Driveways

At S.P. Landscapes, we believe a well-designed driveway should be both practical and complement the look of your property.

We have over 35 years of experience across East Anglia, including Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. We are a family-run business providing tailored driveway solutions for both residential and commercial properties.

How SP Landscapes can help you

SP Landscapes offer a comprehensive range of driveway solutions tailored to meet your specific needs and preferences.

Design

Our team will collaborate with you to understand your vision, offering you expert advice on materials, layouts and aesthetics to ensure your driveway enhances your property and works for you.

Types of driveways we offer

  • Block paving – Brick paving or concrete blocks
  • Gravel – Loose stone driveway with appropriate subbase.
  • Cobblestone – Natural stone with a classic look
  • Permeable – Allows water drainage to reduce runoff, eco-friendly
  • Grided driveways – Using a durable plastic grid to ensure no stone migration

Installation

Our team of experienced landscapers ensure a precise & professional installation, paying close attention to Important aspects like drainage, foundational integrity and the aesthetics to guarantee a great looking drive that lasts.

Maintenance and Repairs

SP Landscapes also offer maintenance and repair services which include cleaning, sealing and repairs to keep your driveway in great condition all year round.

Recent work

Before

After

Call us

Even if you don’t find the particular service you require mentioned on our website, please give our friendly team a call. We’re always happy to hear about your project and will help you wherever possible.

For a no-obligation quotation please contact us.

Hard Landscaping FAQs

Hard landscaping refers to the non-living elements of outdoor design that create structure and functionality in a garden, contributing to a seamless outdoor living experience. This includes features like patios, pathways, walls, and fences, which are made from materials such as stone, brick, or concrete. Hard landscaping not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of a space but also serves practical purposes, such as defining areas for relaxation, entertainment, and outdoor activities.

Hard landscaping involves the installation of non-living elements such as patios, pathways, and walls, providing structure and functionality to outdoor spaces. In contrast, soft landscaping focuses on living elements, including plants, trees, and soil, to create vibrant and natural environments. Together, they complement each other, with hard landscaping offering durability and form, while soft landscaping adds beauty and sustainability to outdoor areas.

Absolutely! Combining hard and soft landscaping creates a balanced outdoor space that offers both structural elements and vibrant greenery, enhancing both the functionality and beauty of your garden.

The main two types of decking material are wooden or composite decking.

The benefits of wooden decking are that it is a natural product that provides a traditional feel that is in keeping with the garden and nature. However, it does require a large degree of maintenance including annual staining and sealing to keep it looking good and to provide longevity. If not maintained correctly it is a risk of rot, warping, and can be damaged by pests. It has an approx. lifespan of 10 to 15 years, possibly more, subject to how well it is maintained and cared for.

Composite decking is made from recycled plastic and wood materials and, as such, is much more durable and hard-wearing. It required little to no maintenance, other than regular cleaning, and also comes with other benefits such as being slip-resistant. It should last 25, or more, years with no real maintenance requirements so has a better lifespan than wooden decking.

As composite decking is made from recycled materials, and wooden decking is made from felling trees, it is an eco-friendlier material but does come at a higher purchase cost. However, if you add up the maintenance cost of wooden decking, it will cost more over the course of its lifespan.

It comes down to personal preference taking into account cost, longevity of the product and maintenance requirements. Composite decking does not compare to the aesthetics and natural feel of real wood but does offer some great benefits in the minimal maintenance requirements.

We offer most types of garden fencing that are available. These include:

  • Traditional-lap or Close-board Panel fencing – This is the most commonly used fencing for gardens and is available between 3 to 6ft tall. The advantage of this type of fencing is that the panels can easily be removed and replaced.
  • Close-board fencing – Another commonly used fencing for gardens. The benefit of standard Close-board fencing (and not panels), is that the posts and horizontal rails are hidden on one side, and it uses a continuous run of feather edge boards.
  • Picket fencing – Ideal for front gardens where you want to cordon off an area and privacy is not an issue. These tend to come in 3 to 4ft heights and have a gap between each picket to allow you to see through the fencing.
  • Post & Rail fencing – Commonly used around paddocks or along the perimeter of a field. This is a cost-effective fencing solution, as it uses minimal materials and is easy to install, but does not provide any privacy or security.
  • Chain-link or Wire-mesh fencing – This type of fence is available at 1 to 3m heights and is mainly used for security purposes, where you want to prevent access.

The Traditional-lap, or Close-board, Panel and standard Close-board fencing can be installed with either wooden or concrete posts and either wooden or concrete gravel boards. The wooden posts and gravel boards are considered more aesthetically pleasing and more in keeping with the landscape, but, whilst slightly more expensive, concrete posts and gravel boards will last mush longer than wooden ones. It is also possible to mix these up and have concrete posts and wooden gravel boards, if you wanted.

A garden can be landscaped at any time of the year but there are certain aspects of landscaping that are better undertaken at certain times of the year.

Planting is best undertaken between November to March but container-grown shrubs and trees can be planted all year round.

