Cambridge & South Cambridgeshire
High Ground and Low: Imprinted Concrete Driveways and Patios in Over
A fen edge village with one of the finest church spires in the county and a lot of ground that sits lower than you would like it to.
Family run since 1990
Over 30 years installing decorative surfacing
Based in Sawtry
Local team, Cambridgeshire properties
Five star rated
Verified Google reviews
Imprinted Concrete in Over
High ground, low ground, and where the water goes
Over stands on the last piece of higher ground before the fen proper. Look north from the village and the land drops away to Over Fen and the washes; look at the church and you are looking at one of the best medieval spires in Cambridgeshire. That position is the single most useful thing to understand about building a hard surface here, because the difference between a plot on the village high ground and one on the lower edge is a genuinely different job.
The housing runs from older cottages and farm buildings around the historic core, on irregular plots with narrow entrances, out to the twentieth century estates and more recent infill, where frontages are rectangular and there is usually room to park two cars once a strip of lawn is brought in. Rear gardens tend to be generous by Cambridgeshire village standards, which makes patios a bigger part of what we are asked about here than in the towns.
On the low ground the water table sits close and the soils are fen edge silts and peat rather than the clay or gravel of the higher village. That affects the excavation, the compacted sub base and, above all, the drainage: imprinted concrete does not let water through, so on flat, low ground the falls have to be deliberately created and often supported by a channel drain. On a plot like that we would rather look and tell you honestly what we think than quote from a description.
Driveways, patios and paths are the three things we install. Read what each one involves or why people choose imprinted concrete.
Make It Your Own
Colours and patterns for Over properties
Village properties here range from warm old brick and render through to plainer modern facing brick, so the colour choice depends on the house rather than on the village. Under the wide fen sky, mid greys and sandstone tend to hold their appearance visually better than very dark charcoal, which can flatten into a black rectangle on a grey day. Samples come with us so you can judge that in your own light.
- SandstoneNatural stone tone
- Brick RedClassic heritage
- Slate GreyModern charcoal
- Autumn BrownRich amber
See the full colour and pattern section for photographs of the finishes, or ask us to bring samples when we visit.
Before Anything Is Poured
Ground, access and drainage in Over
Levels first. We check how the plot sits relative to the road and to any ditch or drain, where water currently stands after rain, and how the finished surface can be made to fall to somewhere useful. On soft or made up ground the dig and the sub base are decided by what is found rather than by a standard figure. Access down the older lanes is the other thing we look at.
Recent Projects
Finished work worth comparing against your Over property
For a generous rear garden, the buff ashlar patio with a curved terracotta border against a new lawn is the most relevant published example. For a longer entrance on a village plot, the grey cobble driveway and turning area at the top of our main page shows the larger scale.
A European fan pattern driveway in buff imprinted concrete, framed by a stamped brick border and a channel drain. 
A rear patio in buff ashlar imprinted concrete, shaped with a curved terracotta border against the lawn. 
A patio in grey wood plank imprinted concrete: the look of decking boards in a single poured, jointless surface.
Five-Star Rated
What customers say
EXCELLENT Based on 12 reviews on Google. These are the company's own Google reviews and are not attributed to any particular town.
Rated 5 out of 5.
We had our driveway done this year and they did a fantastic job. I'm really happy with the outcome. I would recommend this company.
Questions
Over imprinted concrete questions
- Do you install imprinted concrete in Over?
- Yes, Over is in the service area Driveway & Decking Co. publish. Send the postcode through the quote form on this page or call 07949 078999 and we will arrange to come and look.
- Our plot is on the low ground towards the fen. Is that a problem?
- It is a design constraint rather than an automatic no. Low ground with a high water table and soft soils means the excavation, the sub base and above all the drainage have to be worked out for that plot. We will look and tell you honestly what we think is achievable, including if we think the site is not suitable.
- There is a ditch along the boundary. Does that help with drainage?
- Sometimes, but only if there is a right to discharge into it and the levels work. Ditches and drains near a plot often fall under an internal drainage board or a landowner rather than the householder, so it needs establishing rather than assuming. Mention it when you enquire.
- How do you create a fall on completely flat ground?
- By setting the finished levels deliberately. The surface is built to fall towards a chosen point rather than laid flat, and where there is nowhere for the water to go naturally, a channel drain is designed into the layout. On flat fen edge ground that part of the design is the job.
- Are the rear gardens here big enough for a large patio?
- Often yes, and that is a good use of a stamped finish, because a bigger area gives a pattern room to repeat and read properly. On a large patio the shape of the edge and the border matter as much as the pattern, or it can end up looking like a slab in the middle of a lawn.
- Can you lay a path from the house down to a shed or garden room?
- Yes. Paths are one of the three applications we install, and running the same colour and a complementary pattern from the patio down the garden ties the space together instead of leaving two unrelated surfaces.
- Will frost damage the surface?
- Weather conditions matter both when concrete is laid and afterwards, which is why we are careful about when we pour. We will not make an absolute claim about how any surface performs over a hard winter, because that would not be honest. We will tell you what the finish you choose needs.
- How do you deal with an entrance that is used by farm vehicles?
- By knowing about it first. The loads a surface has to carry decide the build up, and an entrance used by heavier vehicles is a different specification from a domestic drive. Tell us at the enquiry stage rather than after the surface is down.
- Can the driveway be shaped around an existing tree or wall?
- Yes, a poured surface follows whatever shape the space actually is, which is one of its advantages here where plots are rarely rectangular. Roots and future growth are part of what we look at when planning the layout.
- Do you install in the surrounding hamlets and farms?
- Send the postcode and we will confirm. Rural plots away from the village vary a lot in access and ground conditions, so they are worth looking at individually rather than answering from a map.
- What is included in the quote?
- The written quote sets out what is covered, which typically includes breaking out and removing the existing surface where needed, the excavation and sub base, the surface itself and the drainage detail agreed. Ask about anything that is not clear before you decide.
- How do I arrange a visit in Over?
- Use the quote form on this page with your postcode, call or WhatsApp 07949 078999. If your plot is on the low ground or has a ditch nearby, say so, because it changes what we look at first.
Areas We Cover
Near Over
Each of these has its own page, written for that place rather than this one.
Get a Free Quote
Request a quote for your Over project
Tell the team whether you are planning a driveway, patio, path or another suitable imprinted concrete project. Include the postcode and an approximate size or a short description, and Driveway & Decking Co. can talk through the next step and arrange a quote or a site visit where that makes sense.
Prefer to talk it through?
- Telephone
- 07949 078999
- Message us on WhatsApp
- Address
- 23 Glatton Road, Sawtry, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 5SY