1 London Road, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK9 7JU info@kiif.co.uk01625 830714 HomeAboutServicesBuilding ContractorsOne contract for the whole buildNew BuildBespoke homes and developmentsRenovationWhole-house renovation programmesRefurbishment & RestorationPeriod buildings brought up to dateLandscapingExternal works and hard landscapingPlasteringSkimming, rendering and lime workJoineryStructural carpentry and fitted joineryRoofingNew roofs, re-roofing and repairsGroundworksFoundations, drainage and site works View all services Areas We CoverCounties & Regions - Alderley EdgeOur home village: office and yard on London Road. - CheshireCounty-wide building work from our Alderley Edge base. - ManchesterPeriod refurbishment and commercial fit-out in South Manchester. - LancashireNew builds and conversions north of the Cheshire border. - YorkshireStone-built property and rural schemes across the county. - MerseysideCommercial conversions and coastal refurbishment work. Towns - WilmslowTwo miles from base: extensions, refurbishment and conversions. - KnutsfordTown centre period property and rural barn conversions. - MacclesfieldStone terraces, hillside sites and retaining structures. - PrestburyHigh-specification homes delivered discreetly. - StockportResidential, commercial and industrial work across the borough. - BramhallSuburban extensions and remodelling on close-packed plots. View all areas we cover Our WorkReviewsContact01625 830714Request an Estimate - Home - Services - External Works & LandscapingExternal works & landscaping # Groundworks, Drainage AndLandscaping AcrossCheshire Ground and water decide how long everything above them lasts. We handle excavation, drainage, retaining structures, driveways, roadways, car parks and garden redesign with our own groundworkers, so levels, falls and sub-bases are right the first time instead of being dug up in three years. Request an Estimate01625 830714 Family-run in Alderley Edge with more than 40 years in construction, working on domestic gardens through to large-scale commercial site works. 40+ years Construction experience from domestic plots to commercial and industrial sites. Directly employed Groundworkers and bricklayers on our own books, not hired in per job. In-house support Estimating, procurement and site coordination handled by our own team. Family-run Keep It In Family, David Cain leads delivery, Victoria Kennedy leads project management and design. The service ## From a garden redesign to a full site's groundworks External works cover everything between the building and the boundary: what the ground is doing, where water goes, how vehicles and people move across the site, and what the finished surfaces are made of. It is the part of a project most often bought on price and most often rebuilt within a decade, because failures here are failures of what is buried, not what is visible. KIIF delivers external works from garden redesigns through to large-scale site works: groundworks, drainage, excavation, roadways, driveways and car parks. That range matters because the same principles scale: a domestic driveway and a commercial car park both fail for the same reasons, namely an inadequate sub-base, poor compaction and water with nowhere to go. Because groundworks are already part of how we build new houses, extensions and conversions, our own groundworkers are already on site. Drainage falls, threshold levels, driveway build-ups and garden levels are therefore set against the building we are constructing rather than negotiated afterwards with a separate landscaping contractor. We also take on external works as standalone projects for clients whose building is already finished, replacing a failed driveway, resolving standing water and drainage, forming retaining walls on sloping Cheshire plots, or redesigning a garden that has never been usable. ### Who this is for - Homeowners with standing water, flooding or a driveway that has broken up - Clients finishing a new build, extension or conversion who need the plot completed properly - Owners of sloping plots needing retaining walls, terracing and level changes - Commercial and industrial sites needing roadways, yards, car parks or drainage - Developers requiring site-wide groundworks, service trenching and external works packages What poor delivery costs ## What failed groundworks cost, and it is never just the surface External works failures start invisibly and end expensively, because putting them right means removing the finished surface you already paid for. These are the causes we are called to correct. ### Sub-base too thin or badly compacted Paving and tarmac laid on inadequate sub-base sink, rut and crack under vehicle loads within a few winters. Correction means lifting the surface and starting from the ground up. ### Water directed at the building Surfaces falling towards the house, or laid above the damp-proof course, deliver rainwater straight into the wall. The result is internal damp with an external cause, treated internally for years without success. ### No surface water strategy Large impermeable areas with no soakaway, attenuation or permeable build-up cause standing water, saturated lawns and overloaded drains, and can breach planning and drainage requirements. ### Retaining walls built as garden walls A wall holding back ground needs designed foundations, reinforcement and drainage behind it. Built as a decorative wall, it leans, then bulges, then fails, usually taking the ground and surface above it. ### Damaged and untraced services Excavating without tracing drains, water, gas and electricity risks strikes that are dangerous, expensive and disruptive well beyond the site. ### Trees and root damage Excavating within root protection areas, or paving hard over root systems, damages mature trees and can affect nearby foundations. It can also breach planning conditions or tree preservation orders. Our process ## A fixed sequence, so you