Patios in Stockton-on-Tees

Mature gardens, mature problems

Norton and Hartburn have some of the most established gardens on the patch, and with them come the two complications that mature planting brings: tree roots and shade. Roots lifting an old patio are a common call here, and the honest answer is rarely a simple relay, since anything laid over an active root will move again. Shade is the other one, keeping a north-facing terrace damp enough that algae never really clears. Both point the same way, towards proper falls, a generous sub-base and a surface that copes with wet, which is why porcelain and riven stone both do well around here.

The estate gardens

Fairfield, Roseworth, Hardwick and Elm Tree follow the postwar pattern: a decent-sized rear garden, heavy clay under the topsoil, and often an ageing concrete or slab terrace close to the back door. Twenty-five to thirty-five square metres is the usual scope, and this is where concrete slabs at £50 to £80 per square metre stretch a budget furthest across a big area. Where the ground falls away from the house, a low retaining run and a set of steps often does more for the garden than extra paving would, and that gets quoted alongside.

Levels near the river

Properties on the lower ground towards the Tees, around the Riverside and out past Preston Farm, sit on ground that drains slowly and can hold water after a wet spell. Two things matter there: where the patio water is being sent, and how close the finished level sits to the damp-proof course. A patio that has crept up over the years is one of the more common causes of a new damp patch inside, and it is entirely preventable at the setting out stage. The levels and drainage guide covers the detail worth checking before work starts.