Paving
Indian Sandstone Paving
Indian sandstone is the popular all-rounder for a Newport semi, warm-toned and grippy underfoot on a riven finish.
Newport is a city of semis. Interwar and post-war houses line the roads out to Malpas, Bettws and Rogerstone, and large newer estates have grown up around them, with Victorian terraces nearer the centre and older homes in Caerleon and Langstone. Most of these gardens share the same wish list: a patio big enough for the family, a path that does not flood, and often a front drive for a second car.
T J Landscapes lays patios, paths and block paving across Newport, and our base in Pontypool is only a short drive up the valley. Tony and the team give free quotes and straight advice. Our Newport landscaping page covers the wider garden, or send us a few details to book a visit.
Here is how each of our six materials tends to work on Newport's semis, terraces and newer estates.
Indian sandstone is the popular all-rounder for a Newport semi, warm-toned and grippy underfoot on a riven finish.
Porcelain appeals to families on newer Newport estates who want a crisp, modern patio that wipes clean after muddy football boots and barbecues.
Natural stone sits well beside the older houses and stone boundary walls around Caerleon and Langstone.
Limestone gives a smart, even finish to a new kitchen extension patio in a Newport semi, best kept in the parts of the garden that drain well.
Granite is a tough, low-fuss option for side paths and busy routes to the shed or back gate.
Block paving is the go-to for Newport front drives, with permeable blocks a good way to handle rain on flatter plots.
Parts of Newport sit low beside the River Usk, and plenty of gardens across the city have heavy ground that stays wet through the winter. On a flat plot with slow-draining soil, a patio laid without proper falls turns into a shallow pond after every downpour. We set a steady fall away from the house, add channel drains at the doors where the levels are tight, and on the wettest sites look at a soakaway or land drain beyond the paving.
Our local guide, patio drainage in Newport: avoiding standing water, covers this in depth, and the wider picture for soggy lawns and borders is in how to stop a garden waterlogging.
Many Newport semis still have the grey concrete slabs that went down decades ago, now cracked, uneven and rocking. Laying over them only raises the level towards the damp proof course and passes the old movement on, so we break them out and start again with a compacted sub-base, as set out in how a patio should be laid.
Families usually want the patio wide enough for a table and a play area for the children, with a hard path down to the shed. We plan the paving around a new lawn, the washing line and a spot for bikes, and many Newport customers fit new fencing at the same time while the garden is open. For layout ideas, see garden makeover ideas for Newport semis.
Down-to-earth paving work, planned properly from the ground up.
On flat, heavy Newport ground, the falls and drains are planned before anything else, so the new patio sheds water from the first storm.
We break out tired concrete and build a proper base, rather than hiding problems under a new surface.
Patios sized for real tables, play space and bikes, with paths to the places you walk every day.
Newport is just down the road from our Pontypool base, which makes visits and quotes easy to arrange.
Most Newport semis have a side passage or a shared path, which makes getting a barrow round the back fairly straightforward. Terraces nearer the centre can be tighter, and we plan those carries before we start. Stone is delivered on pallets to the front, the old surface is broken out and removed, and the sub-base goes in and is compacted in layers before the slabs are bedded on mortar.
Heavy rain or frost can pause the bedding and pointing for a day, because fresh mortar does not like either, so we keep you told about any change in the plan. At the end the joints are finished, the paving is washed down and the waste leaves with us. If something about the finished patio is not right, tell us and we will come back and look at it.
A second car and narrow roads mean front drives are one of the most common paving jobs we quote for in Newport. Block paving is the usual choice because it takes the weight of a car, looks tidy and can be lifted and relaid if a service pipe needs work. Slabs can work on a drive too, but they need to be the right thickness and fully bedded.
A dropped kerb needs approval from Newport City Council, and a new front hard surface generally has to be permeable or drain to a garden area to avoid needing planning permission. Check with the council first. Our Newport article block paving or slabs for a Newport driveway? compares the two, and block paving driveways: what to ask before you book lists the questions worth asking any installer.
Real reviews from homeowners across Newport — 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 Newport 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 the falls are too shallow or run the wrong way, or the base has sunk in places. On heavy ground it can also be that there is nowhere for the water to go. We can relay the surface with proper falls and add drainage where needed.
Block paving is the more common choice because it spreads the load of a car and is easy to repair. Thick, fully bedded slabs can work too. We will talk through both on site.
Yes, along with Rogerstone, Bassaleg, Malpas, Bettws and the rest of Newport. In the older parts of Caerleon we often suggest natural stone to suit the houses.
The size of the area, the material, how much old paving has to be broken out and taken away, drainage, levels and access for barrows. A free quote after a visit is the only reliable way to know.
Sweep it often, clear leaves before they stain, and give it a proper clean once or twice a year. Our guide to looking after a new patio has the details.
Let us know which part of Newport you are in, what is there now and whether you are thinking about the back garden, the drive or both.