07886 076588pavecreate@gmail.comCambridgeshire, Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire AboutServices Areas Our WorkReviewsContactGet a Free Quote - Home - Services - Groundwork & FoundationsGroundwork & foundations # Groundwork and Foundationsin St Neots Excavation, sub-base, edgings and drainage done to the depth the job actually needs, the part nobody sees, and the part that decides whether everything laid on top of it is still flat in ten years. Get a Free QuoteCall Martin on 07886 076588 35 years in the trade · Included as standard on every job · 5-year workmanship guarantee · No deposit 35 years in the trade No deposit, no payment until you're happy 5-year workmanship guarantee - Materials, groundwork and waste removal included Free, no-obligation quotes What this covers ## Groundwork & Foundations across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire Groundwork is everything that happens before the surface goes down: getting the old material out, preparing and compacting what is left, laying and consolidating a sub-base, setting edge restraints and forming the falls and drainage that decide where water ends up. On a PaveCreate job it is not a separate line to be negotiated away. Excavation, sub-base, edgings and drainage are included as standard on every job we carry out, because a driveway or patio is only ever as good as what is underneath it. That is what we mean by a full start-to-finish service: from the first dig to the final clean-up, the ground preparation is done by us as part of your job. ### When homeowners call us Preparing ground before a driveway, patio or lawn is laid - Sunken, rutted or rocking surfaces caused by a failed base - Standing water and rainwater running toward the house - Excavating and removing an old surface in full What happens if it is left ## The cost of leaving it another season Groundwork is the easiest thing to cut back on and the most expensive thing to get wrong, because every fault in it shows up in the surface above. ### The surface fails, not the base: apparently Ruts, dips and rocking slabs get blamed on the paving, but they are nearly always a base that was too thin or never properly compacted. Relaying the top is money spent on the wrong layer. ### Water ends up at the building Falls and drainage set wrong send rainwater at walls, thresholds and airbricks. That becomes a damp problem inside the house, which costs a great deal more than getting the levels right first time. ### Edges spread Without edge restraints, a surface pushes outward under load. Blocks open up, borders fall away and the whole area loses its shape. ### Everything has to come up again Base faults cannot be fixed from above. Putting them right means lifting the finished surface you have already paid for. ### Common mistakes we get called out to fix - |Laying a new surface directly over the old one to avoid excavation - |Skimping on sub-base depth because it will never be seen - |Tipping in material and not compacting it in layers - |Leaving out edge restraints on a driveway that carries vehicles - |Treating drainage as an extra rather than part of the build How we work ## Six stages, and you pay at the last one The same sequence runs through every job we carry out, groundwork & foundations included. - 01 ### Site visit and quote Free and no obligation. - 02 ### Excavation and waste removal The old surface comes out and goes away with us. - 03 ### Sub-base preparation The part you never see, and the part that decides how long it lasts. - 04 ### Edgings and drainage Laid so water goes where it should. - 05 ### Surface laid Your chosen surface, fitted by professional tradesmen. - 06 ### Clean-up and sign-off Everything cleared away, and only now do you pay. What you get ## What a PaveCreate job actually gives you ### Dug out to the right depth Excavation to suit the surface and the loading, rather than to whatever depth is quickest to get to. ### A sub-base that is consolidated Material laid and compacted so it carries load evenly instead of settling into ruts in the first winter. ### Edgings that hold the surface in Edge restraints set as part of the work so the finished surface keeps its line and cannot spread. ### Drainage designed in Falls and drainage formed as the job is built, directing water away from the house rather than into it. ### All spoil taken away Excavated material and old surfacing go with us, and the site is cleaned up at the end. ### Included, not an extra Groundwork is part of the one price on every job, with no deposit and nothing to pay until you are happy with the finished work. In detail ## Materials, methods and the options open to you ### Excavation and site clearance The first stage is taking out what is already there: old concrete, tarmac, block paving, slabs, turf or soft