Landscaping in Kimberley
Patios, decking, retaining, levels and boundaries across Kimberley, Nuthall and Watnall — designed and built by one team. Kimberley sits on a ridge, so a large share of the work here is turning a slope into something usable.
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Patios, Decking and Levels
The work we are asked for around Kimberley is usually a whole rear garden rather than one element — a level area to sit on, something holding the ground back, and a boundary that finishes it.
Landscaping, structures and boundaries
Landscaping in Kimberley
Kimberley sits up on the ridge between the Erewash and Leen valleys, and it shapes almost every garden here. Plots off Main Street and Newdigate Street fall away sharply; the postwar estates have more regular gardens but still with a working slope; and properties on the edge of town back onto open ground with weather to match.
What that means practically is that very few Kimberley gardens are level, and the ones that are usually got that way because somebody built them that way. Landscaping here is largely about creating usable flat area, holding back what sits above it, and finishing the boundary so the whole thing reads as deliberate.
We design and build with one team — paving, decking, levels, retaining, planting and fencing. Kimberley is a short run from our Beechdale Road base.
What We Do in Kimberley
Making a Sloping Garden Usable
There are three ways to deal with a garden that falls, and they cost very differently. Worth understanding before anyone quotes.
- Terrace it. Cut into the slope, retain the higher side, and create one or two level areas linked by steps. The most usable result and the most groundwork — you are moving and holding back real weight of soil.
- Deck over it. Build a level platform on posts above the existing ground. Often significantly cheaper than terracing because nothing is excavated or retained, and it suits a steep fall particularly well. The trade-off is that you gain a platform rather than a garden, and once it is raised it needs balustrade.
- Work with it. Planting, a winding path and a small level area at one end. The cheapest option and the right one where the fall is gentle.
On retaining, we will give you the same answer every time. Sleepers and blockwork will hold back a modest height of ground. Above roughly knee height, or anywhere failure would affect a neighbour, a building or a boundary, it needs a structural engineer's input. Retaining walls that fail take gardens and fences with them, and it is not a corner worth cutting.
Height rules follow the ground too: fence height is measured from ground level on the higher side, so raising a patio makes the boundary beyond it taller from your neighbour's point of view even though nothing moved.
Waste, Access and Comparing Quotes
Landscaping produces far more waste than fencing — turf, spoil from levels, broken slabs, old decking. Kimberley is in Broxtowe Borough, and the brown bin will take none of it.
Broxtowe's garden waste subscription is around £45 for the first bin and £26 for a second, fortnightly March to November and monthly December to February. It is one of the better services in the county, and it is for garden waste — not slabs, timber or subsoil.
Your nearest tip is Giltbrook Recycling Centre, off Gilthill, NG16, a Nottinghamshire County Council site requiring vehicle registration in advance and a permit for a van or trailer arranged 24 hours ahead. It does not accept trade waste.
The part that matters when comparing quotes
Where waste has come from work carried out by a tradesperson, disposing of it is that tradesperson's legal responsibility, not yours. A quote that leaves spoil heaped on your drive is not cheaper — it is unfinished, and you cannot legally take it to Giltbrook as household waste.
We are a registered waste carrier, licence CBDU474286, and removal is priced into the job.
If you live just over the Derbyshire border, note that Giltbrook is closed to you — Derbyshire residents use Derbyshire's own centres with a separate registration.
Permission, Decks and Boundaries
Two things worth checking before work starts, both free to confirm.
Raised decks and platforms. A raised platform above a certain height can require planning permission in its own right, and on a sloping Kimberley plot a deck that looks modest from the house can be well above ground at the far end. Overlooking a neighbouring garden is also a planning consideration.
Boundaries. Generally 2 metres at a rear or side boundary and 1 metre where a boundary fronts a highway, measured from the higher ground. Newer estates around Kimberley and Nuthall can also carry deed covenants restricting boundary treatments — a private matter in your title documents that the council cannot advise on.
We are not planning consultants; Broxtowe Borough Council's planning team will confirm the planning position at no cost.
Why Choose Nottingham Fencing
We are a local, family-run firm run by founders Adam and Stephen, based on Beechdale Road with over 15 years' experience. Landscaping and fencing are the same team, so on a sloping Kimberley garden the retaining, the patio level and the boundary height all get decided together rather than one at a time.
- The old fence goes with us. Registered waste carrier, licence CBDU474286 — removal and disposal handled properly, nothing left on your drive.
- Measured before it is priced. The free survey is where we check post centres, ground levels and whether existing bases can be reused — which is what stops a price changing halfway through.
- Made to measure, not cut down. Gates are built to your opening rather than trimmed from a stock size, so they still swing properly a year later.
- Supply only if you want it. Happy to just sell you panels, posts, gravel boards and trellis if you are fitting it yourself.
- Insured and guaranteed. Public liability insurance in place and a 12 month guarantee on our work.*
- Reviewed by the people we have worked for. 4.9 out of 5 from over 160 Google reviews.
*Terms and conditions apply to our 12 month guarantee.
Areas We Cover Near Kimberley
We landscape across Broxtowe and the west of the city:
Get a price for your Kimberley fence
Send a few photos of the garden — ideally one from the house and one looking back at it — with a rough idea of what you want it to do, and we will come back with a realistic range.
Landscaping in Kimberley — Common Questions
My garden slopes steeply. What is the cheapest way to make it usable?
Usually a raised deck rather than terracing. Decking builds a level platform on posts without excavating or retaining anything, which on a steep fall is considerably cheaper than cutting in and holding back the ground. The trade-off is that you get a platform rather than a garden, and once raised it needs balustrade.
How high can I retain with sleepers?
A modest height — roughly knee height as a rule of thumb. Above that, or anywhere a failure would affect a neighbour, a building or a boundary, it needs structural input. Retaining walls that fail take gardens and fences with them, so it is not a corner worth cutting and we will say so rather than build it.
Do I need planning permission for a raised deck?
Possibly. A raised platform above a certain height can need permission in its own right, and on a sloping plot a deck that looks low at the house can be well above ground at the far end. Overlooking a neighbour is also a consideration. Broxtowe Borough Council will confirm free of charge.
Are you gardeners or landscapers?
Landscapers — we build gardens as one-off projects rather than maintaining them on regular visits. Paving, decking, levels, retaining, boundaries and planting schemes. If you need someone fortnightly through the summer we are not the right call and would rather say so.
Who takes the waste away?
We do, and it is priced in. Turf, spoil, slabs and old timber are not household waste once a contractor has produced them — disposal is legally the contractor's responsibility. We are a registered waste carrier, licence CBDU474286.
Can I take garden waste to Giltbrook myself?
Garden waste, yes, if you register your vehicle with Nottinghamshire County Council first and arrange a permit for a van or trailer 24 hours ahead. Trade waste is not accepted, and if you live over the Derbyshire border Giltbrook is closed to you entirely.
Can you do the fencing at the same time?
Yes, and on a sloping garden you should. Fence height is measured from the higher ground, so raising a patio changes what the boundary looks like from both sides. Setting the two out together avoids a fence that turns out too low from your side and too tall from your neighbour's.
How much does a garden cost?
It depends on size, levels and materials, and anyone quoting before seeing photographs is guessing. Send a few photos and a rough idea of what you want, and we will give you a realistic range before arranging a visit.