Stone ethics

For once I am pleased to hear that prices are going up. Indian

sandstone has been used within the construction industry for some

years now. Sandstone is a good, durable and attractive paving

material. It comes in many colours – some called sandstone, but

actually limestone. However, it’s often chosen by contractors not

because of its aesthetic appearance, but because it can be bought

cheaply. Many small, independent importers jumped on the sandstone

bandwagon and imported crates of stone to sell on to garden centres,

builders’ merchants and landscape companies. However, sandstone

was cheap for only one reason. Women and children are used to

quarry the stone in India, earning 60p per day.

Because of pressure from concerned parties, and contractors who

insist on sandstone from ethical sources, the price of sandstone will

rise this year – in some cases by 38 per cent. How can it be that

stone, all the way from India, which is quarried and transported

thousands of miles and involving many people in the supply chain, can

be cheaper than a locally bought and quarried stone? It’s quite simple

when you don’t pay any of that supply chain properly or decently.

Many builders’ merchants, including Travis Perkins, Marshalls and

Benton Weatherstone, make absolutely sure that their sandstone is

ethically sourced. Their entire Indian supply chain, right back to the

quarries themselves, is audited to ensure compliance with the

International Labour Organisation. Sandstone comes in a number of

paving sizes, but the smaller ‘setts’ are often made by children.

Marshalls import larger pieces of stone and make the setts

themselves at their processing plant.

A well-run and legislated quarry will not employ women and

children and will use proper protective equipment. They will also

provide welfare and sick-pay for their workers. Quite often the

workers live on site too, so the constant dust at the quarry can cause

breathing issues – similar to ‘miner’s lung’. Sandstone will be used for

20 per cent of the UK domestic paving in the next ten years and I

believe it is extremely important to be aware of the impact of

irresponsible quarrying – both in human and environmental terms.

As a company, we only use suppliers of Indian sandstone whom

we know to adhere to the strict code of practice for the manufacture

and supply. If you use a contractor to build a patio or steps for you,

please check the authenticity of the products they supply to you. The

same strict code of practice applies to wood products too. The

difference between checking and not caring could mean a world of

difference to a child worker.

The builders yard

I have just visited another new house, and it is depressing how

builders can make such a great job of kitchens, bathrooms and

plastering and then completely run out of steam, money and the will

to live when it comes to the garden. The house I saw today was

finished to a really high standard; good solid doors, expensive door

handles, nice kitchen with decent appliances but the garden was

completely laid to mud. Not even turfed. Whilst I was measuring I

came across some shoes buried in the ground and there was rubble

everywhere. The ‘patio’ they had laid outside the kitchen consisted of

six of the cheapest slabs it’s possible to buy without stealing them

from the council. The path down each side of the house was nonexistent

on one side – just mud, and the other side was just one slab

wide. They had tipped a bag of gravel along one edge, where the path

didn’t meet the house and just left mud all along the other side.

The fence the builders had put up didn’t actually come down to the

ground in some places because the garden is on a slope, and

because of the slope, they had piled up earth around two copper

beech trees because they didn’t want to level the ground properly.

And, that was it. Nothing else.

The house was a four bedroom detached in Godalming that

probably didn’t leave much change out of half a million pounds. I

suppose it’s what we’re used to with new houses, and what we

expect and accept. There are no house builders or property

developers that are prepared to construct a decent garden, as they

know they can get away with it. The clients I saw today were very

realistic and had kept back the money to do the garden too. It must

be a bit galling, though, to move into a brand new house and know

that you still have to spend another twenty thousand getting the

garden done. I can only tell people that a beautiful garden will put

around 12 per cent on the house and for a £500,000 house, spending

£20,000 will be a good boost to your equity to the tune of another

£40,000 if you do it properly.

If you’re buying a house in a new ‘estate’ area then it’s assumed it

doesn’t matter, because each house will look the same and a muddy,

six slab garden for each house gives identical choice. The customer

ends up buying the house for the bedroom space they want.

However, for a one-off development I can’t understand why a property

developer still doesn’t realise the huge impact a fantastic garden can

have on a prospective client. I know people who have walked right

the way through a house to look out at the garden and have said “I’ll

take it” without looking at a single room properly. I’m one of them.

Plan and design

It’s spring. A young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love, apparently,

but most older and more sensible people turn their thoughts to getting

their garden done. Interestingly, more men call at this time of the year,

and more women call later on in the summer. Chaps obviously have

this surge of passion in the spring and want to nest build – if you’re

looking for a proposal, this might just be the time to convince him!

It still seems that people find it very difficult to quantify the price of

a garden. With most things, you have a good idea or feeling for the

cost of something, but the price of a garden seems to be understood

by few people. Builders are my favourite clients. They know the price

of things. They understand about levels, getting materials on and off

site and disposing of waste. They are totally realistic about costs.

There is no general rule of thumb, although you could pace out

your garden and work on £150 plus per square metre for a great

garden, and £100 a metre for something level that will be laid mainly

to just lawn and paths. This is where your garden designer is

invaluable, but then I would say that wouldn’t I! Getting your garden

designed helps you to understand the costs and materials, as well as

exploring different options.

A design for a small garden

or courtyard will start at

around £450 for a plan. For

this we will come out and talk

to you about your garden. We

can find out exactly what you

need from your sensible

garden, and then discover all

the things you would like in

your perfect garden. Once the

questions are put to you, it’s

amazing how you can start to

see what you really need and

cross off all the things you

don’t want. There are boring –

but important – things to establish. Do you hang out your washing?

Where do the bins go? Do you need to see the children playing from

your window? Where’s the master bedroom? Does it overlook the

garden? Can you see the neighbours?

Once we have all the information we need and get a feel for your

own particular likes and dislikes, we photograph the garden and

measure it exactly to scale. Then we produce a design for you

incorporating all the things we discussed, but using design principles

and with an overview that’s often difficult to have yourself. We can be

detached and once something is measured and on the drawing board

we can come up with solutions and suggestions you may not have

thought about yourself.

Because the drawings are to scale, they can be quoted for by any

good landscaping company or even built by your own builders.

However, we will also supply you with a detailed quotation of works

and this is broken down into all the different sections of the garden,

and we’d love to build it for you.

A plan means you know where you’re going. The plan price includes

specifying the samples of the materials we would like to use in the

garden. It will show where the planted sections will be, where the

hard landscaping will be laid. We will include water features, lighting,

fencing, pergolas and all other features. It’s a map, a blueprint of your

garden, and will allow you to find out just how much your garden

would cost. You may be shocked, or pleasantly surprised, but at least

you’ll be able to start thinking about it, instead of looking out of the

window and not knowing where to start.