Free quotes, and no chasing afterwards

There is no honest per-metre figure that covers every garden. The variables are the material, how much muck has to come out, whether the ground falls away, and how you get a barrow or a dumper round the back. A terrace on Dodworth Road with a shared ginnel and a hillside plot in Silkstone are two different jobs at the same square meterage. We measure, then price it in writing with the groundwork and the paving shown separately.

More than most people expect. Topsoil, roots, old bases and whatever the last lot buried all come out, down to firm ground, then the build-up goes back in compacted layers. The spoil leaves in our vehicles. Skimming a couple of inches off and laying on top is why so many patios round here rock within two winters.

Yes. Block paving and resin bound surfacing, along with the edging, the falls and the drainage that go with them. Front and back are usually quoted together if you are having both done, because the muck away and the plant hire only need paying for once.

Block is laid unit by unit, so a damaged area can be lifted and reset, and it suits patterned or bordered designs. Resin is a poured surface, seamless and quick to sweep, and it drains straight through when it is laid on the right base. Block asks for the occasional weed and re-sand, resin does not. Both need the same standard of foundation underneath, which is where the real cost sits.

For a lot of households, yes. It drains through, it rinses off, and it does not wear into a mud track along the fence in February. What decides whether it looks right in three years is the base: compacted stone, screeded sand, joints glued and hidden, edges fixed to something solid.

That is half the gardens in this borough. Slopes get held rather than fought — sleeper beds, brick or rendered retaining walls, and steps between the levels. A stepped garden usually ends up more usable than the flat one people imagine they wanted, because you get separate areas out of it.

Crossing the footpath to a driveway is a separate application to Barnsley Council, and it is handled by them rather than by us. Worth starting early if your plans depend on it, because approval can take a while.

Yes, disposal is in the price and it is stated on the quote. Nothing gets left stacked behind the shed for you to sort out later.

A patio on a straightforward plot is a matter of days. A full garden with excavation, retaining structures, paving, lawn and lighting runs longer, and access is usually what decides it. You get a realistic number of days up front rather than an optimistic one.

The town and the villages around it — Penistone, Wombwell, Hoyland, Darton, Dodworth, Cudworth, Royston, Darfield, Elsecar, Worsbrough, Silkstone, Mapplewell, Grimethorpe, Goldthorpe and Thurnscoe among them. If you are just outside, ring and ask.