Paving
Indian Sandstone Paving
Indian sandstone is a comfortable match for the brick and render of Cardiff's Victorian streets, and its warm tones lift a yard that only gets a few hours of sun.
A lot of Cardiff back gardens are really yards: a narrow walled rectangle behind a Victorian terrace, often with tired concrete, a few cracked slabs and a drain in the corner. Paving is usually the whole garden there, so the choice of stone and the way it is laid matter more than they would on a big suburban plot. T J Landscapes lays patios, paths and driveways right across the city, from the terraces of Roath and Canton to the semis of Whitchurch, Rhiwbina and Llanishen and the newer streets out at Pontprennau.
Tony and the team come out, measure up, look at levels and drainage and give you a free quote with honest advice on materials. If you are still weighing up the wider garden, our Cardiff landscaping page covers the rest of what we do in the city, or you can send us a message now.
All six of our materials get laid in Cardiff, but some sit more naturally with terraced yards and others with suburban patios or front drives.
Indian sandstone is a comfortable match for the brick and render of Cardiff's Victorian streets, and its warm tones lift a yard that only gets a few hours of sun.
Porcelain is a strong choice for shaded, walled Cardiff yards where moss and green algae build up, because it takes in so little water and cleans with a brush and hose.
Where a Llandaff or Victorian villa garden has stone walls or old garden features, natural stone ties new paving in with what is already there.
Sawn limestone gives a calm, tidy finish that suits a modern kitchen extension opening onto a small Cardiff garden.
Granite copes with heavy foot traffic, bikes and bins wheeled through a side passage, which makes it a practical pick for busy city households.
Block paving is what most people want when a Cardiff front garden is being turned into off-road parking, laid on a deeper sub-base with a plan for the rainwater.
In a yard a few metres wide, every slab is on show and every mistake in the levels ends up as a puddle by the back door. We start by finding where the water goes now: often to an old gully, sometimes nowhere at all. The new surface is set below the damp proof course and falls gently to a drain or channel, so rain runs away from the house rather than towards it.
Big-format slabs can make a small space look larger because there are fewer joints to break it up, and a light colour helps in a yard shaded by high walls. We also think about the bins, the washing line and the route from the back gate or rear lane, because in a compact Cardiff garden those everyday things take up real room. Our guide to patio ideas for walled back gardens in Roath and Canton has more on making the most of the space, and making the most of a small Cardiff terrace garden looks at the whole yard.
Some Cardiff terraces have a lane behind them and some do not. Where there is no back access, every bag of sub-base, every slab and every barrow of spoil goes through the house. That is completely doable, and we lay down protection over floors and door frames and keep the route clean, but it does add time, so we allow for it honestly in the quote rather than surprising you later.
On-street parking is another city factor. Deliveries of stone and a skip or grab lorry need somewhere to stop, and in some streets a skip on the road needs a council permit. We plan the delivery with you so the pallets arrive when we are ready for them and the pavement is not blocked for longer than it needs to be.
Working in a busy city brings its own problems. This is how we deal with them.
Through-house carries, lane access, parking and skip permits are sorted before we start, not discovered on the first morning.
In a walled Cardiff yard there is nowhere for water to hide, so we set the falls and drains carefully before any slab goes down.
If your front garden is too shallow for a car or the kerb is a problem, we will say so rather than sell you a drive that does not work.
Pointing is finished neatly, the paving is washed off and the waste goes with us, so the yard is ready to use straight away.
Parking is tight in many parts of Cardiff, so we are often asked whether the front garden can take a car. Sometimes it can, sometimes the space is too shallow or the kerb cannot be dropped. A new or widened dropped kerb needs approval from Cardiff Council, and a new hard surface at the front of a house generally needs to be permeable or drain onto a planted area to avoid needing planning permission. Parts of the city, such as Llandaff, are conservation areas with extra considerations. We are landscapers rather than planners, so check with the council first.
If it goes ahead, a driveway is built differently from a patio: deeper dig, a thicker compacted sub-base, strong edge restraints and falls that keep water off the pavement. Our local guide, should a Cardiff front garden become a driveway?, walks through the questions, and block paving driveways: what to ask before you book covers the build.
Out in the interwar semis and newer estates, the question is usually size and position rather than squeezing things in. A patio straight off the back doors is the obvious choice, but many Cardiff suburban gardens get their best sun at the far end, where a second paved seating area often earns its keep. Some newer estate gardens have compacted builders' spoil just under the turf, and we dig that out rather than paving over it, as explained in how a patio should be laid.
Paving often goes in alongside other work in these gardens, so it is worth looking at new fencing in Cardiff or fresh turf at the same time, when the ground is already open.
Real reviews from homeowners across Cardiff — 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 Cardiff 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.
Yes. Materials and spoil come through the house, with floors and doorways protected. It takes a little longer, so we build that into the quote from the start.
Porcelain is usually the lowest-maintenance choice because it absorbs very little water. Natural stone looks lovely but tends to need more regular cleaning in shade. See how to clean and look after a new patio.
Often not, if the surface is permeable or drains to a planted area, but a dropped kerb needs council approval and conservation areas can have extra rules. Please check with Cardiff Council before you commit.
Size, the material you choose, how much old concrete has to come out, drainage, and access, especially whether everything has to be carried through the house. We give a free, itemised quote after seeing the garden.
Usually. We lift the area, find out why it moved and rebuild the base. Our guide on why patios sink, crack or lift explains the common causes.
Tell us which part of Cardiff you are in, roughly how big the area is and whether there is rear access. Photos help us plan the visit.