always know what happens next - Step 1 ### Site visit and level survey We walk the site, take levels, look at where water currently goes, identify existing drainage and services, and establish access for plant and materials. - Step 2 ### Drainage and design decisions We establish falls, connection points, soakaway or attenuation strategy, retaining requirements and build-ups appropriate to the loads the surfaces will actually carry. - Step 3 ### Estimate and programme In-house estimators price excavation and disposal, sub-base, drainage, structures and surfacing separately, so you can see the cost of what is buried as clearly as the cost of what shows. - Step 4 ### Excavation and groundworks Site clearance, excavation and muck-away, service tracing and diversion, formation preparation, sub-base laid and compacted in layers, drainage installed and tested to correct invert levels. - Step 5 ### Structures and surfacing Retaining walls, steps, edgings, kerbs and drainage channels, then surfacing, block paving, natural stone, resin-bound, tarmac or concrete, laid to the specified falls. - Step 6 ### Soft landscaping, testing and handover Topsoil, turf, planting beds and fencing where included, drainage flow checked, levels verified against thresholds, and the site cleared of all spoil and materials. What you get ## The practical difference a directly employed team makes ### Surfaces that carry real loads Build-ups specified for the vehicles that will actually use them, including delivery and refuse vehicles on commercial sites, so nothing ruts or cracks in the first winters. ### Water taken away from the building Correct falls, thresholds kept below finished levels, and functioning soakaways or attenuation prevent the external causes of internal damp. ### Structures designed to retain Retaining walls built with proper foundations, reinforcement and drainage behind them, so sloping plots stay where they were put. ### Lower whole-life cost Doing the buried work correctly once is significantly cheaper than resurfacing a driveway or yard twice in a decade. ### Coordinated with the building When we are already building your house or extension, external levels, drainage and thresholds are set against the building rather than reverse-engineered later. ### Safe, organised sites Plant, excavation and deliveries managed with safe working practices, which protects your property and your neighbours as well as our team. Detail ## Groundworks, drainage and surfacing in detail External works span a wide range of scales and materials. This is what we install, how the build-ups differ, and where domestic and commercial requirements separate. ### Excavation, groundworks and site preparation Groundworks begin with clearance and excavation: removing vegetation, obstructions, redundant structures and unsuitable material, and disposing of spoil correctly. Formation level is then prepared and sub-base material laid and compacted in layers, because compaction in a single deep layer is one of the most common hidden defects in external works. On sites with level changes, common across Cheshire, we cut and fill, terrace, and install retaining structures. Where excavation happens near existing foundations, trees or boundaries, temporary works and root protection are planned before machines arrive rather than improvised around them. - Site clearance, demolition and muck-away - Bulk excavation, cut and fill, terracing - Sub-base supply, laying and layered compaction - Service tracing, trenching and ducting - Root protection and working near mature trees - Temporary works near existing structures ### Drainage and water management Drainage is the element with the highest consequence and the lowest visibility. We install foul and surface water drainage to correct falls and invert levels, form manholes and inspection chambers, install soakaways, attenuation and land drainage where the site cannot discharge to a sewer, and fit linear channel drainage at thresholds, garage doors and yard entrances. On rural sites we install septic tanks and treatment plants with the associated drainage fields. Where existing drainage is failing, we trace and survey the runs first, a collapsed or root-blocked run is a repair, whereas a system with no capacity is a redesign, and the two have very different costs. - Foul and surface water drainage installation - Manholes, inspection chambers and connections - Soakaways, attenuation and land drainage - Linear channel and threshold drainage - Septic tanks and treatment plants - Drain tracing, repair and replacement ### Driveways, roadways and car parks Domestic driveways are typically block paving, natural stone setts and flags, resin-bound surfacing over a permeable base, tarmac, or concrete. The visible choice is aesthetic; the durable choice is the build-up beneath it, together with edge restraint, since almost every failed block driveway has failed at an unrestrained edge. Commercial roadways, yards and car parks carry far heavier and more frequent loads, so build-ups are thicker, kerbing and edging heavier, and drainage more substantial. Bay marking, accessible bays, traffic routes and refuse and delivery vehicle access all need to be laid out before surfacing rather than painted on afterwards. - Block paving, setts, flags and natural stone - Resin-bound and permeable surfacing - Tarmac and concrete hardstanding - Kerbing, edgings and channel installation - Roadways, yards and car parks - Bay marking and traffic layout ### Hard and soft landscaping Garden works include patios and terraces set at correct thresholds and falls, steps and level changes, retaining and boundary walls, brick and stone garden structures, fencing and gates, and outdoor lighting and power ducting installed while the ground is open, which is the only economical time to do it. Soft landscaping covers topsoil supply and grading, turfing and seeding, planting beds and edging. Where a garden is being redesigned as part