Services
Groundworks
The work below and around the build. It is the part nobody sees once the job is finished.
Free no obligation quotes.
What it covers
Site clearance, digging out, foundations, oversite concrete, bases for garden buildings, retaining walls and service ducts.
Building control
Foundations for an extension are part of the building work, so they come under the Building Regulations. Building control can require notice of the stages it wants to inspect, such as the foundation dig. If they want to see it, the concrete waits.
Neighbours
Digging within 3 metres of next door's building, and deeper than their foundations, needs a party wall notice. So can digging within 6 metres, if the dig cuts a line drawn down at 45 degrees from their foundations. That notice is one month.
Drains, sewers and trees
Building over or within 3 metres of a drain or sewer on the sewer records means consulting its owner first. For a public sewer that is the water company.
A tree with a preservation order needs the council's consent before it is cut or felled. In a conservation area you give the council 6 weeks' notice of most tree work.
What you need to know
- Building regulations
- Foundations for an extension are building work, so they come under them.
- Building control
- Can ask to see the foundation dig before the concrete goes in.
- Party wall
- A notice to next door, one month ahead, if you dig within 3 metres of their building and deeper than their foundations.
- Drains and sewers
- Talk to the water company before building over or within 3 metres of a public sewer.
- Trees
- The council's consent for a protected tree, and 6 weeks' notice for most tree work in a conservation area.
These are the general rules, from GOV.UK and the Planning Portal. Every house is different, so check your own job with the council or building control.
How a job runs
Step 1: Enquire
Ring, or send a few lines about the site and your postcode.
Step 2: Visit and quote
We come out, look at the site and the access, and give you a free no obligation quote.
Step 3: Build
Then the dig, the concrete and the inspections.
Free no obligation quotes.
The work
Photos from our own jobs.
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Questions about groundworks
What does groundworks cover?
Everything below and around the build: clearing the site, digging out, foundations, oversite concrete, service ducts, bases for garden buildings and retaining walls. It is the part you cannot see once the job is finished, which is why building control can ask to inspect it before it is covered. Ask us for a free no obligation quote.
Will building control inspect my foundations?
Building control can require notice of the stages it wants to inspect, and the foundation dig is a common one. You also tell them before work starts and within 5 days of finishing. Check what your building control body wants to see before the first trench is dug, so nothing gets covered up too early.
Do I need to tell my neighbour before digging foundations?
Yes, if you dig within 3 metres of their building and deeper than their foundations. Also within 6 metres, if the dig cuts a line drawn down at 45 degrees from the bottom of their foundations. That notice is one month. Your neighbour can agree in writing, or surveyors settle it with a party wall award.
What about trees near the work?
A tree with a preservation order needs the council's consent before you cut, lop or fell it, unless the work is needed to carry out a full planning permission. In a conservation area you give the council 6 weeks' notice of most tree work. Check before any roots are cut.
Can I build over a drain or sewer?
Sometimes. Building over or within 3 metres of a drain or sewer on the sewer records means consulting its owner, which for a public sewer is the water company. Larger or deeper sewers need their permission, and more than 6 metres of pipe under a building needs their permission too.
What drives the cost of groundworks?
Access for equipment, the type of ground, how much spoil has to go, the depth of the foundations, and what is in the way, such as drains, services and tree roots. A site visit answers most of it. Ring, or send a few lines and ask us for a free no obligation quote.
Get a quote
Ask for a free no obligation quote
Ring, or send a few lines about the job and your postcode.