Todmorden Landscaping & Driveways designs and builds gardens for homeowners in Lydgate. Landscaping, for us, means the whole garden: the hard surfaces, the lawn, the planting, the boundaries and the drainage that keeps it all usable through a wet winter. We are based in Todmorden and Lydgate is part of our regular round, so the people who measure and quote your garden are the same people who build it.
The service suits anyone whose garden has stopped working for them. That might be a young family with a sloping lawn that nobody uses, a couple who want a patio big enough to eat outside, or someone who has bought a house in Lydgate and inherited a garden full of concrete and overgrown shrubs.
The approach is always the same: ground and water first, then surfaces, then planting. Here is what that involves in Lydgate.
What Our Landscaping Service in Lydgate Involves
A full landscaping project in Lydgate covers design, clearance, groundwork and construction. Design starts with a measured survey of levels, drains, boundaries and trees. From that we produce a scaled plan showing the patio, paths, lawn, beds and any structures, with a materials list and a written quote.
The build phase begins with clearing what is there. Old patios and concrete come up, unwanted shrubs are removed with their roots, and the soil is graded to the new levels. Hard landscaping follows: Type 1 MOT sub-bases under every paved area, patios laid on a full mortar bed, sleeper or block retaining walls where the garden steps up or down, and edging to hold gravel or lawn in place.
Soft landscaping comes last. Topsoil is brought in or improved, lawns are turfed or seeded, and borders are planted and mulched. We also install fencing, decking, raised beds and ducting so an electrician can add lighting under Part P.
Suitability for Properties in Lydgate
Your garden in Lydgate could be one of several types. Behind a terrace or semi, the rear plot is often long and narrow with limited access. A detached home may have a wider garden with more scope for separate zones. A newer build may have a smaller garden, often with a thin layer of topsoil over compacted builder's rubble that drains poorly.
Each of those calls for a different plan. In a narrow garden we keep the main patio near the house, run a path down one side and leave the centre open as lawn so it feels wider. On a sloping plot we terrace it with retaining walls so each level is flat and usable. On new-build gardens we almost always have to break up the compacted layer, improve the soil and install drainage before a lawn will thrive.
Access shapes the job as well. Without a side gate, materials go through the house on protected floors and we programme the work to suit. We also check for anything that limits what can be done: trees with preservation orders, conservation area rules on front boundaries, and Japanese knotweed, which needs specialist treatment before any digging starts.
How Our Landscaping Works
- Site visit. We walk the garden with you in Lydgate, talk through what you want and measure the plot and levels.
- Plan and quote. You receive a scaled drawing, a materials specification and an itemised written quote.
- Clearance. Old surfaces, unwanted plants and spoil are removed by our team as registered waste carriers.
- Groundwork. We set out the levels, dig out, install drainage and compact the sub-bases.
- Hard landscaping. Patios, paths, walls, steps, fencing and decking are built.
- Soft landscaping. Soil is prepared, lawns are laid and borders are planted.
- Handover. We walk round with you, explain aftercare and hand over the written guarantee.
Our crews come out from Todmorden each morning, so the job runs on consecutive days. Most Lydgate gardens take between one and three weeks on site depending on size. Spring and autumn are the best times for turf and planting, while hard landscaping can go ahead in most weather apart from hard frost.
Landscaping in Lydgate: What Changes the Price
The biggest factor is the amount of groundwork. A flat garden with easy access and decent soil is straightforward. A sloping garden that needs retaining walls, a soakaway and several tonnes of spoil removed is not, and the cost reflects the labour and the skips rather than the finish.
Materials come next. Porcelain and sawn sandstone patios sit at different points from riven stone or block paving, and the same applies to fencing, from feather-edge panels to slatted hardwood. Turf and planting are a smaller share unless mature specimens are specified.
Access in Lydgate matters too. Carrying materials through a house is slower than barrowing through a side gate, and a skip permit is needed where there is no driveway. Because our depot is in Todmorden, there is no travel element in our prices. We set all of this out in the quote.
Other Services in Lydgate
Landscaping is one of four services we offer in Lydgate. Driveway Installation covers new and replacement drives in block paving, resin bound, tarmac, gravel and concrete, including dropped kerbs and permeable surfaces that comply with the front garden planning rules. Garden Maintenance keeps lawns, hedges and borders in shape with regular visits through the year. Block Paving is our specialist paving service for driveways, paths and patios laid to BS 7533.
Many Lydgate customers combine them. A rear garden rebuild often happens at the same time as a new front driveway and we are happy to quote both together from Todmorden.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you provide a garden design as part of landscaping in Lydgate?
Yes. Every landscaping project starts with a measured survey and a scaled plan showing the layout, levels and materials. For smaller jobs that may be a simple drawing; for a full garden it is a proper design with a planting plan. The design is drawn up back at our Todmorden office and included with the written quote so you can see exactly what is proposed.
What time of year is best for landscaping in Lydgate?
Hard landscaping such as patios, paths and walls can be built most of the year, avoiding heavy frost. Turf and planting establish best in spring and autumn when the soil is warm and moist. If a project runs over summer, we schedule the lawn and planting at the end and advise on watering, particularly during a hosepipe ban.
Can you deal with a waterlogged garden?
Yes. Poor drainage is common wherever soil is heavy or has been compacted by building work. We diagnose the cause first, then install land drains, a soakaway, channel drains at the patio edge or improved soil structure as appropriate. Drainage is designed into the levels of the new garden rather than added as an afterthought.
Will you remove the old garden and all the waste?
We clear everything that is coming out, including old paving, concrete, fencing, soil and plants, and take it away as registered waste carriers. Disposal is listed in your quote. If there is a lot of spoil we may use a skip or grab lorry, and we arrange any permit needed for the street in Lydgate.