Employing a builder Groundwork and landscaping

Landscaping can include lopping trees

Groundwork

Groundwork specialists prepare land for work such as foundations and can install drainage systems. Services they provide include block paving or landscaping work, hard standing and creating the base for conservatories or garages.

This is one area of home improvement many people overlook or try to do themselves, especially when clearing ground for building works. 

If you are planning to demolish a building or you have lots of trees to deal with, it may be worth considering employing a specialist. Ground clearance can take a long time, and it may require specialist equipment that can be as expensive to hire as it would be to get someone in.

Landscaping

Landscaping involves a variety of jobs, from designing a garden and advising what plants to put where, to carrying out all the work, including lopping trees, building ponds and, in some cases, even laying a driveway or installing an outside tap.

Some landscapers specialise in work such as the best types of plants for your garden's soil, while others may specialise in garden ponds or water features.

Landscapers don’t need any formal qualifications but there is wide range of qualifications that they could have, ranging from an apprenticeship in amenity horticulture, which usually includes NVQ and SVQ to Level 2, through to certificates and diplomas in horticulture, or and even a degree.

Often landscapers will visit for free and some may even produce a design without charge if they have the contract to carry out the work.

Find out more by browsing websites such as the Association of Professional Landscapers, Landscape Institute and British Association of Landscape Industries.

Which? members can find recommended groundworkers, landscapers and other tradespeople recommended by Which? members using Which? Local. If you're not a Which? Member, you can sign up for a Which? trial for just £1 for your first trial month. 

Which? Gardening

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