers offer 10–20 year material warranties, registered in your name.
Bank transfer or card on completion for one-day jobs. Larger installs run on a clear schedule — deposit to secure the slot and order materials, a stage payment when first fix is complete, and the balance on sign-off. No cash-only nonsense, no pressure to pay before the work is signed off.
Yes. Overflow Plumbing & Drainage Ltd (Company No. 12427151) carries full public liability and employers' liability insurance. Certificates are sent across with your quote on request — landlords and letting agents usually want them for their files.
Yes — Overflow is based in Bracknell (RG12) and we run landscaping work daily across Bracknell, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Windsor, Ascot, Reading, Woodley, Woking and into West London. If you're inside the M25/M4 corridor, you're in our patch. Call 07949 996627 and we'll confirm an arrival window on the call.
Related Services
Ready When You Are
Free site visit across Bracknell, Wokingham and Berkshire. Drainage-led design, 25-year build standards.
Fully insured · Company No. 12427151 · 24/7 emergency cover
