Lucas Landscape Maintenance

Hard Landscaping and Groundworks

Built to last.

Patios, driveways, walls and steps, and the groundworks underneath them: excavation, levels, drainage and bases done properly.

A newly laid sandstone patio running along bifold doors at the back of a brick house, with lawn to one side

What we do

The part you cannot see is the part that matters.

Sunken paving, standing water and cracked pointing almost always come from what was under the surface, not the surface itself.

We dig out to depth, deal with levels and drainage, and build up in proper layers to increase longevity.

We discuss the different material options with our clients to match their budget, and carry out the work from start to finish whilst keeping a safe and tidy site.

What is covered

Construction and groundworks we take on.

New builds and replacements for homes, gardens and grounds.

Patios and paving

Sandstone, porcelain, block and slab.

Laid to fall so water runs off.

Driveways

New and replacement driveways.

Excavation, sub-base and drainage done first.

Paths and access

Garden paths and utility routes.

Edged to stop spread.

Retaining walls

Brick, block and sleeper.

Built to hold the ground behind them.

Steps and level changes

Sloping plots made usable.

Consistent rise across the flight.

Groundworks and levels

Dig out, muck away and build up.

Sets everything that follows.

Site preparation

Ground cleared and reduced ready to build on.

Spoil taken away or reused on site.

Drainage

Channel drains, soakaways and falls.

Water taken away from the house.

Edging and kerbing

Clean separation between hard and soft.

Keeps gravel and beds where they belong.

Bases and foundations

Bases for buildings, bins and hot tubs.

Sized to what is going on top.

Recent work

Construction across Kent and East Sussex.

Recent work, photographed by the team on the job.

  • Sandstone paving under an oak-framed pavilion beside a covered swimming pool, with potted plants along a garden wall
  • A long grey paved terrace along the back of a house, with rendered retaining walls and steps up to the lawn
  • A curving grey sandstone path beside a new lawn and a clipped shrub, leading to the back of a brick house
  • Pale paving along the glazed side of a brick building, with a timber pergola and a bench at the far end
  • A new speckled grey driveway surface in front of a house with a garage, edged with a slate border
  • A raked gravel garden with a red acer, standing stones and a slate border, in a courtyard between brick buildings
  • A finished buff-coloured path curving along the stone wall of a church, past a chest tomb
  • Reclaimed brick paving around a gravel bed planted with a young tree, beside an old brick house and a weatherboarded outbuilding
  • A gravel path and gravel-filled sleeper steps winding down through woodland planting
  • A driveway of grass-reinforcement paving with slab wheel tracks, running beside a tall laurel hedge
  • Sandstone paving and large stepping stones set in pale gravel, with raised stone-walled planting beds, a timber pergola and new turf, in a garden backed by modern brick houses
  • A large natural stone patio, wet from rain, laid across the back of a white weatherboarded bungalow

Real transformations

Before and after a terrace.

Sub-base down and the new wall going up, then the finished terrace outside the same doors. Drag the handle to compare.

The finished grey paved terrace outside French doors, with a rendered wall and steps up to the lawnSub-base laid outside French doors, with a new block retaining wall going up behindBeforeAfter

Common questions

Questions we get about hard landscaping and groundworks.

Why does paving sink?

Almost always an inadequate base, or no fall so water sits and washes the sub-base out. Rebuilding the surface without fixing the base just repeats the problem.

Do I need planning permission?

Usually not for a patio, but front gardens, large impermeable areas and listed or conservation properties have their own rules. We will flag it if we think it applies and point you at the council.

How long does a patio take?

Typically one to three weeks depending on size, access and how much digging out is involved. Groundwork is the variable, not the laying.

Can you work around access problems?

Usually. Narrow access means barrowing and more labour rather than machines, which we price in rather than discovering halfway through.

How quickly will I hear back?

We reply to enquiries the same working day. A site visit is usually within the same week. We look at the property before quoting anything.

Areas served

From Ashford to Sevenoaks and the towns and villages in between.

  • Tenterden
  • Hawkhurst
  • Ashford
  • Tunbridge Wells
  • Sevenoaks

If you are just outside this list, ask: we travel further for larger grounds and regular contracts.

Thinking about a patio, wall or level change?

Tell us what the space is doing wrong. We will come and look at the ground before quoting.

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