Groundworks and drainage in Doncaster, done by the man in the digger.
Groundworks and drainage contractor in Doncaster. Soakaways, French drains, footings, excavation and site clearance. Owner-operated excavator, degree-qualified, fixed prices. From £950.
Ground prepared and ready for a new concrete slab on a real Doncaster job/img/groundworks-prep-for-new-concrete-slab.jpg · 1800×1012
Most of what I do starts with a hole.
Groundworks is the trade I grew up in. My family ran plant, and I was in the seat of a digger before I could see over the dashboard. Twelve years on site later, five of them managing projects worth millions, I still think the best part of any job is the first morning with the machine.
What that means for you: I dig footings that are square and to depth, because I've read the drawing and I know why the depth matters. I'll tell you whether a soakaway will work in your ground before you pay for one, because I've dug enough test pits in Doncaster clay and Doncaster sand to know the difference. And the price you get is the price for the job, not a machine on hire and a man on a day rate with the clock running.
Doncaster's ground is more varied than people think. Bessacarr and Cantley sit on sand that drains like a sieve. Bentley, Thorne and Hatfield are flat, wet and close to the water table. Tickhill, Sprotbrough and Conisbrough have firm clay over limestone. The right answer for drainage is different in each, and I've worked in all of them.
Concrete being patched and made good before the next trade starts/img/concrete-patch-in-work.jpg · 1200×1500
Every job, priced from the start.
Starting prices are real. The final figure depends on access, ground and spec, and I'll explain which of those is moving it.
- Soakawaysfrom £950 · 1–2 daysStop water pooling by the house. Dug, lined, crated and backfilled to Building Regs.
- French drains & land drainagefrom £1,150 · 1–3 daysFor lawns that stay wet till May and gardens that flood off the neighbour's.
- Footings & foundationsfrom £95 per linear metre · 2–4 daysTrench footings for extensions, garden rooms and garages. Dug, inspected, poured.
- Excavation & site clearancequote on request · 1–2 daysReduce levels, dig out old patios and drives, clear overgrown plots. My machine, my hands.
- Service installations & upgradesquote on request · 1–4 daysThe unglamorous fabric behind a finished job: dry lining, service runs, patching and upgrades done properly before anything gets tiled over it.
Below ground, where it matters.
A drainage run being installed on a real job, pipes and inspection chamber in the trench/img/drainage-pipe-trench-real-job.jpg · 1200×800
Ground prepared and ready for a new concrete slab/img/groundworks-prep-for-new-concrete-slab.jpg · 1200×800
Finished closeboard fence on a real job in Scawsby/img/proj-scawsby-fence-hero.jpg · 1600×900
Closeboard garden fence, start to finish, Scawsby
A tired garden fence in Scawsby replaced end to end: old posts and panels out, new posts concreted in, closeboard panels up straight and square.
Finished kitchen in my own house in Scawsby, new units, worktop and grey LVT flooring/img/proj-scawsby-renovation-hero.jpg · 1600×900
My own house, back to brick, Scawsby
The rental I bought in Scawsby and took back to brick myself: new water main, new kitchen, bathroom and toilet knocked into one, bedroom, pantry, landing and garden. Every trade done by me on evenings and weekends around a forty-hour week, with friends and family mucking in on the stripping out.
Do you work for homeowners or builders?
Both. Homeowners for drainage, soakaways, patios and extension groundworks; builders and developers for footings, drainage and slab packages. There's a page for builders and developers.
What machines do you have?
A 1.5 tonne excavator that goes through a side gate, with breaker and buckets, and a tracked dumper. I hire in a 3 tonne or bigger machine for the day when the job wants one. I operate everything myself.
How quickly can you come and look?
Usually within a few days. Send photos and a postcode first and I'll often give you a price from those, then confirm it on site.
Are you insured?
Yes, public liability. I'll send the certificate with the quote if you'd like it.
Degree-qualified. Still in the digger.
Most of the people who'll quote you for this work are one or the other: a machine man who's never read a drawing, or a project manager who's never got his hands dirty. I'm both. Here's the story.
- 5.0 stars on Google6 reviews from real customers
- Fully insuredPublic liability
- SMSTS and First AidLegally qualified to run a UK construction site under CDM
- BSc (Hons) Construction Project Management, First ClassSheffield Hallam University, degree apprenticeship
- CIOB Certificate of ExcellenceChartered Institute of Building
- Twelve years on siteUK and Australia, £10m+ delivered as project manager
- Three full back to brick house renovationsTwo in Scawsby, one in Sprotbrough
- All aspects of groundworksAnd I operate the plant myself
Get a straight price.
Photos, postcode, rough size. Same-day reply most days.