Grass seed and turfing are best undertaken in the spring or autumn time, however turfing can be undertaken in the winter and also the summer, if regularly watered. Note, the ground preparation for both grass seeding and turfing can be more difficult in the summer, due to dry ground conditions, and in the winter, due to wet ground conditions.

Fencing and decking can be undertaken all year round and aren’t overly affected by the weather.

Patio installations are best undertaken between March to October when weather conditions tend to be milder and there is less risk of heavy rain. The outside temperatures need to be above 3 degrees Celsius, including overnight, to allow the materials to set and cure. Continuous heavy rain can also cause waterlogged ground that will affect the patio laying, so we tend to avoid any patio installations over the winter.

We receive the majority of our enquiries for garden landscaping in the spring time, when people are thinking of the summer, however please bear in mind it can take several weeks, sometimes months, to organize landscaping works. If you want your garden landscaped, ready for the summer, it is best to get in contact around January/ February to allow time for us to provide a quote, plan in the works and order in the required materials.

One of the reasons that patios are expensive is the materials required. This will include a protective ground-cover membrane, type 1 hardcore for the sub-base, sand and cement and, of course, the paving slabs and grout. Whilst most of the materials are relatively in-expensive in comparison, the paving slabs can cost anywhere between £20 to £50 per m2 with some flagship stone paving costing much more.

The second reason is the time that it takes to prepare and install the sub-base, ensuring the preparation is carried out correctly and to specification. Whilst the sub-base is not seen once the work is completed, it is just as important as the finished paving slabs and will be the main difference in regards to the longevity of the paving. A poorly constructed sub-base, using not the right materials and not to the required depth, will mean the paving may move, or lift, and the paving will not last as long compared to if it was done correctly.

Finally, the actual laying of the paving slabs is a slow process where each paving slabs has to be laid one at a time, in a continuous manner ensuring that it in the correct position, level and with equal width joints. Certain types of paving can take longer to lay than other with sandstone paving being relatively straightforward and porcelain paving being slightly more time-consuming to lay and grout.

It’s worth noting that a well-constructed patio will last 25, or more, year so it is worth investing in good quality materials and ensuring that it has been installed correctly, including the sub-base.

Hard Landscaping Case Studies

Explore some of our recent landscaping projects.

Garden improvement work

25/03/2025/by Marketing

Rear Garden Redesigned and Landscaped

09/01/2024/by Shara Vickers

Landscaping Garden Transformation

14/12/2023/by Shara Vickers

Landscaping Case Study – Garden Redesign

06/11/2023/by Shara Vickers

Hard Landscaping Articles

Creating a wildlife friendly garden

20/04/2025/by Marketing

Garden improvement work

25/03/2025/by Marketing

Preparing your garden for Spring

15/03/2025/by Marketing

Stump Grinding – Tree in poor health and causing damage

06/03/2025/by Marketing
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Reviews from our clients

S P Landscapes & Tree Contractors Ltd
4.8
Based on 37 reviews
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nicola kettlewell
10:40 01 Dec 23
Very happy with this Company, prompt reply to our request, communication excellent throughout. All the staff we dealt with were excellent and friendly. We were very happy with the work they did on our trees and would use them again.
Paul Hickman
19:01 08 Nov 23
Excellent service. Arrived on the day and time agreed. Both workmen were very professional. Work done as agreed and everything left tidy.
David Wood
08:34 13 Oct 23
Excellent job well done
Pam Auld
12:48 13 Sep 23
This was the 2nd time I have used this company and, as with the first time, they have done an excellent job at a reasonable price. I needed two hedges reduced in height, and on the hottest day of the year, two young men arrived, with all the gear and worked solidly for 3 hours. They were both polite and very professional, clearly knew their job and cleared away everything before leaving. I would have no hesitation in recommending this company and will definitely use again in the future.
Darren Sheppard
05:49 24 Aug 23
We had a very large beech tree and two other trees that required felling , at our school in Mildenhall . All of our concerns regarding safety and damage to buildings and astro turf were more that adequately addressed . I cannot praise this company enough . From start to finish , they were very efficient , very professional and very custoner focused . Great job guys .
Bill Ward
16:20 02 Feb 23
I hired SP Landscapes to 'crown reduce' one ash tree and pollard another suffering from ash dieback. This was a potentially tricky job and a large cherry picker was needed to safely access the trees. Also it was important that no heavy pieces or debris fell onto the garden office or into the next door property.The work was carried out with great professionalism, skill and courtesy throughout the two days. The three chaps were unfailingly polite and explained everything clearly. They left the site very clean and tidy.I wholeheartedly recommend SP Landscapes. You will pay a bit more but the peace of mind that comes from hiring a team that really know what they are doing is worth every penny.

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S.P. Landscapes & Tree Contractors
Arboracre, Elms Road
Red Lodge
Bury St. Edmunds
Suffolk, IP28 8TD

Call Us: 01638 750186

 

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