HW Contractors is a Porthleven firm. Both owner directors are local, both are on the tools, and between them they carry 40 years of combined experience, the excavator and street works tickets and the machines to do the digging as well as the finished surface. When we work here, we are minutes away.
Porthleven is our home town. The business is based here, both owners live locally, and when the job is in Porthleven we are minutes from it rather than travelling in from up the county.
It is also a town that makes you plan. The streets around the harbour, Fore Street and the run up from Breageside, were laid out for boats and carts rather than for a tipper carrying three tonnes of stone. Where a wagon can stand, when it can stand there and where the spoil goes are all decided before the first slab comes up, not on the morning of the dig.
Then there is the weather. Porthleven takes the full weight of a southwesterly off Mount's Bay, and the harbour photographs that go round every winter are not an exaggeration. Salt-laden air is hard on fixings, on soft porous paving and on anything that traps standing water, so what gets specified here is dense, frost resistant and drained properly.
Much of the older town sits inside a conservation area, which changes what is permitted before it changes what is possible. On this stretch of coast the answer tends to be the same either way: build the base right, drain it properly, and choose materials that will still look right long after the scaffolding of a job is forgotten.
Coastal gardens and harbour-town plots ask for particular things, and these are the jobs we do most often in our own town.
01 terraces and seating areas built to take wind and salt, laid to falls so water leaves the slab rather than sits on it.
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02 dense and frost resistant, which is why it holds its face on an exposed coastal garden better than softer, more porous stone.
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03 dug, drained and finished as one job, with the edge detail worked out for a plot that opens straight onto a narrow street.
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04 a wide range of colours and blends, with samples brought to the visit so you choose against your own render and stone.
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05 garden boundaries and gates built by people who know exactly what a Porthleven southwesterly does to a shallow post.
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06 whole garden schemes where the levels, the walls and the planting are handled as one piece of work.
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07 excavation, levels, bases and hard standings, with our own machines sized from garden gate access upwards.
Read moreWe live hereHW Contractors is based in Porthleven, so the work we leave behind in this town is seen every day by people we live alongside.
One firm from the dig to the finished surfaceWe do the groundwork ourselves, so nobody else has to be brought in to finish what we started.
A 10-year product guarantee on resin surfaces, transferable to a new owner if the property is soldUseful on a coastal property that may change hands.
40 years of combined experienceThis village knows both owners by sight, and the one who prices your job is the one who runs it.
The tickets on the wallCPCS 360 excavator tickets above and below 10 tonnes, CSCS cards, dumper tickets, Street Works Operative and Supervisor cover.
Around Porthleven the work runs to porcelain and sandstone terraces in exposed gardens, resin and block paved drives on plots that open onto the street, boundary fencing built for the weather this village gets, and gardens given somewhere for their water to go at last.
Resin bound path with stone-capped walls leading to a brick bungalow entrance.
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Small garden with artificial turf and sandstone paved border.
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Newly laid tarmac driveway with concrete kerb edging running up to the garage of a Cornish bungalow.
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Groundworks in progress with sub-base and membrane at a house corner.
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Golden resin bound driveway outside a Cornish stone cottage.
View Resin Driveways
Porcelain paving with split-face stone retaining wall and steps.
View Porcelain PavingIn a town this size the reviews matter more than anything written on a website, so ours are left where anyone can check them rather than retyped here.
Based on 4 Google reviews
Commenting as the owner of this property I can honestly say that Aaron was a pleasure to work with. Efficient, reliable, extremely hardworking, on schedule, amazing quality and just an all round lovely guy! Thank you Aaron! You can see the almost (steps leading up to the tub yet to be added as a finishing touch) finished project on the Boutique Retreats website: Kilter House, Coverack
Read more on GoogleWould definitely recommend. Our driveway was a mismatch of 3 different sections of gravel, some old concrete and a step. In two days he has completely overhauled it and it looks amazing. Very fast worker, polite and professional and reasonably priced as well. You won’t be disappointed by Michael’s team at all!
Read more on FacebookAaron laid us a wonderful patio for our back garden. From the start he was highly professional and courteous. He sat with us to discuss the best, most cost efficient options to get us exactly what we imagined. Aaron was very reliable and his after care has been exceptional ensuring he delivers the highest quality for his clients. Highly recommended!
Read more on GoogleMike and his son did a fantastic job on our sandstone patio. They provided a competitive quote and had expert knowledge. The job itself was completed to a very high standard. We are very happy with it. I highly recommend. Thank you again for the fantastic work.
Read more on FacebookReally happy with the work from Aaron Hunt Groundworks. Aaron and his team were super easy to deal with—friendly, reliable, and clearly know what they’re doing. They turned up on time, got stuck in, and made sure everything was done properly with a great finish. They kept the place tidy and checked in with us throughout the job to make sure we were happy. No fuss, no stress—just solid, professional work. Would definitely recommend them to anyone needing groundwork done. Top team!
Read more on GoogleWe had been waiting for along time for this small bit of garden to be finished…the original person we had booked just didn’t work out in the end. We booked Sunset Surfacing We are so pleased with the work and can’t wait for the summer to arrive. They were clean, tidy and professional…thank you
Read more on FacebookExtremely happy with my new patio. It wasn’t the most straight forward to lay but Aaron managed to get the finish I wanted and was completely flexible and accommodating to make it happen for our time lines. Would highly recommend.
Read more on GoogleTell us where the property is and what you want it to look like when it is done, and one of us will come and look at the access, the levels and the exposure before anything is priced. We will bring photographs and samples with us. The visit and the quote are free, with no obligation.
Call us on 07886 070245·Get a free quote online
Porthleven, Cornwall
Phone: 07886 070245
Email: info@hwcontractors.co.uk
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Last updated: 22 September 2026
