Brickwork in Ebbw Vale
Garden and Boundary Walls
Freestanding walls in Ebbw Vale get soaked from both sides and the top, so we build them from bricks rated for severe exposure and finish them with a coping that throws the rain well clear.
Ebbw Vale sits at the head of the Ebbw Fawr valley, higher up than most of the towns we work in, and its gardens feel it. Rain comes in heavier and more often, the ground stays wet for longer, and winters bring more nights of frost. For brickwork that means two things above all: water has to be given a way out from behind every wall, and every brick, stone and joint has to shrug off freezing and thawing year after year.
Tony and the team build garden walls and brickwork across Ebbw Vale, from the old terraced streets on the valley sides to the newer estates higher up. That includes retaining walls, steps, planters, piers and repairs, all quoted free. The Ebbw Vale landscaping page covers our wider work in the town, or you can send us the details and we will come and look.
Our six kinds of brickwork, and how the altitude, the rain and the slopes of Ebbw Vale shape each one.
Freestanding walls in Ebbw Vale get soaked from both sides and the top, so we build them from bricks rated for severe exposure and finish them with a coping that throws the rain well clear.
Retaining walls are where the wet ground in Ebbw Vale matters most, and every one we build has free-draining stone behind it and weep holes through it so water cannot build up and push.
Steps on a sloping Ebbw Vale plot need a slightly rough finish and a fall on each tread so rain runs off rather than sitting and freezing into a slippery sheet.
Raised beds and patio walls give Ebbw Vale gardens somewhere to grow and sit above the wettest ground, and we build them with drainage so the brickwork itself does not stay sodden.
Brick piers on Ebbw Vale drives and gateways are capped carefully, because an open or cracked top lets in water that freezes and splits the pier from the inside.
A lot of repair work in Ebbw Vale is frost damage: faces blown off bricks, mortar crumbling from joints, and coping stones that have lifted and let the weather into the wall.
Soil that is full of water is much heavier than dry soil, and it pushes sideways on anything holding it back. In a town as wet as Ebbw Vale, a retaining wall without drainage behind it is fighting that pressure for months of the year, and most of the leaning and bulging walls we are asked to look at have exactly that problem.
The fix is built in from the start. Behind a new wall we place a band of clean stone so water can drain down freely, with weep holes through the lower courses and, where the ground is especially wet, a perforated pipe at the base to carry water away to a soakaway or drain. The local guides on retaining walls for Ebbw Vale hillside gardens and drainage for wet gardens in Ebbw Vale go into both sides of it.
The terraced housing that grew up with the steelworks sits on the valley sides, so its back gardens tend to be narrow and steep, often with old stone retaining walls holding each level. Here the work is often repairing or rebuilding what is already there, and planning around access through the house or a back lane.
The newer estates in Ebbw Vale were built higher and on more open ground. Their gardens are usually wider and more regular, but they catch more wind and rain, and the soil on some plots is thin over a lot of clay or builders' rubble. The typical jobs there are a low retaining wall to level the lawn, a patio wall, or piers for a new drive. Our guide to making a sloping Ebbw Vale garden usable compares approaches for both.
Brickwork planned for the rain, the frost and the slope.
No retaining wall leaves our hands without a way for water to escape from behind it.
Materials, copings and working times are chosen with Ebbw Vale's winters in mind.
Walls set the levels for patio paving in Ebbw Vale and fencing in Ebbw Vale, so we plan them together.
If a wall is tall enough to need an engineer, we will say so. Read when a retaining wall needs engineering advice.
Not every brick is suitable for a garden wall at the top of a valley. Some facing bricks are fine on a house but break down quickly when they are wet on both sides and frozen for several nights in a row. We use bricks and blocks rated for that level of exposure, and a mortar mix to suit them.
The coping on top does more work than people expect. A good overhang with a drip underneath keeps rain off the face of the wall, which is where frost damage starts. See choosing bricks and coping for a garden wall for the options, and gardens that cope with Ebbw Vale's upland weather for the wider picture.
Real reviews from homeowners across Ebbw Vale — 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 Ebbw Vale 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.
Usually because water has built up in the soil behind them with nowhere to go, and the extra weight has pushed the wall over time. A shallow footing on soft, wet ground makes it worse. Rebuilding with drainage and a proper footing deals with the cause, not just the symptom. Garden wall foundations explains more.
We can do some work in winter, but mortar should not be laid in frost, and very wet spells slow things down. For a large wall we often suggest spring to autumn, and we will be honest about timing when we quote.
Height, length, footing depth, the drainage needed behind it, the material you choose, how much soil comes out and how easy access is. Removing an old failing wall adds to the work. Quotes are free, so get in touch.
Yes. We give each tread a slight fall so water runs off, use a surface with some grip and keep every rise the same. Our guide to garden steps in brick and stone covers how we set them out.
Tell us what the wall or steps need to do, roughly how big they are and your part of Ebbw Vale, and we will arrange a free visit.