What a Durham back yard actually is
A back yard here is the outdoor room behind a terrace or an older semi: brick walls, a gate, a gully, and a door whose sill was set before anyone thought about a thick paved build-up. Some yards open onto a rear lane. Some are reached only through the house. A few have a short bank between the door and the back wall, left when the row was cut into a slope above the Wear.
Our team starts with that room. We want the width, the way in, the height of the sill, and where the water goes now. A wide estate garden can hide a mistake. A yard the size of the kitchen cannot. The same ideas apply in Pity Me, where closes still hide yards behind the semis, and in Langley Moor, where some gardens fall towards the lane. If you want a place page, start from the areas we cover. If you already know the yard, ask for a quote with the postcode and the access.
Getting in through the house or the lane
A rear lane is the kind way in. Flags and the old concrete can move along it, and we do not block a neighbour's gate for longer than the lift requires.
Where there is no lane, the route is through the terrace. We measure the passage. Large flags are awkward in a narrow hall, so smaller units are the honest choice, and we agree how we protect floors before the day. A tight side passage will not take a pallet. We say so.
The finished paving has to remain below the sill and clear of the air bricks. Old doors leave less room than new extensions. We would rather thin the build-up, or split the level, than bury a sill. Tell us if the door already catches in wet weather. That is a clue the current yard is too high.
Gullies, falls and clay
The gully is the outlet we trust first. If it still discharges, we fall the new paving towards it. If it is high, cracked or lost under concrete, we say so and we do not bury it. Clay is the ground under most of these lanes. It holds a shower and it softens under a load. We take out the tired top, lay stone and pack it until it stops moving, and we hold the edges so the yard cannot spread towards the lane. Where a bank sheds water onto the yard, we catch it at the top of the paving.
The Wear has cut the city into banks, and the terraces sit on those banks even when you cannot see the water. A yard can be well above the river and still receive surface water from the slope behind it. The flood map for planning is the check for the plot. We do not guess a zone from DH1 or DH7. The Geology Viewer shows the mapped deposit. The lane tells the truth after rain.
Banks, steps and the 300 mm line
Gilesgate climbs. Neville's Cross sits on a ridge. Witton Gilbert folds into a valley, and Langley Moor has gardens that tip towards the back lane. We prefer a level landing at the door and, if the bank needs it, a second level with one clear step. If the new surface stands more than 300 mm above the ground around it, it is becoming a raised platform, and Durham County Council may want an application. A shallow step at the back usually stays ordinary. A tall platform built for a view may not.
More than five square metres of sealed front paving that sheds water to the road usually needs permission. A surface that lets rain through, or a fall to a bed on the plot, is the usual alternative. If the house is listed, or a wall faces a lane inside a mapped conservation area, ask the council first.
Edges, materials and the quote
The edge of a yard stops the paving creeping into the lane and stops the lawn invading the joints. A row of bricks on end, a kerb, or a haunched margin will do that job. Block paving is the flexible choice for a crooked yard. Stone is the calmer floor. Porcelain suits new doors and a shaded wall. Ask for a quote with the postcode, the way in, and whether the yard is level or a bank. If you know where the gully is, say so. Our team will reply with a layout that fits the lane and the clay.
Durham yards reward plain thinking. One fall, one outlet, one way in.
FAQs
Can you bring materials through a terrace with no rear lane?
Yes. We measure the passage first and choose units we can carry. The route, and how we protect it, is part of the quote.
What if the gully is in an awkward corner?
We fall towards a gully that works. If it is blocked or in the wrong place, we say so before we pave. The outlet has to be real.
Do back yards in the city need planning permission?
A ground-level patio at the back usually does not. Ask Durham County Council if the surface would stand more than 300 mm up, if the house is listed, or if you are paving the front.
How should we describe a sloping yard?
Say whether it falls to the lane, to the house or sideways, and whether there is a bank or only a tilt. The postcode and that note are enough to start a quote on the form.