of a build, we set out the hard structure while plant is on site and finish the soft works at the end, so nothing installed early is trafficked or damaged by later construction. ### Domestic and commercial differences Domestic external works are about drainage, usable levels and finish quality, delivered around an occupied home with limited access. Commercial and industrial external works are about load capacity, compliance, traffic management and continuity of use, often phased so a site keeps operating while sections are rebuilt. KIIF works across residential, commercial and industrial sectors, so a mixed site, a house with an access road, or premises with parking and a yard, can be delivered under one contract with one set of levels and one drainage strategy. Recent work ## External works, groundworks and landscaping we have delivered Questions clients ask ## Before you commit to the work How much does a new driveway cost in Cheshire?Cost is driven by excavation depth, disposal of spoil, sub-base thickness, drainage requirements and the surfacing material, not by area alone. We price excavation, sub-base, drainage and surfacing as separate lines, so you can compare materials properly and see that the buried work is where durability comes from. How long do external works take?A domestic driveway or patio is typically a matter of days to a few weeks depending on excavation and drainage; site-wide groundworks and commercial car parks run longer and are usually phased around access. You receive a programme with your estimate that states the disruptive stages. Do I need permission for a new driveway?Replacing a driveway is usually permitted development, but surfacing a large area with impermeable material without providing drainage or a soakaway generally is not, and a new or widened access onto a public highway needs the highway authority's approval. We identify which of those apply at the site visit. Can you fix standing water and flooding in my garden?Yes, and it begins with diagnosis rather than surfacing. We check levels, existing drainage, ground conditions and where water is arriving from, then design a solution: regrading, land drainage, a soakaway, attenuation or a new connection. Laying a new surface over an undiagnosed water problem simply relocates it. Do you build retaining walls on sloping sites?Yes. Retaining structures are designed with proper foundations, reinforcement where required, and drainage behind the wall to relieve water pressure. This is engineering rather than bricklaying, and it is the difference between a wall that lasts and one that leans within a few years. How long should a driveway or car park last?With a correctly specified and compacted sub-base, proper edge restraint and functioning drainage, a well-built driveway or car park serves for decades with only surface maintenance. Failures within a few years are almost always sub-base, compaction or drainage failures, not material failures. Do you carry out commercial car parks and roadways?Yes. We deliver large-scale site works including roadways, yards and car parks, with build-ups, kerbing and drainage specified for commercial vehicle loading, and phasing so a site can stay in use during the works. Do you handle drainage and septic tanks on rural sites?Yes, foul and surface water drainage, soakaways, attenuation, land drainage, septic tanks and treatment plants with their drainage fields, plus service trenching and ducting for incoming utilities. Can external works be done at the same time as my build?Yes, and it is more economical that way. Our own groundworkers are already on site for new builds, extensions and conversions, so drainage, levels and thresholds are coordinated with the building and the heavy work is done while plant and access are already in place. Which areas do you cover?We are based at 1 London Road, Alderley Edge and work throughout Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Merseyside, including Wilmslow, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Prestbury, Stockport and Bramhall. Related work ## Often delivered alongside this ### New Build Projects Groundworks, drainage and foundations as part of a complete new build. View service ### Conversions Access roads, drainage and service runs for rural and commercial conversions. View service ### Maintenance & Reactive Works Gutter, drainage and hard surface maintenance once works are complete. View service We deliver this service across Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Stockport, Manchester and the wider North West. See recent projects, read about the family behind KIIF or return to the homepage. ## Get the ground and drainagepriced properly Whether it is a failed driveway, a garden that floods or a full site's groundworks, we will take levels, trace the drainage and price excavation, sub-base, drainage and surfacing as separate lines you can see. 01625 830714Request an Estimate - Family-run, over 40 years in construction - Directly employed joiners, bricklayers and groundworkers - In-house estimating and procurement - Site visit with the team who will build it ### Tell us about your project Send the details and we will arrange a site visit at a time that suits you. Keep It In Family. A family-run building contractor in Alderley Edge with over 40 years' experience across residential, commercial and industrial construction. ### Services - Building Contractors - New Build - Renovation - Refurbishment & Restoration - Landscaping - Plastering - Joinery - Roofing - Groundworks ### Areas We Cover - Alderley Edge - Cheshire - Manchester - Lancashire - Yorkshire - Merseyside - Wilmslow - Knutsford - Macclesfield - Prestbury - Stockport - Bramhall ### Get In Touch KIIF Limited1 London Road, Alderley EdgeCheshire, SK9 7JU 01625 830714 info@kiif.co.uk Request an Estimate © 2026 KIIF Limited. All rights reserved. ReviewsCookie PolicyPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions Call UsGet Estimate