A patio is decided under the slabs, not on top of them. We dig it out, build the sub-base, set the falls and bed every slab on a full mortar bed.
A patio is a paved outdoor floor built on an engineered base: ground dug out to depth, a compacted sub-base, a full mortar bed under every slab, and falls set so water runs away from the house.
Almost everything that goes wrong with a patio happens below what you can see. Slabs that rock, corners that crack and puddles that sit for days are base, bedding and drainage problems working up through the paving.
Paving is the same discipline applied to paths, steps and edges. All of it is groundworks, which is what we do for a living. We are patio installers and groundworkers in one firm, so the dig and the finish are a single job at a single price.
Sandstone, limestone and granite, laid on a full wet mortar bed with the falls set first. Granite earns its place in a Cornish garden because it is dense and shrugs off frost and salt air.
Porcelain is a different discipline and we treat it as one, because it has to be primed and bedded a specific way or the slabs let go. It has its own page: porcelain paving.
Riven and smooth concrete slabs in a wide range of colours and textures. A sound choice for a large terrace, and what is saved on the paving is better spent on the base underneath.
Blocks and clay pavers for terraces, aprons and where a patio meets a drive, on a compacted sub-base with restrained edges. The same build-up as our block paving driveways.
Paths tied properly into the patio and the drive, steps built off concrete rather than bedded on sand, and edges haunched in so nothing creeps.
Gravel borders, stone beds and low maintenance areas, laid over a membrane on a prepared base with a restrained edge so the stone stays put.
Most of our patio work sits in the gardens between Helston, Porthleven and the Lizard: sandstone and porcelain terraces, steps down to lawns, paths tied into new drives, and sunken paving lifted and relaid on a proper base. Every photograph on this site is our own work. There is more of it in the van when we come out to you.
Our Google reviews are public and live, written on a platform we cannot edit. Read them before you decide.
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 GoogleIt sits flat and stays flatA sub-base compacted in layers over ground dug out to a sound formation stops the sinking and rocking that show up two winters later.
Water goes where you send itFalls are set off the house and the boundary, and where the ground holds water the drainage is dealt with in the same job.
The edges and steps holdHaunched edges and steps built off concrete stop the spreading that pulls a patio apart from the outside in.
It suits the houseWe bring samples out so you can hold them against your own stone, render or brickwork in your own light.
One firm from the first bucket to the last slabNothing waits on a second trade.
Call or send the form with your postcode, a rough size and a photo of the garden.
One of the owners walks the garden with you, takes the levels and checks the access, and brings photographs of previous work and material samples.
A written quote covering the excavation, the base, the paving, the jointing and the drainage, with no obligation.
Old surfacing and soft ground come out, spoil goes with us, and the sub-base is compacted in layers.
Slabs bedded, joints filled and the site cleared.
A patio is a levels decision before it is a slab decision. According to the Planning Portal, a raised platform in a garden is permitted development only where it stands no more than 300 millimetres above ground level. Anything higher, or anything needing retaining, is a structure to be designed rather than a surface to be laid, and that is settled on the site visit.
Built by groundworkers. Excavation, sub-base and drainage are our daily work on drives and building sites. A patio is that work at garden scale, with our own machines on site.
Laid to the standard the work is specified by. BS 7533, the British Standard covering pavements built from natural stone, clay and concrete units, sets out the sub-base design and full bed laying a patio needs.
Mike Wherry has 30 years in the trade, most of the last five spent in and around Helston laying drives and patios. Aaron Hunt has 10 years behind him and runs the machines, having come up through groundworks and landscaping. That is 40 years of combined experience, and one of them is on your job.
The slabs are the easy part. What decides whether a patio is still flat is how much came out of the ground and whether every slab was bedded on a full bed of mortar.Mike Wherry, co-owner of HW Contractors
CPCS 360 excavator tickets above and below 10 tonnes between them, plus dumper tickets and CSCS cards
Fully insured: public liability and full business insurance
We work out of Porthleven and lay patios and paving from the Lizard up to Newquay. Helston is the core of the patch and Porthleven is home, with Penzance, Falmouth and Truro inside the ordinary week. Mullion, Camborne, Redruth, St Ives and Newquay are covered too.
If your village is not on the list, call anyway. Most of what sits between those towns is on our way.
We do not publish rates, because what drives the cost of a patio is the ground under it rather than the slabs on top. The site visit and the written quote are both free.
The quote sets out:
Whatever is agreed on payment is written into the quote before any work starts.
Porcelain patios designed and laid by the team that treats them as a specialism in their own right.
Porcelain Paving
Whole garden transformations where the patio is one part of a bigger plan.
Landscaping & Garden Design
The same base, edging and jointing discipline, round at the front of the house.
Block Paving DrivewaysSend your postcode, a rough size and a photo of the garden, and one of us will come out, take the levels and bring the samples. The visit and the written quote are free and commit you to nothing.
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