Patios & Paving in Bitterne means working with 1930s to 1960s semi-detached housing — flagged or slabbed areas laid on a proper base for garden use rather than vehicle loading. What that means on the ground in Bitterne is plots with a genuine fall, where getting the drainage right matters more than the surface chosen. Where it earns its keep is seating areas, paths and gardens rather than driveways carrying regular car weight; the honest caveat is that base preparation underneath still determines whether the slabs move or crack over time. There is also the Itchen-valley slope, which affects how drainage runs across the plot to plan around.
About Patios & Paving
Patios and general paving cover flagged or slabbed areas — concrete, porcelain or natural stone units — laid on a mortar bed or a compacted sub-base, jointed and pointed, and built for garden use, seating areas and pathways rather than the sustained vehicle loading a driveway carries. The choice of unit size, colour and pointing style is usually driven by matching or complementing the house’s existing hard landscaping and the garden’s actual use, and a patio’s long-term performance rests on the base preparation underneath it just as much as any driveway does — a slab laid on a thin bed over unprepared ground will move and crack regardless of the material chosen.
Best suited to: garden seating areas, paths, and outdoor spaces meant for foot traffic and furniture rather than vehicles
Less suited to: any area that needs to carry regular car or van weight
Ground & property in Bitterne
Bitterne sits on sloping ground east of the River Itchen, and the 1930s to 1960s semis that make up most of the area often have a noticeable fall across the plot. On ground like this, getting the falls and drainage right matters more to how a driveway performs long-term than which surface material is chosen.
Coastal / flood note: Itchen-valley slope affecting drainage runs