Whole gardens taken from the first machine to the finished space by one firm. Levels formed, ground drained, retaining built, surfaces and boundaries laid, all by the people who dug the garden out in the first place.
Landscaping is the construction of everything in a garden that is not the planting: the levels, the drainage, the retaining, the hard surfaces, the boundaries and the lawn, built so the finished space stays where it was put. Garden design is the decision layer above it, settling what goes where before anything is dug.
Almost every garden that goes wrong goes wrong underneath. Terraces slump because the retaining was never founded properly. Patios hold water because the falls were guessed rather than set. Lawns turn to mud because nobody opened the ground up and drained it before the turf went down.
That is groundworks, the trade both owners came up through. A garden is that work, finished to a standard you look at every day.
Clearing what is there, taking the ground back to a workable level, then rebuilding the garden as one continuous job: levels, drainage, retaining, hard surfaces, boundaries and lawn. One firm from the first machine to the last edging stone.
The layout and the levels are worked out on site with you. We walk the garden, look at what the fall, the access and the ground allow, and agree where the terraces, paths, seating and planting go before any of it is priced.
Sloping gardens are terraced into flat areas that are genuinely usable rather than admired from the top of the plot. Retaining is founded properly and drained behind, because ground held back by a wall that cannot shed water is carrying a load that wall was never built for.
Excavation, muck away, falls set off the house and the boundary, and drainage designed into the garden rather than dug back into it later. Our own machinery does it, sized from garden-gate access up.
Designed here as part of the whole garden, with the depth of detail on our patios and paving page.
The same team lays the patios and paving, puts down the turfing and artificial grass and builds the fencing, so the garden is finished by the firm that shaped the ground under it.
Every photograph on this site is our own work. Recent garden jobs have run from full transformations, where a sloping, overgrown plot came out and level terraces, paths and a new lawn went back, through to single elements such as a retained bed or a flight of steps. We bring photographs of recent work nearby to the visit.
Our Google reviews are public, and we would rather you went and looked at them than took our word for anything.
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 GoogleThe garden stays where you put itTerraces founded and drained properly do not slump, and retaining built to hold ground back is still holding it back after a wet Cornish winter.
The water goes where you send itFalls are set off the house and the boundary at the survey, and drainage is built into the garden rather than dug back into a finished lawn two years later.
One firm, one mobilisationThe dig, the base, the surfaces and the boundaries are all ours, so no part of your garden sits waiting for another contractor to become available.
Nothing is guessed on siteThe layout and the levels are agreed with you before the machines arrive, so what gets built is what you walked through together.
Call or send the enquiry form with your postcode, a rough idea of the size, and a photograph of what you are looking at now.
Aaron or Mike comes out at no charge, takes the levels and the fall, checks machine access, and talks through what you want the garden to do.
A written quote setting out the clearance, the excavation, the drainage, the retaining, the surfaces, the boundaries and the planted areas, with the material choices alongside them.
Clearance, muck away, dig to level, drainage in, retaining founded and built, bases prepared for everything going on top.
Surfaces laid, boundaries set, lawn down and the site cleaned off.
Terracing a sloping garden usually means digging close to a boundary, which is a legal question before a practical one. Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, excavating within three metres of a neighbouring building and going deeper than the bottom of its foundations requires written notice to the adjoining owner, served at least one month before work starts. Raised at the survey that is straightforward; found halfway through a dig it is not, which is why boundaries are checked on the first visit.
The machines and the tickets are ours. Between the two owners we hold CPCS 360 excavator tickets above and below 10 tonnes, CSCS cards and dumper tickets, so whatever size of machine a garden needs is operated by an owner of the business.
40 years of combined experience. Aaron Hunt brings 10 years, Mike Wherry brings 30, across groundworks and finished surfaces.
HW Contractors is run by two owner-directors, both on the tools. Each built his own business and reputation in west Cornwall before joining forces. Aaron Hunt brings 10 years on the machines and the groundworks side; Mike Wherry brings 30 years of driveways, patios and finished surfaces. That is 40 years of combined experience, and one of them is on your garden.
It is why the survey spends longer on the fall of the ground than on the samples.
A garden is a groundworks job with a finish on it. Get the levels, the retaining and the water right and the rest is enjoyable work. Get them wrong and no amount of good paving will save it.Aaron Hunt, co-owner of HW Contractors
CPCS 360 excavator tickets above and below 10 tonnes, CSCS cards, dumper tickets
Fully insured (public liability and full business insurance)
We work from Porthleven, and our patch runs from the Lizard up to Newquay. Helston is our core ground and Porthleven is home, while Falmouth and Truro bring in a lot of the larger garden work. Mullion, Penzance, Camborne, Redruth, St Ives and Newquay are all inside the area we cover.
If your village is not on that list it is still worth a call, because it usually comes down to the size of the job.
We do not publish rates, because a garden is priced on the ground it sits on and on what you want out of it. You get a free site visit with no obligation, and a written quote setting out:
If the dig changes what is needed, you get the revised figure in writing before any of it happens.
Real turf and artificial lawns laid on a base we excavate, drain and compact ourselves.
Turfing & artificial grass
Boundary fencing, gates and posts set to a depth that stands up to coastal wind.
Fencing
Patios, paths and paving in natural stone, porcelain, concrete and block, on a proper base.
Patios & pavingSend your postcode and a photograph of the garden as it stands now, and one of the owners will come out and walk it with you before anything is priced. Free visit, free quote, 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