Colchester, Essex
Our home town, and the ground we know best
Yard, team and plant all within minutes of the town, which shows up in how quickly we get to site and how well we know the subsoil.
Colchester, Essex
Fifteen minutes from almost every job
Colchester is home. Our yard, our team and most of our plant sit within a few minutes of the town, which means a site visit happens quickly and a delivery arrives without a fortnight of planning, even on the tighter roads around Lexden, Old Heath and the Dutch Quarter.
That proximity matters more than it sounds. It is the difference between a concrete pour being brought forward when the forecast turns and a pour being lost for a week, and it is why our Colchester programmes tend to run tighter than our furthest jobs.
The work here splits neatly in two: new build and extension contracts on infill plots and larger family homes, and full driveway or garden rebuilds at period and detached properties where the existing surfaces have simply run out of life.
To talk through a Colchester 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
Three things that shape a Colchester job
Period property groundwork
Victorian and Edwardian streets near the centre often need drainage rerouted and levels corrected before any new surface is laid. We survey before we quote, every time.
Gravel over clay, street by street
Ground conditions change sharply across the town. Sub base depths and foundation design are set to the plot in front of us rather than to a standard figure carried over from the last job.
Access and neighbours
Narrow frontages, on street parking and conservation areas are managed with staged deliveries, road plates and clean, boarded access routes.
A recent Colchester job
Resin driveway and frontage rebuild, west Colchester
A tired shingle drive at a large detached house, with water finding its way towards the garage every winter. We dug out the whole frontage, corrected the falls, built a permeable base and finished in resin bound aggregate with granite kerbs.
- Full excavation rather than an overlay on failed shingle
- Channel drainage across the garage threshold
- Granite kerb line to hold the new edge for good
- Two and a half weeks on site, on programme
Where to next
What we build most often in Colchester
Services
- Extensions and New Builds
Full build packages from footings to finished shell and beyond, backed by our ten year structural guarantee.
- Resin Driveways
Resin bound surfacing over a correctly specified base, laid to a seamless finish with crisp detailing.
- Foundations and Groundworks
Dig, drainage and concrete set out to the engineer's drawings and signed off by building control without argument.
Useful reading
- How much does a resin driveway cost in Essex?
Honest square metre figures for resin bound surfacing, and why two quotes for the same drive can differ by thousands.
- Does your extension need planning permission?
Permitted development limits, prior approval, and the building regulations that apply whatever the planning answer is.
Site visits across Colchester usually within the week, with a fixed itemised quotation to follow.
FAQ
Colchester questions we get asked
How quickly can you visit a property in Colchester?+
Usually within the week, and often sooner. Being based in the town means a survey visit does not need a whole morning blocked out, so we can look at a job while a machine is working nearby.
Do you work in Colchester conservation areas?+
Regularly. Permitted development rights are often reduced in those streets, so we establish the position with the planning department before design work starts rather than after.
What are the ground conditions like around Colchester?+
Mixed, and it changes within a few streets. Gravel terraces near the river, heavier clay towards the north and west. We take levels and inspect the subsoil before setting foundation or sub base depths.
Do you take on small jobs in your own town?+
Not really, and being local does not change that. A single patio repair or a fence run is better served by a smaller firm. We are set up for driveways, gardens, extensions and new builds.
Nearby
Other towns in our patch
Breaking Ground. Building Trust.
Planning something substantial in Colchester?
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