Braintree, Essex
Clearing the old before building the new in Braintree
Garages, workshops and dead hardstanding removed so a build or a garden can start from a measured level.
Braintree, Essex
Demolition first, almost every time
Braintree and the villages around it, Bocking, Great Notley and Rayne among them, give us a steady flow of larger residential work. Plots here are often wide enough for real design decisions rather than a single strip of paving.
What sets the area apart is how much of our work starts with removal. Old garages, redundant workshops, concrete yards and tired hardstanding come out first, and the quality of that clearance decides how straightforward everything after it turns out to be.
To talk through a Braintree project, call 07770 880587 or email enquiries@breakinggroundltd.com.
Request a consultation
We take on new build contracts and substantial driveway and garden projects. Give us the detail and Matt will come back to you personally.
On the ground
Braintree specifics
Demolition and clearance
Outbuildings and concrete bases removed under method statement, with licensed muck away and hardcore crushed for reuse on site where suitable.
Boulder clay foundations
Local clay needs foundation depths and drainage designed for seasonal movement. We work to the engineer's figure rather than to habit.
Wide frontage paving
Generous driveways set out with borders, features and falls planned before the first block is cut.
FAQ
Braintree questions we get asked
How much does it cost to demolish a garage in Braintree?+
Generally £1,400 to £2,600 without asbestos, including breaking out the base and removing the material. An asbestos cement roof takes it nearer £2,400 to £4,500 once licensed removal is included.
How deep will my foundations need to be?+
The boulder clay around Braintree commonly needs 1500mm to 1800mm, and more where mature trees are close. Your engineer and building control set it, and we price from that figure rather than a guess.
Can the old concrete be reused?+
Where it is clean, yes. Crushing it on site for sub base cuts both tipping charges and imported stone, and it keeps a fleet of lorries off the local roads.
Do you need to notify anyone before demolition?+
For most substantial structures, yes, a section 80 notice to the local authority, plus service disconnections and an asbestos survey on anything pre 2000. We arrange all of it.
Will my driveway be usable during the work?+
Rarely for the whole period, but we sequence the frontage so you keep parking as long as possible and we tell you honestly which days you will not.
A recent Braintree job
Garage down, foundations in, drive relaid, Bocking
A 1960s garage and its concrete apron removed, an asbestos cement roof taken off under licence first, then foundations for a double garage with a room over, and the whole frontage reinstated in block paving.
- Asbestos survey and licensed removal before demolition
- Concrete crushed on site and reused as sub base
- Foundations at 1800mm for clay near a mature oak
- Frontage set out with a border and turning space
Where to next
Braintree services
Services
- Demolition and Site Clearance
Controlled demolition and full clearance that hands over a plot ready for setting out, not a mess for someone else to sort.
- Foundations and Groundworks
Dig, drainage and concrete set out to the engineer's drawings and signed off by building control without argument.
- Block Paving
Traditional and contemporary block paved driveways on a properly built sub base, with edging that stays put.
Useful reading
- Demolition and site clearance: costs and what has to happen first
Garage and outbuilding removal, plot clearance, muck away, and the paperwork that has to precede the machine.
- Extension foundations: what they cost and how deep they go
Depths, concrete volumes and the two things that most often push an extension foundation budget upwards.
- Block paving cost per square metre, explained properly
What a block paved driveway costs, broken down by the parts of the job most quotes leave vague.
Clearance, foundations and surfacing priced as one contract so nothing falls between two trades.
Nearby
Other towns in our patch
Breaking Ground. Building Trust.
Planning something substantial in Braintree?
Tell us about the plot, the property and what you want the finished result to be. We will visit, survey and quote properly.
Ten year guarantee / 30 miles of Colchester / New builds and substantial projects