Do You Only Do Hard Landscaping Around Ponds?

No. We carry out hard landscaping on its own as well as alongside our pond and waterfall work, including patios, paths, block paving, decking, retaining walls, gravel and pergolas.

Do I Need Planning Permission For A Patio Or Driveway?

Most patios in back gardens do not need permission. For driveways and paving in front gardens, the rules depend on the size of the area and whether the surface lets water drain through it, so we will check what applies to your project.

Can You Clean An Existing Patio Or Driveway?

Yes. We offer jet washing for patios, paths, driveways and walls as part of our garden and grounds maintenance.

Can You Help Plan The Whole Garden?

Yes. We can plan the hard landscaping and the planting together with any pond or water feature, so the whole garden works as one.

Do You Work On Commercial Sites?

Yes. As well as private gardens, we carry out hard landscaping for businesses and other commercial sites.

A waterfall below a sleeper retaining wall, falling into a cobble stream

Hard Landscaping · Cambridgeshire

Hard Landscaping

Patios, paths, paving, decking, walls and pergolas, finished to the same standard as the water they sit around.

Arrange A Visit Call 07568 488223

Paving, Paths And Walls

The Shape Of A Good Garden.

The paving, paths and walls in a garden give it its shape and decide how well it works from day to day. We carry out hard landscaping on its own and as part of our pond and waterfall work, so the whole garden is finished to the same standard.

We are a family run business based at Willingham, building patios, paths, block paving, decking, retaining walls and pergolas for homes and businesses across Cambridge, Huntingdon, St Neots, Newmarket and Saffron Walden.

A small wildlife pond set into a brick paved patio, with a log edge and cobbles

Patios, Paths And Paving Around The Water

A pond looks its best when the area around it is finished properly. We build patios that run right up to the water, stepping stones and paths that lead to it, and stone edging that blends the pond into the paving. Because we build the pond and the paving together, the levels and the details line up.

Paving needs a solid, well drained base to stay level, so we take care over the groundwork before anything is laid. It is the part you never see, and the part that decides how the patio will look in years to come.

Sloping Gardens

From Slope To Terraces.

Drag the slider to see how retaining walls can turn a sloping garden into level spaces you can use, with a waterfall where the levels change.

Stage One Of Three

A Slope You Cannot Use

A sloping garden is hard to sit in, play on or plant, and rain runs straight down it.

Stage Two Of Three

Walls Create The Levels

Retaining walls hold the soil back to create level terraces, raised beds and seating areas, with drainage behind them so they stay sound.

Stage Three Of Three

Water Where The Levels Change

A change in level is the natural place for a waterfall, running down into a pond on the lowest terrace.

An illustration. Every wall is designed for its own site, with drainage behind it.

A stream running beside timber decking and a sleeper retaining wall

Retaining Walls And Sloping Gardens

Sloping gardens can be hard to use, but they are ideal for waterfalls and streams. Retaining walls hold back the soil to create level terraces, raised beds and seating areas, and a slope can be turned into a series of falls running down into a pond.

We build retaining walls in a range of materials to suit the house and the garden, with drainage behind them so they stay sound. You can see how a slope becomes a feature on our waterfall installation page.

Hard Landscaping

What We Offer.

Patios: Patios laid on a properly prepared base, in natural stone or paving to suit the house and the garden.
Block Paving: Hard wearing block paving for driveways, paths and patios.
Decking: Decking for seating and dining areas, including decks beside a pond.
Retaining Walls: Walls that hold back soil on sloping gardens to create level areas, terraces and raised beds.
Gravel: Low maintenance gravel for paths, driveways and borders, laid over a weed membrane.
Pergolas: Pergolas that add shade, height and structure to a patio or seating area.

Decking, Gravel And Pergolas

Decking is a good way to create a seating area, especially on uneven ground or beside a pond. Gravel is a low maintenance choice for paths, driveways and borders, and it works well with natural stone and planting. Pergolas add height, shade and somewhere for climbing plants to grow.

We can design the hard landscaping with you as part of a wider plan for the garden, or simply build what you already have in mind.

Levels, Falls And Drainage

Every hard surface has to shed rainwater somewhere. A patio is laid with a gentle fall away from the house, paths are set so water runs off them rather than sitting in puddles, and where a large area is paved we think about where the water will go, whether that is a soakaway, a border or a surface such as gravel that lets it drain through.

Levels matter most where paving meets water. Around a pond we set the paving so that rain runs away from the pond rather than into it, which keeps soil and fertiliser out of the water and helps it stay clear. It is a small detail, and one that makes a real difference to the pond over the years.

Hard Landscaping For Businesses

We also carry out hard landscaping on commercial sites, from paths and paving to raised beds and seating areas, and we can keep the grounds looking good afterwards with our grounds maintenance service.

Whether the work is at home or at your business, it can be combined with a garden water feature to give the space a focal point.

Common Questions

Questions About Hard Landscaping.

: No. We carry out hard landscaping on its own as well as alongside our pond and waterfall work, including patios, paths, block paving, decking, retaining walls, gravel and pergolas.
: Most patios in back gardens do not need permission. For driveways and paving in front gardens, the rules depend on the size of the area and whether the surface lets water drain through it, so we will check what applies to your project.
: Yes. We offer jet washing for patios, paths, driveways and walls as part of our garden and grounds maintenance.
: Yes. We can plan the hard landscaping and the planting together with any pond or water feature, so the whole garden works as one.
: Yes. As well as private gardens, we carry out hard landscaping for businesses and other commercial sites.

More answers on our questions page, or call 07568 488223.

Where Next

A garden pond with stone edges, water plants and flowering borders

Garden And Grounds Maintenance

Seasonal pond care, lawns, borders, hedges, weed control and jet washing, for homes and commercial sites.

Get In Touch

Tell Us About Your Garden.

Send a few lines and a photograph if you have one. We will come and look, talk it through on site and send a written quotation afterwards.

Arrange A Visit 07568 488223 info@riverrockwatergardens.co.uk

Where We Work

Hard Landscaping Across Cambridgeshire.

Based at Willingham, we work across Cambridgeshire and into Bedfordshire, Suffolk and Essex.

All Areas We Cover