Garden steps, levelling and raised patios in Milton Keynes

Is it right for you?

Do you need levelling, steps, or both?

A lot of Milton Keynes gardens slope away from the house, and a patio laid on a slope is a patio you cannot put a table on. This is the job that fixes that. Done and dusted in a couple of days, as one customer put it.

It suits you if

Your garden slopes and you want a flat patio to sit on
You have a step down from the back door that is too high or too many
You want a raised patio by the house with steps down to the lawn
An old set of steps is loose, uneven or crumbling

Think again if

Your garden is already flat. You just need a patio
The drop is over about a metre. That is a bigger retaining job and Terry will say so

The honest facts

Time on site: 3 to 5 days, up to a week with a retaining wall
What holds it: A retaining wall on a concrete footing, or sleepers for lower drops
Looking after it: Nothing beyond the patio itself
Cost: More than a flat patio, because of the digging and the wall
Planning: Only if raised over 300mm, or covering over half the garden

Send a photo for a rough idea first. The written price comes after the free visit.

Our work

Steps and levelling round here.

Real Milton Keynes gardens and front doors. No stock photos.

See all our work

Curved stone steps with a light block edge, Milton Keynes area — Curved stone steps with a light block edge

Porcelain steps and path to a side door, Milton Keynes area — Porcelain steps and path to a side door

Block paving step at a front door with a porcelain tread, Milton Keynes area — Block paving step at a front door with a porcelain tread

Raised porcelain patio with sleeper edging, Milton Keynes area — Raised porcelain patio with sleeper edging

Project notes

Garden walls with porcelain steps up to the house

Rendered walls hold the levels, and porcelain steps lead up from the lawn to the house.

Where: Milton Keynes area
Work: Garden walls and porcelain steps
Levels: Steps up from the lawn to the house
Time on site: 5 days

See more of our work

How we build it

How Terry levels a garden and builds the steps.

A level patio on a slope is only as good as what holds it up. Measure the slope, cut and retain, then build it level.

Send a photo
Ring Terry or WhatsApp a photo of the garden. He replies the same day, Monday to Saturday, with a rough idea, and visits usually within a few days.
Terry measures the slope
He works out where the level should be and how many steps that means. You get one written price and a day count.
Dig and retain
Soil cut and carted away. A retaining wall on a concrete footing, or sleepers on posts for lower drops, with a drain behind the wall so water cannot build up and push it.
Base
100mm of compacted stone compacted in layers behind and under everything that has to stay level.
Build the steps
Solid block or brick risers, every one the same height between 150mm and 180mm, with deep treads in the same porcelain or sandstone as the patio.
Lay, drain and hand over
Patio laid to a gentle slope (about 1 in 80) away from the house, so rain runs off, drainage in, site swept, guarantee terms written on your quote.

Price and paperwork

What moves the price, and what you get in writing.

No prices on this page. A photo on WhatsApp gets you a rough idea, and the written price comes after Terry's free visit. This is what moves it.

How much soil comes out. The steeper the slope, the more digging and the more waste to take away.
The retaining wall. Sleepers for lower drops, a wall on a concrete footing for higher ones. Over about a metre is a bigger job.
How many steps. Every step is built by hand with even risers and deep treads.
The finish. Porcelain costs more than sandstone, which costs more than concrete flags.
Drainage. A drain behind the wall and a channel or soakaway where the water has nowhere to go.

Where it sits: More than a flat patio, because of the digging and the wall.

Read the full cost guide

In every written quote

A written price, agreed before we start
Start date and how many days on site
Footing and sub-base depth stated: concrete footing under the wall, 100mm of compacted stone under the patio
Edging and drainage spelled out
Old surface, fence or wall out and waste taken away
Guarantee terms written on your quote
Fully insured
14-day cooling off

Ask for the same list from anyone else quoting. If it is not in writing, it is not promised.

What our guarantee covers
How to spot a cowboy quote

Reviews

What people say about their steps and levelling.

5.0★★★★★104 reviews

Featured review

“I cannot recommend these guys enough. What a great job - levelling the muddy slope to accommodate a lovely new patio with some steps. 5* job and great work ethic. Done and dusted in a couple of days. Thank you”

Liz K, Google review, June 2026

Terry and his team just did an amazing job of our driveway, which was deliberately installed incorrectly 5 1/2 years ago by another company. Terry understood this and reduced our worries of repeat problems. We are so grateful to them all, working long days in extreme humidity and heat. Thank you…

Lauren T, August 2026, excerpt

Read the full review

Absolute 10/10 job. Organising job was so easy. Patio extenstion was at the best price we found. Job completed in a few hours to perfection and left spotlessly clean. Couldnt of ask for anything more. Now we can enjoy our garden this summer!

Hayley Kakie, May 2026

Read the full review

We were not disappointed, Terry and his team did an excellent job, they were reliable, punctual and hardworking and more than happy to provide guidance as to the best way to proceed, so that we achieved an excellent result. We are very satisfied with the works and would most definitely use Terry…

Lee Lambert, July 2026, excerpt

Read the full review

Read the reviews

Steps and levelling questions people ask Terry.

My garden slopes. Can I still have a patio?

Yes. We dig into the slope, retain the cut with a wall or sleepers, build the patio level and add steps down to the lawn. The review from Liz K above is exactly that job.

Do I need planning permission for a raised patio?

Only if it is raised more than 300mm above the ground, or it covers more than half the garden. Terry tells you if yours needs it.

How high can each step be?

We build steps between 150mm and 180mm high with a tread deep enough to put your whole foot on. Even, comfortable steps matter more than most people think until they trip on a bad one.

What holds a raised patio up?

A retaining wall on a concrete footing, or sleepers on posts for lower drops. Behind it goes compacted stone and a drain so water does not build up and push the wall.

Can the steps match the patio?

Yes. Porcelain steps with a contrast edge, sandstone steps, or brick risers with slab treads to match the house. Terry shows you what works.

How long does levelling take?

It depends on how much soil comes out. Most levelling and steps jobs take 3 to 5 days, up to a week with a retaining wall. Terry gives you a day count with the quote.

Where we work