Garden landscaping in Colchester
Patios, paths, walls, steps, drainage, turf and planting, done by one team from the garden clearance to the finished garden.
What are you looking to have done?
Two quick questions and you'll see a guide price.
Which surface for your driveway?
Not sure? Pick the closest; Tom talks through the options on the survey.
Block paving: roughly what size?
A typical two-car drive is 40 to 50 m². A guess is fine; the free survey measures it properly.
Guide price
Pick a surface
Guide range. Larger areas come in lower per m²; the free survey fixes the price in writing.
Our typical rates per square metre
- Block paving: around £130
- Tumbled paving: around £150
- Resin bound: around £200
- Tarmac: around £130
- Imprinted concrete: around £130
- Gravel: priced on the phone
- Indian sandstone: around £180
- Porcelain: around £200
We do garden landscaping in Colchester and across Essex, hard and soft: patios, paths, walls and steps, drainage, new turf or artificial grass, sleeper raised beds and planting, through to fencing and decking as part of the garden. One team clears the garden, builds it and finishes it.
Drainage is part of the plan from the start, whether that's falls on the patio, a channel drain at the back door, a French drain or a soakaway. Get that right and the lawn and the patio stay usable all year.
We're a family-run firm based in Colchester. Tom comes out to look at the garden, talk through what you want and measure up, and the plan and price go in writing before any work starts. Every landscaping project carries its own written guarantee.
What goes into our gardens
The hard and soft landscaping we build, from our own jobs.
Patios and paths
Block paving, stone or porcelain, laid on a proper base with falls away from the house.
Artificial grass
A neat, mud-free lawn, here set into a resin bound patio with a block edge.
Sleeper raised beds
Timber sleeper beds planted up along a path, for growing at a comfortable height.
New turf
Fresh turf laid alongside a new path, edged so it stays neat.
Steps and walls
Curved brick steps and a retaining wall up to a raised patio.
Drainage
Channel drains, French drains and soakaways that take the water away before it pools.
Garden landscaping before and after
Two of our own garden jobs, photographed at the start and the finish.
Lawn and old patio to resin and artificial grass
A worn lawn and patio cleared and rebuilt as a golden resin bound patio with an artificial lawn.
Before 
After Old slabs to a new patio and lawn
Old slabs at the French doors replaced with grey tumbled block paving running out to the lawn.
Before 
After
Start with the drainage, then build the garden
Most garden problems are water problems: a lawn that turns to mud, a patio that puddles, a damp corner by the house. So the plan starts with where the water goes, before a slab is laid.
Falls on the patio take the rain away from the house. A channel drain at the back door catches what runs off the hard surfaces, and a French drain or a soakaway deals with ground that stays wet.
Then the garden is built on top: the patio and paths, the walls and steps, and the turf, beds and planting. Because it's one team, nothing waits on another trade.
How a landscaping project runs
Six stages from the first visit to the finished garden.
Step 01 / 06
Free visit
Tom looks at the garden, talks through what you want and measures up.
Step 02 / 06
Plan and quote
What we'll build and the price, in writing. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Step 03 / 06
Clear and groundwork
The garden cleared, the levels set and the drainage put in first.
Step 04 / 06
Hard landscaping
Patios, paths, walls, steps and raised beds built on proper bases.
Step 05 / 06
Soft landscaping
Turf or artificial grass laid, beds filled and planted.
Step 06 / 06
Hand over
The site cleared and swept and the written project guarantee handed over.
What customers say about their gardens
Verbatim from Google. Names as they appear on the review.
4.9 from 30 Google reviews5.0 from 90 on Yell5.0 from 16 on Facebook
charlie willis-foreman
April 2025 · Porcelain patio
Just had these boys round to do my porcalin slabs in my garden and if I could I'd give these boys 6 stars , most friendly and hard working boys I've ever set eyes on. Also these boys smashed out breaking my concrete base for my shed and re concreted within the day.
Abas Kociaj
January 2025 · Drive and patio
I was looking for a company to replace my drive and patio my friend recommended Tom and his company who had done he's around 10 years ago and still looks brilliant so I decided to go with them and they fulfilled my best expectations highly recommend great service 10/10
Wayne Parker
December 2025 · Driveway and patio
Great job on my new driveway A great bunch of guys wouldn't hesitate to recommend Installed a new driveway and patio will have them around next time to do my pathway couldn't recommend them enough
Why people pick First4Driveways for landscaping
What customers mention in their reviews, and what we put in writing.
