Estate homes built in the 70s and 80s
Before the 1970s, Coulby Newham was farmland with a few scattered farms. It was laid out as a new suburb, with its own shops at the Parkway Centre, schools and green spaces, and the houses went up over the following two decades. Most are brick detached and semi-detached homes, with some terraces and bungalows, set on curving roads and cul-de-sacs with open-plan front gardens.
That age of house brings a familiar set of jobs. Many came with a small patio of thin concrete slabs, often a metre or two deep, which has now settled and cracked. Owners want something wider and longer-lasting, usually outside new patio doors or a conservatory, and often with a path to the shed or a side gate. Back gardens here are a manageable size, so the patio is a big share of the space and the material choice really shows.
Because the plots are compact, larger-format slabs and a simple layout tend to look best. Light porcelain helps a small garden feel bigger and stays clean with very little effort, while resin works well for a path that curves round to the back gate.
Slopes, clay and drainage
Coulby Newham was built on rolling ground, and plenty of gardens fall away from the house or rise towards the back fence. A garden that rises behind the house sends water towards your back door unless the patio and its drainage are planned properly. A garden that drops away can leave a patio sitting high, with an awkward step down to the lawn.
We deal with both. On rising gardens we may cut back into the slope and hold the soil with a low retaining wall, with a channel drain where the patio meets the house if there is nowhere else for water to go. On falling gardens, a couple of wide, shallow steps usually look far better than one tall one. Under it all, we dig out the soft soil, build a compacted crushed-stone sub-base, and bed every slab on mortar with a fall away from the house. The ground here is the clay found across south Middlesbrough, which holds water, so these basics matter.
We also check the damp-proof course before setting any levels. On houses of this age, the old patio was sometimes laid too high, and putting that right is part of the job.
Planning and practical points
Coulby Newham is not a conservation area, and for a normal back-garden patio laid at ground level you will not need planning permission. If you are building up a sloping garden, remember that a raised platform more than 30cm above the ground usually does need permission. Turning an open-plan front garden into paving is fine too, provided the surface is permeable or the water drains to a lawn or border, or the area is under five square metres.
Some homes have restrictive covenants on open-plan fronts, written into the deeds when the estate was built. They are a legal matter rather than planning, but if you are planning front-garden work it is worth checking your deeds first.
Access is the other practical point. Many semis here have a side path, but some terraces do not, so we plan how materials and spoil will come in and out before the job starts.
On price, a compact Coulby Newham patio is a smaller job than a large terrace elsewhere, but the cost still depends on the slab, the base needed and any steps or walls. Our patio prices page explains what affects it; your quote after the visit gives the actual figure.
Patios in nearby areas
We also lay patios close to Coulby Newham:
- Patios in Hemlington: Immediately to the west, with established estates around the lake and new builds at Hemlington Grange.
- Patios in Marton: To the east across Stokesley Road, with larger plots and plenty of extended homes.
- Patios in Nunthorpe: To the south-east, where gardens get bigger and mature trees become part of the plan.
See every place we cover on our areas page.
Questions people ask
Do you cover all of Coulby Newham?
Yes, across TS8, including the streets around the Parkway Centre and the edges of Coulby Newham that meet Hemlington, Stainton and Marton.
Our garden slopes up behind the house. Is a patio still possible?
Yes. We usually cut into the slope and hold it back with a low retaining wall, then lay the patio with a fall away from the house and add drainage if the water has nowhere else to go.
Can you lift and replace the original builder's slabs?
Yes. We lift and remove the old slabs, dig out the poor base underneath and build a new one before laying your new patio.
Do you need access through the house?
Not if there is a side path or rear access. For mid-terraces without one, we talk through the options at the site visit.
Is porcelain slippery?
Outdoor porcelain has a textured, slip-resistant surface. Like any paving it needs to be kept free of moss and algae, which is easy on porcelain because it does not soak up water.
