I'd had a few quotes, as you do when planning a new patio, but I kept seeing the team from Leicestershire Paving Company working on several gardens around my estate. That gave me confidence they must be doing something right, so I looked them up online.
I submitted an enquiry through their website and, literally two minutes later, Jeff gave me a call. I already had a clear idea of what I wanted, having planned this project in my head for a couple of years. I explained everything, and he booked me in for a design consultation.
At the time of writing, the consultation costs £97. Initially, I wasn't sure about paying a fee when every other company I spoke to offered free quotations. However, if you go ahead with the project, the £97 is deducted from your final bill. I agreed, received a payment link by message, and was booked in for the very next day.
During the consultation, Jeff measured the area, listened carefully to everything I wanted, showed me various samples of the grey porcelain paving and grey/blue edging blocks, and explained exactly how the patio would be constructed. One detail I particularly appreciated was that he planned the layout using full tiles wherever possible.
At the end of the consultation, I was given the quotation. It wasn't the cheapest I'd received, but I had a really good feeling about the company and their professionalism. Looking back, the consultation fee was absolutely worth it. They also provided a CAD drawing showing exactly how the patio would be laid out, which really helped me visualise the finished project.
I noticed the drawing didn't show the recessed manhole covers, so I mentioned it. Jeff explained these are included as standard but updated the drawing anyway so it reflected exactly what would be installed. That's customer service.
I decided to go ahead the following day, paid the deposit, and was booked in around two weeks later. A few days before work started, Alan from the project management team visited to check the garden levels and drainage requirements.
On the Monday morning, the portable toilet arrived first, and shortly afterwards Brendan, Yannis and Ben turned up ready to get started. They absolutely grafted from start to finish. Because there's no access for a skip lorry down my cul-de-sac, everything had to be loaded directly into a truck. By the end of day two, around 95% of the patio had been laid, and on day three they finished everything off, including replacing a rotten fence post.
The quality of the workmanship is excellent, and I'm absolutely delighted with the finished result. The whole experience - from the initial enquiry through to completion - was smooth, professional and well organised.
What also stood out was the customer service. Jeff even messaged me on the evening of the second day just to check everything was going well and that I was happy with the progress. Little touches like that really make a difference.
I honestly can't recommend them highly enough. In fact, I'm already planning to ask them for another quote to replace my sorry excuse for a lawn with artificial grass - although I might need to save up a bit first!
A fantastic company to deal with, a hardworking team, excellent communication and a patio that's exceeded my expectations.
Thanks again to all the team.
John, Market Harborough