Paving in Portsmouth

Paving is more than the slab on top

A path fails for the same reasons a driveway does: not enough excavation, an uncompacted base, no edge restraint and joints that were never properly filled. Foot traffic is gentler than a car, so the failure is slower — a rocking slab here, a sunken corner there — but the cause is identical.

We excavate to firm ground, lay and compact a granular sub-base, bed on a full mortar bed and restrain the edges, whether that is a haunched concrete edge against a border, a kerbline or an existing wall. Cuts are made cleanly with a disc, and the setting out starts from the most visible line — usually the house wall — so any cut course ends up where nobody looks.

Materials we work with

Natural stone slabs in sandstone, limestone, slate and granite, in single sizes or mixed-size project packs. Concrete paving in riven or smooth finishes, which offers consistent thickness and predictable cost. Porcelain where a clean, colour-stable modern line is wanted. Setts and cobbles for borders, curves and detail. And block paving where a path also has to take occasional vehicle loading.

Falls, drainage and levels

Every paved surface gets a designed fall — away from buildings, towards a border, channel or gully, never towards a neighbouring property. In tight side returns between terraced houses there is often only one place for water to go, and getting that decision right at setting-out stage is the whole job.

Where a path meets a door threshold we keep the finished level clear of the DPC and use a drainage channel if the levels are tight. Where it meets a lawn, the paving sits marginally below turf level so a mower can run over the edge without scalping.

Detailing that makes the difference

Small decisions carry a paved surface: a sett border to absorb the awkward cuts along an out-of-square boundary, a change of laying direction to stretch a narrow space, a stone threshold at a gate, planting pockets that stop a long path reading as a runway. We set out with string lines and dry-lay the first few square metres so you can see the pattern before anything is bedded down.

Get in touch with rough dimensions and we will arrange a visit.