Building and landscaping in Malvern

Malvern's character

Malvern is shaped by its hills. Great Malvern climbs the eastern side of the ridge, with Victorian villas, terraces and later houses stacked along streets that rise steeply from the town centre. Gardens are often long and narrow, cut into the slope or built up on the downhill side, and many have stone or brick walls that are well over a century old.

That makes building and landscaping work here a little different from a flat suburban plot. Almost every outdoor job involves levels, water and matching what is already there. We are a fully insured building and landscaping business working for homeowners, and the mix of trades we cover suits exactly this kind of property.

Working on slopes

On a hillside garden, a usable patio rarely happens without moving ground. Either soil is cut out of the slope and held back behind a retaining wall, or the downhill edge is built up and contained. Both approaches need a solid foundation and a wall designed for the weight of soil and water behind it. Our guide to retaining walls compares sleepers, brick and block and explains when a taller wall needs an engineer.

Once there are two or more levels, they need linking. Steps that are too steep or uneven are tiring and unsafe, so step height, depth and lighting deserve as much thought as the paving. Our guide to garden steps covers comfortable proportions, materials and handrails, and how steps tie into walls and raised patios.

Water running off the hills

Rain that falls on the Malvern Hills has to go somewhere, and on a sloping street a fair amount of it ends up crossing driveways and gardens. A drive that falls towards the house, or a patio laid without a proper gradient, can send water against walls and doorsteps.

The answer is to plan drainage before the surface goes down. That might mean setting the falls so water runs away from the building, adding a channel drain across the bottom of a drive, or choosing a permeable surface such as permeable block paving, resin-bound or gravel. Our driveway and patio drainage guide explains each option in more detail.

Matching brickwork on older houses

Many Malvern homes have walls, piers and boundary features in old brick or local stone. When something is extended, repaired or rebuilt, new work that clashes with the original stands out for years. Getting a good match means looking at brick size, colour and texture, and also the mortar: its colour, the sand used and the shape of the joint.

Our bricklaying work covers garden walls, steps, piers and repairs. Where an old wall is sound but the joints have worn away, repointing can be the right answer rather than rebuilding.

Plastering in period homes

Older Malvern houses often have a patchwork of finishes inside after decades of alterations. When walls or ceilings are disturbed by building work, good interior plastering is what makes a room feel finished. If you are planning work that will open up walls, it makes sense to include the plastering in the same quote so the trades run in the right order. If your property is listed or in a conservation area, check with Malvern Hills District Council before changing anything that might need consent.

Getting a quote

Tell us about the job by phone, email or the enquiry form, and include your postcode. We will visit, look at levels, access and drainage, and then send a quote. Access matters on steep streets, so we also check where materials can be delivered and how waste will be removed.

Our hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, and Saturday, 8am to 1pm, and we have been in business for seven years. Malvern is within our working radius of up to around 40 miles. Closer to the city, our page on building work in Worcester covers the neighbouring area.