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 - GroundworksGroundworks and foundations # Groundworks And FoundationsIn Cheshire, Built To CarryEverything Above Everything above ground depends on what happens below it. KIIF carries out site clearance, excavation, foundations, drainage and sub-base work as a directly employed team, so the levels, falls and setting-out that every later trade relies on are right the first time. Request an Estimate01625 830714 Family-run in Alderley Edge with more than 40 years in construction. No obligation site visit before any quote is given. 40+ years Experience across residential, commercial and industrial groundworks. Directly employed Groundworkers on our own books, not booked job by job from an agency. In-house support Estimating, procurement and customer service under one roof. Family-run Keep It In Family, led by David Cain with Victoria Kennedy on project management and design. The service ## What KIIF groundworks actually involves Groundworks is the stage of a project that is least visible once it is finished and most expensive to correct if it is wrong. It covers everything from the first strip of turf and topsoil through to a finished, compacted sub-base ready for the structure or the surfacing above it: site clearance, excavation and muck away, foundations, below-ground drainage, service ducting, floor slabs, retaining structures and the kerbing and sub-bases that carry driveways and hardstanding. We work on groundworks as a standalone package, for example preparing a plot before another contractor builds on it, and as part of a complete build where the same team that excavates the foundations goes on to build the house above them. Doing both under one roof matters because foundation type, drainage falls and slab specification all depend on decisions made together, not in isolation by separate firms working from separate drawings. Foundation design depends on ground conditions, water table, loading and proximity to trees and existing structures, and ranges from traditional strip and trench fill through to wide-strip reinforced, raft or piled foundations with ground beams on more difficult or sloping sites. We investigate and price the ground properly before committing to a foundation type, because an assumption made at estimate stage that turns out to be wrong on site is the single most common cause of a groundworks package running over budget. Below-ground drainage, whether foul, surface water or a combination of both, has to be set out with the correct falls and connection points before any slab or hardstanding goes down on top of it. Where a site cannot discharge directly to a public sewer or watercourse, we design in soakaways or attenuation to manage surface water responsibly and in line with what the site actually needs. ### Who this is for - Self-builders and developers who need a plot prepared and foundations laid before construction starts - Clients extending or building where existing drainage needs altering or extending - Property owners dealing with poor drainage, standing water or a failing existing sub-base - Developers needing retaining structures, kerbing or sub-base work for driveways and parking areas - Architects and main contractors who need groundworks delivered reliably as part of a wider programme What poor delivery costs ## Where groundworks go wrong, and what it costs Groundworks problems are expensive precisely because they sit underneath everything else. A mistake here is discovered later, when correcting it means breaking out finished work rather than adjusting a drawing. ### Ground conditions assumed, not tested Pricing foundations on an assumption about the ground rather than an investigation means deeper foundations, more concrete and a stalled programme if the assumption turns out wrong. ### Drainage set out after the slab Falls and invert levels have to be right before the floor goes down. Correcting drainage through a completed slab means breaking out work that has already been paid for. ### Surface water with nowhere to go A site with no soakaway or attenuation strategy either floods itself or overloads a public sewer, and both outcomes tend to surface as a problem only once it rains hard. ### Sub-bases under-specified A driveway or hardstanding built on an inadequate sub-base rutted or cracks within a couple of winters, because the loading it will actually carry was never properly considered. ### Service ducting missed at the right stage Ducting for incoming utilities has to go in before the slab or surfacing, otherwise later connections mean digging back through finished ground. ### No single point of accountability Where groundworks and the structure above are contracted separately, a discrepancy in levels becomes a dispute about whose responsibility it is, rather than something resolved on site the same day. Our process ## A fixed sequence, so you always know what happens next - Step 1 ### Site visit and ground assessment We walk the site, assess access, existing levels, trees, services and any visible drainage issues, and establish what the finished ground needs to achieve. - Step 2 ### Investigation and estimate Where foundation type is not already specified by a structural engineer, we investigate ground conditions and price the work element by element so you can see what drives the cost. - Step 3 ### Clearance and excavation Site clearance, demolition where required, excavation and muck away are carried out to the levels and falls the design requires. - Step 4 ### Foundations and drainage Foundations are formed to the specified type, and below-ground foul and surface water drainage, soakaways and service ducting are installed before anything is built over them. - Step 5 ### Slabs, sub-bases and retaining structures Floor slabs, retaining walls and compacted sub-bases are constructed to the loadings and finishes the scheme requires. - Step 6 ### Handover and next stage Levels and drainage are checked and recorded before handover, whether that is to your own follow-on contractor or straight into our own build above it. What you get ## The practical difference a directly employed team makes ### Ground investigated, not guessed We investigate and price the ground properly at the start, which protects the whole programme and budget behind it rather than storing up a problem for later. ### Levels and falls that line up Where we carry out groundworks and the build above it, drainage falls, slab levels and structural setting-out are coordinated by the same team rather than handed between separate contracts. ### Drainage designed for the site Soakaways, attenuation and connection points are sized and positioned for what your particular site can actually discharge, not applied as a standard detail. ### Directly employed groundworkers Our groundworkers are on our own books, which is why programmes hold and the team on site at excavation is still connected to the job at slab and sub-base stage. ### Costs you can see Element-by-element pricing means you can see what