Landscaping in Stivichall

All of it — the streets around West Orchard United Reformed Church included. Where a property sits matters less to us than what the access is like, which is something we look at on the survey rather than guessing from an address.

Quickly — it is about 1.7 miles south of the city centre. Short distances are the main reason we can offer same-week surveys and come back promptly if something needs a second look.

Concrete posts with gravel boards last far longer, because the part that rots on a timber fence is always the post at ground level where it meets wet soil. Panels can then be swapped without digging anything out. Timber posts look better, particularly with close-board fencing, and are the right choice where appearance matters — but expect to deal with the posts eventually, even pressure-treated ones.

A soakaway is an underground void, usually crates or stone, that takes surface water and lets it disperse into the surrounding ground. You need one when you are adding hard surfacing and have nowhere to send the run-off, and it is how a new driveway can satisfy the drainage requirement. It has to be sized for the area it serves and sited a sensible distance from buildings, and it only works if the ground beneath actually drains.

Porcelain is dimensionally consistent, very low porosity, resists staining and algae, and keeps its colour — but it needs a slurry primer on the back when bedding, and cutting it requires the right blades. Natural stone such as sandstone or limestone has more character and variation, costs less in the mid range, but is porous, so it weathers, grows algae in shade and can stain. Both last decades when laid properly.

Almost always water. Soil behind a wall holds water, and water adds enormous pressure. Without a drainage layer, a perforated land drain behind the base and weep holes through the face, that pressure builds until the wall bows, cracks or moves. Most of the failed retaining walls we are asked to rebuild look fine from the front and have no drainage at all behind them.

In England, generally up to two metres without planning permission, dropping to one metre where the boundary adjoins a highway used by vehicles, including a front garden fence facing the road. Different rules can apply to listed buildings and some conservation areas. If a fence is going in near a road, the one metre limit is the one that catches people out.