ground, down to a formation that can be built off. The spoil is loaded and removed rather than spread around the garden, and access, existing services and neighbouring surfaces all get worked out before anything is dug. ### Sub-base preparation The sub-base is the structural layer of any hard surface. Material is laid to depth and compacted, in layers where the depth calls for it, so it consolidates properly instead of settling under the first load it takes. Depth is set by what the surface will carry: a patio for a table and chairs and a driveway carrying vehicles are not the same build. ### Edgings and restraints Edge courses, kerbs and restraints hold the surface together and give the finished area its line. On block paving and resin surfaces in particular they are what stops the edges creeping outward under repeated vehicle loading. ### Drainage and falls Every hard surface has to be told where to send its water. Falls are set so surface water runs clear of the building, and drainage is formed to take it away: particularly important where a new surface replaces ground that was previously soaking rain up. - Falls set away from walls and thresholds - Drainage formed as part of the build - Permeable surfaces where run-off needs reducing - Levels checked against the damp-proof course ### Why the invisible stage matters most Two driveways can look identical on the day they are finished and behave completely differently three winters later. The difference is nearly always what was done below the surface. That is why the same groundwork sequence runs through every job we carry out, whatever the finish on top. Where we work ## Groundwork & Foundations in your town We carry out groundwork & foundations for homes across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire and the surrounding towns and villages. - St Neots - Bedford - Sawtry - Huntingdon - Wellingborough - Cambridge - Rushden - Sandy - Northampton - Eaton Socon - Little Paxton - Kimbolton - Buckden - St IvesCheck your areaSee our work Common questions ## Groundwork & Foundations: questions we get asked Is groundwork included in your quotes?Yes. Excavation, sub-base, edgings and drainage are included as standard on every job we carry out, along with removal of all the waste. How much does groundwork cost?It depends on the area, the depth needed and what has to be excavated and taken away, so it is priced after a free site visit rather than over the phone. How deep should a driveway sub-base be?It depends on the ground conditions and what the surface has to carry, a patio and a driveway taking vehicles are built differently. The depth is set at the site visit once the ground has been looked at. Can groundwork fix my drainage problem?Often, yes. Falls and drainage are formed as part of the build so water is directed away from the house instead of ponding or running back toward it. Do you take all the spoil away?Yes. Excavated material and the old surface are removed and taken with us, and the site gets a full clean-up. Do you need a deposit for groundwork?No. There is no deposit and no payment of any kind until the job is finished and you are happy with it. Is the work guaranteed?Yes, a 5-year workmanship guarantee on all work carried out, covering everything but fair wear and tear. Also worth doing at the same time ## Related services ### Driveways A driveway that drains properly ### Patios A patio that stays flat ### Brickwork Walls built off a proper foundation Back to the homepage, or see all our services. Next step ## Get a free quote for your groundwork & foundations Send a few details or call Martin directly. Quotes are free and no-obligation, there is no deposit, and no payment of any kind until the job is finished and you are happy with it. - 5-year workmanship guarantee on all work carried out - Materials, groundwork, drainage and waste removal included07886 076588 Driveways, patios, fencing and landscaping across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire. Every job start to finish, no deposit, and no payment until you are happy with it. ### Pages - Home - About - Services - Areas We Cover - Our Work - Reviews - Contact ### What we do - Driveway installation in St Neots - Patio laying in Bedford - Fencing and gates installation - Garden landscaping and turfing - Groundwork and foundations - Brickwork, walls and steps ### Get in touch - 07886 076588 - pavecreate@gmail.com - The Stables, Kimbolton Road, Hail Weston, St Neots, PE19 5LBAreas covered: St Neots · Bedford · Huntingdon · Cambridge · Sawtry · Sandy · Wellingborough · Rushden · Northampton · Eaton Socon · Little Paxton · Kimbolton · Buckden · St Ives © 2026 PaveCreate. All rights reserved.Cookie PolicyPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions5-year workmanship guarantee on all work carried out.