Brickwork in Aberbeeg
Garden and Boundary Walls
A freestanding garden wall on low, damp ground in Aberbeeg needs a damp proof course and frost-hardy bricks in the bottom courses, or water wicking up from the soil will slowly break down the base.
Aberbeeg is where the Ebbw Fach and the Ebbw Fawr come together, and the village is squeezed into the narrow valley bottom between them. That gives its gardens an unusual mix of problems. Behind many houses the hillside rises steeply and has to be held back. Down on the lower ground, close to the rivers, the soil tends to stay damp for much of the year. Walls here are fighting both at once.
Tony and the team build and repair garden walls and brickwork for Aberbeeg's terraces and older cottages: retaining walls against the bank, garden walls built to cope with damp, steps, small raised beds and careful repairs to old stonework. Aberbeeg is a short drive up the valleys from our Pontypool base, the quote is free, and you can get in touch here. For our other work in the village, see the Aberbeeg landscaping page.
The six kinds of brickwork we build, and what each has to cope with on Aberbeeg's steep banks and damp lower ground.
A freestanding garden wall on low, damp ground in Aberbeeg needs a damp proof course and frost-hardy bricks in the bottom courses, or water wicking up from the soil will slowly break down the base.
Retaining walls are the main event in Aberbeeg, where the valley side rises close behind many homes and the bank above the back yard has to be held firmly in place.
Steps up to a higher part of an Aberbeeg garden are often short and steep, so we fit the flight to the space and keep every rise the same so it is safe in the wet.
In a small Aberbeeg yard, a raised bed or a low wall round a paved area creates somewhere dry to grow and sit, lifted above the dampest soil.
Piers are an occasional job in Aberbeeg, typically to frame a gate at the front of a cottage or to square off the end of a rebuilt boundary wall.
Older cottage walls in Aberbeeg are often stone laid in lime, and repairing them in a matching soft mortar lets moisture out instead of trapping it where frost can split the stone.
On the steeper plots in Aberbeeg, the back of the garden is often a bank, held up by a wall built when the houses went up. Rain running down the valley side soaks into the soil behind that wall, and without a way out it builds up pressure until the face bows or cracks. The wall at the back of a yard is sometimes only a few paces from the kitchen window, so it pays to take any movement seriously.
A new or rebuilt retaining wall here gets a footing on firm ground, clean stone backfill so water can drain down, weep holes at the base and, where the bank is tall or supports a path or building, a design from a structural engineer. Our local guide to retaining walls on steep ground in Aberbeeg goes into the options, and when a retaining wall needs engineering advice sets out the thresholds.
Lower down, the challenge in Aberbeeg is damp rather than slope. Soil near the rivers can stay wet well into spring, which softens the ground under a footing and keeps the base of a wall wet for long spells. We dig footings down past the soft layer to something firm, use a damp proof course a little above ground level and choose bricks or stone rated for constant moisture.
If your garden runs down towards either river, check with Natural Resources Wales before building anything close to the bank, since work near a main river can need a permit. We are landscapers, not planners, but we will flag it if we think it applies. The guide on dealing with damp ground in an Aberbeeg garden covers drainage that helps walls and lawns alike.
Walls built for a place that is steep and damp at the same time.
Every quote in Aberbeeg allows for the water coming down the hill and the damp coming up from below.
We repoint and rebuild older stonework in a mortar that suits it. Read about garden wall foundations for why the base matters too.
Village streets are narrow, so we keep deliveries tidy and take all the rubble and spoil away.
Tony and the team come out, look at the wall and the ground, and quote at no charge.
Many Aberbeeg gardens are small, so every wall has to earn its place. A low brick wall can turn an uneven yard into a level paved area, with a raised bed along one side for herbs or flowers and a short run of steps up to whatever ground lies behind. Built in stone or a brick that matches the house, it can make a cramped space feel planned instead of left over.
The paving side of that is covered in patio paving for Aberbeeg cottages, and if the ground is too uneven for paving, garden decking in Aberbeeg can sit on a level frame instead. For the brickwork, see building brick raised beds and planters and garden steps in brick and stone.
Real reviews from homeowners across Aberbeeg — rated 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 69 reviews and 10/10 on Checkatrade.
“Had my patio done by the company and could not be happier. Top quality work done and quickly too.”
“I was pleased to find Tony and his lads were absolutely great! Tony responded quickly & was very polite.”
“We were delighted with the work and materials, which were of very high quality. Tony and team helped us.”
Local and practical guides to help you plan the work.
One team for the whole garden, so a single visit can price everything you have in mind.
We cover Aberbeeg and the towns around it. Choose another area below.
T J Landscapes South Wales
24 Conway Road, Pontypool
Torfaen, NP4 6HL
We cover homes right across South Wales, from Cardiff and the coast up to the valleys and the Brecon Beacons.
If it is bulging, cracked in a stepped line, leaning or dropping stones, it needs looking at soon. Keep people and heavy loads off the top until it has been checked, then ask us round for a free assessment of whether to repair or rebuild.
Damp soil keeps the base wet, and repeated freezing and thawing breaks down soft bricks and mortar. A damp proof course, frost-resistant materials and drainage stop that on a new wall. Our guide to choosing bricks and coping explains which bricks to use.
Its height and length, how deep the footing has to go on damp ground, the drainage behind it, the materials, the amount of soil to remove and how easy the access is. Quotes are free, so get in touch.
Yes. On older properties in Aberbeeg a stone wall usually looks best, and we reuse sound stone from the old wall where we can.
Tell us what the wall needs to hold back or enclose, roughly its size and whether the ground is steep or damp, and we will arrange a visit to Aberbeeg.