If you've never been through a landscaping project before, the early days on site can sometimes look a little underwhelming!

There's a lot of mud, clearing, measuring, and digging before anything starts to look like the finished garden you've been imagining.

But those first few days are some of the most important of the entire build. Here's what that looks like in practice, using our current project at Doval Gardens in Staffordshire as an example.

Day One: Clear, Measure, Dig

Before anything new can go in, everything existing has to come out.

On day one at Doval Gardens, the team from Biba's Landscaping cleared the existing lawn, measured the space out against our 3D design plans, and completed the groundworks.

It's not the most glamorous part of the process, but getting this stage right sets the pace for everything that follows. Get the levels or dimensions wrong here and you'll pay for it later. Get them right and the rest of the build flows easily.

The team were already ahead of schedule by the end of day one!

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Day Two: Materials On Site

With the clearing and levelling complete, day two started with a trip to Stonevalley in Stoke-on-Trent to collect the patio materials.

This is where our early planning really starts to pay off!

The materials had been chosen weeks before any trades arrived on site, they had been visually tested in our design concepts, and approved by the clients. So there was no waiting around, no last minute decisions, and no delays while deliveries were chased. The team collected the materials and got straight to laying.

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Days Two & Three: Laying Begins

Before the first slab went down, a weed suppressant membrane was laid across the prepared sub-base, an important step that most people never see but makes a real difference to the long term performance of the patio. The compacted hardcore base beneath gives the slabs a solid, stable foundation, reducing the risk of movement or sinking over time.

Porcelain slabs require full mortar bed laying rather than being loosely laid, and that's exactly how Biba's team approached it.

Each slab was carefully checked with a spirit level as it was laid, with tile spacers used throughout to keep the jointing consistent and precise. It's the kind of attention to detail that you don't notice in the finished garden, but you would absolutely notice if it wasn't there.

By the end of day three, the newly defined zones were already beginning to take shape.

Day Four: Defining the Zones

By day four, the material selection was really coming to life on the ground, and the difference it makes is already visible.

We chose two materials from Stonevalley for this project:

1. Light cream porcelain paving for the main patio and terrace areas

2. Anthracite plank picture frame edging to border and define each zone

Most people might not even notice the darker edging when the garden is finished. But they'll feel it. It's one of those subtle architectural details that ties everything together, gives each zone a clear boundary, and makes the whole space feel more considered and complete.

This is exactly why material selection happens at design stage rather than on site.

As you can see by the end of day four, the patio area, lounging level, and path were all defined.

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Day Five: Lawn Down

And just like that, it starts to look like a garden again!

The turf went down on day five and the transformation is instant.

Fresh lawn laid within the defined zones, bordered by the cream porcelain paving and anthracite edging, and suddenly the design concept you've been looking at on paper is right there in front of you.

This is the moment clients tend to really see it for the first time. The zones, the flow, the way the paving wraps around the lawn and leads you through the space. It all clicks into place.

One week on site, and still very much ahead of schedule!

We'll be sharing more updates as the project progresses at Doval Gardens. Follow along with our social channels to see the finished result.

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