One team throughout
Clearance, groundwork, hard and soft landscaping by the same team, so nothing waits on another trade.
Drainage done properly
French drains, soakaways and channel drains planned in from the start.
Tom quotes in person
He looks at the garden and talks it through himself. Nine Google reviewers mention him by name.
A guarantee in writing
Every landscaping project carries its own written guarantee, and every patio a 10-year one.
Landscaping questions
Straight answers to what people ask us most.
How much does garden landscaping cost?
Every garden is different, so landscaping is priced on the free visit. For patios we work from our own rates: Indian sandstone around £180 per m², porcelain around £200. See patios for more.
Do you clear the garden first?
Yes. Garden clearance is part of the job, before the groundwork and drainage go in.
Can you sort out a waterlogged garden?
Yes. Depending on where the water sits, that's falls on the patio, a channel drain, a French drain or a soakaway, planned in before anything is built on top.
Do you lay artificial grass?
Yes, as part of a landscaping job, often set into a patio or edged with block paving so it stays neat.
Do I need planning permission for garden landscaping?
Most garden work doesn't. In England, a new wall or fence generally needs permission if it's over 1 metre next to a road or footpath, or over 2 metres elsewhere. We'll flag anything that might on the visit.
Is it worth getting a garden designed?
Planning it properly is: where the water goes, where the sun falls and how you'll use the space. Tom talks that through on the free visit and puts the plan in writing with the quote.
Other jobs we do
One team for the drive, the patio and the garden. Every job starts with a free survey and a written quote.
Patios
10-year written guarantee
Indian sandstone, porcelain, tumbled block paving or granite setts on a compacted hardcore base and semi-dry mortar bed, with falls away from the house. Steps and raised beds too.
Patios
Resin driveways
10-year written guarantee
Resin bound only, never bonded. UV-stable resin and natural aggregate hand-trowelled to 18mm over a solid base. Walk on it after 24 hours, park on it after 48.
Resin driveways
Block paving
10-year written guarantee
Herringbone, basketweave or stretcher bond on a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, with concrete-haunched edges and a soldier-course border. Standard or tumbled blocks.
Block paving
Gravel driveways
5-year written guarantee
Gravel held in a cellular grid over a weed membrane, so it stays off the road and drains properly. Pea gravel, slate chips or Cotswold stone with timber, brick or granite edging.
Gravel driveways
Landscaping across Colchester and Essex
Based in Colchester. We landscape gardens across Essex; the towns below have their own pages.
Colchester
Our base. Every service, across the town and the villages around it.
Our base
Chelmsford
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across Chelmsford. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Chelmsford
Braintree
About 16 miles from our Colchester base. Driveways, patios and landscaping with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Braintree
Harlow
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across Harlow and Old Harlow. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Harlow
Hertford
Driveways, patios and landscaping across Hertford, Ware and the Hertfordshire villages around them.
Driveways in Hertford
St Albans
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across St Albans, Harpenden and the villages. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in St Albans
Bishop's Stortford
About 36 miles from our Colchester base along the A120. Driveways, patios and landscaping with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Bishop's Stortford
Southend
Block paving, resin driveways and patios from Leigh-on-Sea to Shoeburyness. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Southend
Brentwood
About 37 miles down the A12. Driveways and patios across Brentwood, Shenfield, Hutton and Ingatestone.
Driveways in Brentwood
Stevenage
Block paving, resin driveways and patios from the Old Town to Great Ashby. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Stevenage
Cambridge
Driveways, patios and landscaping across Cambridge and its villages, with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Cambridge
Also covering: Witham, Clacton-on-Sea, Maldon, Halstead, Basildon, Billericay, Wickford, Rayleigh, Saffron Walden, Burnham-on-Crouch and the villages between. Not listed? Call and ask.
Get a free quote
Let's talk about your drive or patio
First4Driveways is a family-run business based in Colchester. Tom comes out to quote every job in person, talks through the options and materials, and puts the price in writing before anything is dug up. Block paving, resin and patios carry a written 10-year workmanship guarantee; tarmac and gravel carry five years.
- Free survey and a written quote
- Written guarantee on every job
- Fully insured, public liability cover
- Family-run, based in Colchester
Need to talk now?
Call Tom directly
Start your free quote
Tell us about the drive or garden and we'll arrange a free survey.