If you’re after a new patio in Peckham, you want someone who won’t disappear halfway through the job, who understands the way local gardens are built, and who lays a base properly instead of just bedding slabs straight onto soil. That’s the short version of what JPD Landscaping & Building Services does. We’re based right here in Peckham, SE15, and patio installation is one of the jobs we’re asked to do most, from small courtyard gardens behind Victorian terraces to bigger rear plots near Peckham Rye.
This page covers what a patio install actually involves, what tends to catch people out in Peckham gardens specifically, and the questions we get asked most often.
Why local knowledge matters for a Peckham patio
Peckham’s housing is mostly Victorian and Edwardian terraces, which means two things come up on almost every job:
- Small, boxed-in rear gardens. Access is often through a narrow side return or straight through the house, which changes how materials get delivered and how much can realistically be done in a day. We plan for this before we quote, not after we’ve turned up with a van that won’t fit down the alley.
- London clay. Most of South East London sits on heavy clay soil, which holds water and shifts slightly with the seasons. A patio laid without the right sub-base and drainage falls on clay will crack, sink, or pool water within a couple of winters. It’s the single biggest cause of the “why has my patio gone lumpy” calls we get. We build in a proper compacted sub-base and correct falls specifically because of this.
If your garden also has level changes or an old boundary wall, common on the sloped streets around Nunhead and Peckham Rye, that gets factored into the design too, rather than treated as an afterthought. Where a proper retaining wall is needed to hold a level change, we build that in as part of the same job.
Our patio installation process
We’ve written a full step by step walkthrough of how to lay a patio if you want the detail. In short, here’s what happens on a Peckham job:
- Site visit and measure-up. We look at access, drainage, existing levels, and what’s underneath the current surface (old concrete, tree roots, and buried rubble are all common in Peckham gardens).
- Design and quote. You get a clear price for materials, labour, and any groundwork, not a vague figure that balloons once we start digging.
- Excavation and sub-base. We dig out to the right depth and lay a compacted sub-base, which is what actually stops a patio from moving.
- Laying and pointing. Slabs are laid to falls for proper drainage, then jointed. We can also fit edging, steps, or a small retaining feature if levels need it.
- Clean-up. Site cleared, surplus materials and rubble taken away. We don’t leave a skip’s worth of mess for you to sort out.
Most standard rear-garden patios in Peckham take 2 to 4 days depending on access and groundwork. Larger or more complex jobs, including retaining walls or steps, take longer. We’ll give you a realistic timeframe when we quote. You can see examples of finished work on our projects page.
Choosing the right slabs for a Peckham garden
Porcelain, Indian sandstone, and concrete are the three materials we get asked about most, and each suits a different kind of garden and budget. We’ve written a full breakdown in our guide to choosing the best patio slabs for a London garden, and a direct head to head in Indian sandstone vs porcelain paving if you’re torn between the two.
As a rough steer for smaller Peckham gardens: porcelain suits low-maintenance, modern-look courtyards well since it doesn’t stain or need sealing. Indian sandstone tends to suit older terraces with more traditional brickwork. Concrete slabs are the budget option and still perform well if the sub-base underneath is done properly.
What affects the cost of a patio in Peckham
Cost depends on size, chosen material, access, and how much groundwork is needed. Clearing an old patio, fixing poor drainage, or dealing with level changes all add time to the job. We’ve laid out a full cost breakdown by material and size in our guide to how much a patio costs in the UK.
The only way to get a figure you can actually rely on is a site visit, since access and existing groundwork make a real difference to labour time. Get in touch and we’ll arrange one.
Areas we cover around Peckham
As well as Peckham itself, we regularly work in Nunhead, Peckham Rye, East Dulwich, Bellenden, Queens Road, and the surrounding SE15 area. If you’re just outside these, get in touch anyway, we cover South East London more broadly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need planning permission for a patio in Peckham?
Generally no, if the patio is at ground level and part of your private garden. There are exceptions around raised patios, boundaries, and conservation areas, which we cover in full in our guide to patio planning permission. We’ll also flag if your job needs a check when we visit.
How long does a patio take to install?
Most standard rear-garden patios take 2 to 4 days. Larger jobs, or ones needing retaining walls, steps, or major drainage work, take longer.
Can you fix a sunken or cracked existing patio, or do I need a full replacement?
It depends on the cause. If the sub-base has failed (the usual reason on clay soil), a proper fix means lifting and relaying rather than a patch job. Patching over a failed base just delays the same problem. We’ll tell you honestly which one your garden needs.
Do you deal with drainage as part of the job?
Yes, correct falls and drainage are built into every patio we lay, which matters more in Peckham than in areas without clay soil underneath.
Do you also do driveways, decking, or fencing?
Yes, alongside patios we handle driveways as part of our hardscaping installation work, plus decking and fencing. If you’re planning a full garden overhaul rather than just a patio, mention it when you enquire and we can quote the whole job together.
Get a quote
JPD Landscaping & Building Services is a family run team based in Peckham, with 15+ years installing patios and hard landscaping across South East London. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote.
Need work done further out? See our driveway installation guide for Greenwich if you’re planning a project there too.
