Garden SurveyorGuides
Job-first guides: regulations and craft knowledge, by domain.
This app provides general UK guidance and material estimates only. It is not legal, planning, engineering or building-control advice. Always confirm requirements with your local planning authority, building control, utility providers, manufacturers or qualified professionals.
In-depth guides
How to lay turf: step-by-step UK guide
Ground preparation, the best time of year, laying rolls with staggered joints, watering and aftercare, with a built-in turf calculator.
How to stripe a lawn: mowing patterns guide
How stripes really work, the kit you need, and step-by-step stripes, checkerboards, diamonds and waves for a bowling-green finish.
How to lay artificial grass: fake turf install guide
Lay artificial grass (fake / astro turf) on grass, soil or concrete, base prep, membrane, joining, pinning and infill, with a built-in calculator.
How to lay a patio: step-by-step UK guide
Plan, excavate, build a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, lay slabs on a full mortar bed to a drainage fall, then point the joints, with a built-in patio planner.
Porcelain vs natural stone: patio comparison
Thickness, jointing, wastage and when each is best for UK sites, a side-by-side comparison of porcelain and natural stone patio paving.
Sub-Base & MOT Type 1: full spec guide
Depths for patios and driveways, Type 1 vs Type 3 permeable, SHW Clause 803, compaction and tonnage, with a built-in calculator.
Every guide, by job
Patios & paving
Falls, bedding mixes, joint widths and edge restraint, the UK patio rules of thumb that decide whether your new paving survives the first wet winter.
Driveways
Permeable surfaces, front-garden planning rules, sub-base depths that carry vehicle loads and dropped kerb approvals, costed for UK driveway projects.
Gravel & aggregates
Decorative gravel depths, MOT Type 1 sub-base specs and bulk densities, what a tonne per cubic metre really buys you, and how much to order for UK jobs.
Turf & soil
Topsoil depths, BS 3882 quality grades, ground preparation and the best months to lay turf in the UK, plus the coverage rates our turf calculator uses.
Fencing
Permitted development fence heights, post depths and spacings, postcrete quantities and the neighbour and boundary rules that apply to UK garden fences.
Decking
Decking heights, joist spans and centres, fall, fixings, guardrails, and where a garden deck becomes a planning matter under UK permitted development.
Artificial grass
Sub-base build-up, drainage falls, membrane, seaming and joint tape, plus the SuDS and permeability angle for laying artificial grass in any UK garden.
Drainage
Soakaway sizing and BRE 365 testing, channel-drain falls, where UK rainwater is allowed to go, and the SuDS hierarchy for surface water on patios and drives.
Retaining walls
Retaining wall heights that demand structural design, drainage detailing, geogrid reinforcement and sleeper walls, with UK Building Control triggers explained.
Garden rooms & outbuildings
Permitted development size and height limits, the building regs thresholds that catch people out, plus power, insulation and base options for garden rooms.
Waste & excavation
Duty of care, waste carrier licensing, bulking factors for muck-away, skip permits, and Highways Act rules for placing skips on the UK public highway safely.
Planting design
Right plant, right place, layers, spacing, soil prep and aftercare, plus the NHBC tree setbacks and BS 8545 planting pit rules the calculator applies.
Garden lighting
SELV and mains circuits, IP ratings for outdoor use, colour temperature, beam angles and cable runs, how to light a UK garden without dazzling neighbours.
Garden irrigation
Sizing a system from a bucket test, backflow protection and hosepipe ban law, and why early-morning watering beats midday for UK gardens and new borders.
Safety, PPE & site rules
PPE, manual handling limits, COSHH for cement, working at height and locating buried services, the everyday site safety rules UK landscapers work to.