clearance, excavation, drainage, foundations and sub-base each cost, rather than a single lump sum with no breakdown. ### Safety-led sites Excavation and groundworks carry real risk, and our sites are run to protect our team, your property and anyone passing while the work is underway. Detail ## Groundworks methods and site conditions Groundworks vary enormously with ground conditions, water table and what is being built above them. This is the detail behind the work we take on. ### Site clearance and excavation Before anything can be built, a site often needs clearing of vegetation, existing structures or hardstanding, and the arisings removed. Excavation and muck away follow, cut to the levels the design requires and with spoil either reused on site where suitable or removed and disposed of correctly. On constrained urban plots, access for excavation plant and muck-away vehicles is planned in advance, since a site that cannot get a wagon in and out efficiently loses time and money on every load. - Site clearance and demolition arisings removal - Bulk and detailed excavation to design levels - Muck away and spoil disposal - Access and haul route planning for constrained plots ### Foundations Foundation type is determined by ground conditions, loading, water table and proximity to trees and existing structures. Traditional strip and trench fill foundations suit straightforward ground; wide-strip reinforced, raft or piled foundations with ground beams are used where loading is higher or ground conditions are poorer. On sloping sites, common in parts of Cheshire, foundations often step down the slope and are designed alongside retaining structures and drainage rather than treated as a separate exercise. - Strip and trench fill foundations - Wide-strip reinforced, raft and piled foundations - Ground beams and stepped foundations on sloping sites - Retaining structures integrated with foundation design ### Drainage, soakaways and service ducting Below-ground foul and surface water drainage is set out with the falls and connection points the design requires before any slab or surfacing is placed over it. Where a site cannot discharge directly to a public sewer or watercourse, soakaways or attenuation systems are designed to manage surface water on site rather than passing the problem downstream. Service ducting for incoming water, electricity, gas and telecoms is installed at the same stage, since digging back through a finished slab or driveway to add a duct later is far more disruptive than allowing for it in advance. - Foul and surface water drainage runs and connections - Soakaways and attenuation for sites with restricted discharge - Land drainage where ground water is an issue - Service ducting for incoming utilities ### Slabs, sub-bases and kerbing Floor slabs, whether beam and block or insulated ground-bearing, are constructed to the loadings and insulation standards the design requires. Externally, sub-bases for driveways, parking areas and hardstanding are built up in layers compacted to carry the traffic they will actually see, whether that is domestic car use or heavier commercial loading. Kerbing and edging finish and contain sub-bases and surfacing, and where a scheme includes landscaping, we coordinate kerb lines and levels with the wider external works so drainage falls and finished surfaces meet correctly at every boundary. - Beam and block and insulated ground-bearing slabs - Compacted sub-bases for driveways and hardstanding - Kerbing and edging to contain surfacing - Coordination with wider external works and landscaping Recent work ## Groundworks and foundations we have delivered Questions clients ask ## Before you commit to the work How much do groundworks cost in Cheshire?It depends almost entirely on ground conditions, site access and what is being built above the groundworks, so any figure given before a site visit is a guess. We investigate the ground and price element by element so you can see where the cost sits. Do you carry out groundworks as a standalone package?Yes. We take on groundworks alone, for example preparing a plot before another contractor builds on it, as well as delivering groundworks as part of our own new build or extension contracts. How do you decide which type of foundation to use?Foundation type depends on ground conditions, water table, loading and proximity to trees and existing structures. We investigate the ground before committing to a foundation type, and we work to a structural engineer's design where one has already been prepared. What happens if my site cannot connect to a public sewer?We design soakaways or attenuation systems sized to what your site can discharge, so surface water is managed on site rather than overloading a sewer that cannot take it. Can you install service ducting for utilities?Yes, we install ducting for incoming water, electricity, gas and telecoms at the groundworks stage, before slabs or surfacing are placed, so there is no need to dig back through finished ground later. Do you build retaining walls on sloping sites?Yes, retaining structures are common on sloping Cheshire plots and are designed alongside the foundations and drainage rather than added as an afterthought. Can you prepare a sub-base for my driveway?Yes, we build compacted sub-bases and kerbing for driveways and hardstanding, specified to carry the loading the area will actually see, and can coordinate this with wider landscaping. Do you handle site clearance and demolition arisings?Yes, site clearance, demolition arisings removal and muck away are all part of our groundworks service, carried out before excavation and foundations begin. Will the same team build the house above the groundworks?Where you engage us for the full build, yes, the same directly employed team carries the project from groundworks through structure, envelope and finishes, which is why levels and falls line up throughout. Which areas do you cover for groundworks?We are based at 1 London Road, Alderley Edge and carry out groundworks across Cheshire and the wider North West, including Wilmslow, Knutsford and Macclesfield. Related work ## Often delivered alongside this ### New Builds Groundworks delivered as the opening stage of a complete new build. View service ### External Works & Landscaping Driveways, drainage and landscaping that finish the plot once groundworks are complete. View service ### Extensions & Remodelling Foundations and drainage alterations needed to support an extension. View service We deliver this service across Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Macclesfield and the wider North West. See recent projects, read about the family behind KIIF or return to the homepage. ## Get a groundworks estimatebased on your actual ground Tell us about the site and what is being built on it. We will visit, look at access and ground conditions, and come back with a breakdown you can question line by line rather than a single figure with no explanation behind it. 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