Every summer the same three jobs come across our counter in Saffron Walden, Bishops Stortford and the Cambridge area: a fresh patio, a bit of decking, and a garden that got away over winter. The difference between a smooth weekend and a painful one is usually the right machine, hired in the right order.
So this is less a shopping list than landscaping equipment hire planned around the work: what to hire for a patio, decking and garden clearance project at each stage, how big to go and how long to book it. One thing up front: summer is our busiest stretch, so ring early to get the machine you want on the day you want it.
Start with the plan, not the tool list
Two truths we repeat at the desk all summer: access decides which machine you can use, and order decides whether you hire it once or twice.
Access decides everything
We ask one thing first: what can you get down the side of the house? Measure the narrowest point of your side gate, and note steps, tight turns or soft ground. That measurement can size a digger down to a micro, or rule it out for a wheelbarrow.
Do the jobs in the right order
Every project runs the same four stages: clear, dig out and level, build, then finish and clean up. Skip ahead and you pay twice. Lay slabs before the base is compacted and they sink; deck over uncleared ground and you will be crawling under it later.
How long to book for
Most domestic stages suit a weekend or a short midweek run. Cluster them so a machine is never idle, ask for a weekend or midweek rate, and book early: in peak weeks the popular kit moves fast.
Kit you will want on every job
A few basics travel with every project. Use an RCD on any electric tool off a domestic socket, and wear eye and ear protection, gloves and boots. Plan how you will move spoil too: a barrow for a small job, a dumper for real volume.
Garden clearance, getting back to a blank canvas
If the garden has got away from you, this is stage one. Aim for a clean, workable blank canvas before any building starts.
Cut back the overgrowth
For brambles, nettles and woody growth, a brush cutter will not stall on the tough stuff. For long grass, soft weeds and edges, a lighter strimmer is easier to swing all day.
Deal with old stumps and roots
The job we most often see people lose a weekend to is an old stump tackled by hand. A stump grinder takes it down below ground level so you can turf or build straight over it, turning a dawn-to-dusk battle into short work.
Lift old turf and tired beds
Where a patio or deck is going, you want the grass off cleanly, not in ragged clumps. A turf cutter slices an even layer at a consistent depth, which makes setting levels easier. Any turf worth keeping, lift in rolls and relay elsewhere.
Shift the spoil
Clearance makes more muck than people expect. A micro digger loads it quickly and a 1 ton dumper carts it to a skip; access decides what fits. Your next step: ring your nearest depot with your gate measurement and we will size the clearance kit to your garden.
Laying a patio, the groundwork is everything
A patio is only ever as good as what is underneath it. Nearly every failed patio we hear about traces back to the groundwork, not the slabs.
Dig out and set your levels
Hand-digging a patio to an even depth is thankless. A micro digger does it quickly, and its narrow width is why it is our go-to for a typical domestic garden. Dig deep enough for sub-base, bedding and slab, with a fall so water runs away from the house. On a large, open job, ask about a 1.8 ton digger.
Compact the sub-base
This is the step people skip, and it quietly ruins patios. Loose hardcore must be compacted in passes with a plate compactor, or wacker plate, or it settles and takes your new slabs with it. We hire them in 12, 16 and 20 inch widths: the 16 inch suits most domestic patios, a 20 inch earns its keep on bigger areas. When a patio sinks, a skimped compaction pass is nearly always why.
Mix and bed
On a hot day, hand-mixing mortar turns laying into a slog. An electric cement mixer keeps a steady bed coming, so mixing is never the bottleneck while your mortar goes off faster in the heat.
Finish and clean up
Once the slabs are down and jointed, a wash-off lifts the dust and shows the patio at its best. A heavy-duty pressure washer with a patio cleaning accessory gives an even finish without gouging the joints. Your next step: tell us your patio size and we will line the kit up in order.
Building a deck, solid footings and a level frame
Decking lives or dies on its footings. Get the posts deep, plumb and set, and the frame goes together well.
Bore the post holes
Digging footings by spade is slow, and keeping them even is almost impossible. A one man post hole borer sinks clean, even holes quickly, keeping your posts consistent and the frame square.
Set the posts
With the holes bored, an electric cement mixer makes light work of the post concrete. The one thing not to rush: let it properly go off and cure before you load the frame. Posts that have not set will move on you later.
Clear and level underneath
Before the frame goes down, knock the ground back with a brush cutter or strimmer and lay a weed-suppressing membrane. It is a quick job now that saves greenery pushing up between the boards next summer, when you cannot reach it.
Care for the boards
At the end of the season, a gentle wash keeps decking safe and smart. A medium-duty pressure washer is plenty: keep the lance well back on a sensible setting, because soft timber scars easily and going too close raises the grain. Test on a hidden board first, then call the depot and we will match the kit to your deck.
Hiring versus buying for a one-off summer job
For a one-off summer project, hiring almost always beats buying. You get serviced, ready-to-run kit, the right size for the job, not a compromise you store and maintain afterwards. Hire from across our full hire range for the weekend you need it, and keeping it running is our job, not yours.
Getting your kit locally this summer
We make collection easy across Essex, Hertfordshire and the Cambridge area, so a search for tool hire near me lands you on your nearest depot.
Collect or delivered from your nearest depot
You can collect, or we can deliver, from our depots in Saffron Walden, Bishops Stortford and the Cambridge area. Plan collections around the job order so each machine arrives when you need it and goes back before it sits idle. Not sure what fits your access? Just ask the team.
Check the current hire offers and book ahead
Before booking, check our current offers for what is keenly priced this month. Then get in early: summer weekends are our busiest, so contact us or call the depot ahead of the week you need it.
Common questions
- What equipment do I need to lay a patio? In order: a micro digger to dig out, a plate compactor to firm the sub-base, an electric cement mixer for the bedding, and a pressure washer with a patio cleaning accessory to finish.
- Do I really need a plate compactor for a patio? Yes. It is the step people skip and the most common reason a patio sinks. Compacting the hardcore in passes stops your slabs dropping a season later.
- What is the best tool for clearing an overgrown garden? A brush cutter for brambles and woody growth, a strimmer for long grass and edges, and a stump grinder for anything rooted. If a patio or deck is going in, add a turf cutter to lift the old grass cleanly.
- How do I dig footings for decking? A one man post hole borer sinks even, consistent holes far quicker than a spade. Set the posts in concrete with a cement mixer and let it fully go off before you load the frame.
- How long should I hire the equipment for? Most domestic stages suit a weekend or a short midweek run. Cluster the hire so no machine sits idle, and ask us for a weekend or midweek rate. Book early in summer, as popular kit goes quickly.
- Can you deliver to my area? Very likely. We cover Saffron Walden, Bishops Stortford, Cambridge and the surrounding parts of Essex and Hertfordshire. Give your nearest depot your postcode and we will confirm.
Clear, dig, build, finish
Whether it is a patio, a deck or a garden clearance, the formula is the same: clear, dig out and level, build, then finish and clean up, with the right machine at each stage. Get the order right and a big summer job becomes a run of good weekends. When you are ready, look at our current offers or give your nearest depot a call, and we will line the kit up in the order you will actually reach for it.
