From ironstone village to suburb
Normanby grew in the nineteenth century with the Cleveland ironstone industry, when mines on the hillside and the ironworks along the Tees brought workers and their families to the area. Some of the brick terraces from that time remain near the old centre and the High Street. Through the twentieth century, inter-war and post-war semis followed, then larger estates of private homes, and more recent building has added modern houses on the edges.
Above it all rise the Eston Hills, with the Eston Nab beacon on the ridge, and Flatts Lane Woodland Country Park gives Normanby green space and walking routes right on the edge of town. Plenty of homes look up towards the hills, and plenty of gardens climb towards them too.
That mix makes for varied jobs. Behind the older terraces it is often a small yard that needs levelling and a tidy patio. On the semis and estate homes, it is usually replacing an old patio that has sunk or cracked, or laying a bigger one outside new doors. On newer homes, owners want to replace the builder's narrow strip of slabs with something more generous.
Hillside gardens and clay ground
The closer you get to the hills, the more gardens slope. A slope can make a garden more interesting, but it needs planning: we may cut a level terrace into the ground and hold back the soil with a retaining wall, or step the garden into levels linked by wide steps. Where a garden falls towards the house, rain will run to the back door unless the patio and its drainage are designed to stop it, so we lay a fall away from the house and add a channel drain where needed.
The ground is largely heavy clay, which holds water and moves with the seasons. That is why patios laid on a thin base so often rock and sink. We dig down to firm ground, build a compacted crushed-stone sub-base, and bed every slab on a full mortar bed. Before setting the levels we check the damp-proof course and any air bricks, so the finished patio sits safely below them.
For materials, porcelain suits modern homes and needs very little looking after. Indian sandstone brings warmth and texture, and good-quality slabs keep costs down on larger areas.
Planning in Normanby
Normanby is in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, so planning questions go to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council rather than Middlesbrough. The national rules are the same: a ground-level back-garden patio is normally permitted development, a raised patio more than 30cm above the ground usually needs permission, and more than five square metres of non-porous paving in a front garden needs permission unless it drains to a lawn or border.
On hillside plots, keep an eye on that 30cm limit, because a terrace built out over a slope can quickly rise above it at the outer edge. Splitting the patio into two lower levels often avoids the issue and looks better too. If you are unsure, the council's planning team can advise before work starts.
The cost of a Normanby patio depends on the size, the slab, the slope and any walls or steps. We do not publish a price list; our patio prices guide explains the main factors, and the quote after our visit is the figure that counts.
Patios in nearby areas
We also lay patios close to Normanby:
- Patios in Ormesby: Next door to the west, with Ormesby Hall, sloping gardens and lots of bungalows.
- Patios in Nunthorpe: A short drive south-west, with large gardens and the Nunthorpe and Poole Conservation Area.
See every place we cover on our areas page.
Questions people ask
Do you cover Normanby?
Yes, across TS6, including the older streets near the High Street and the estates towards the Eston Hills and Flatts Lane.
Our garden slopes up towards the hills. What can you do?
Usually a level terrace cut into the slope with a retaining wall, plus a drain where water would otherwise run to the house. Steps up to the rest of the garden finish it off.
Which council handles planning in Normanby?
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. Most ground-level back-garden patios do not need an application, but raised patios and large non-porous front gardens can.
Do you lay patios in small terrace yards?
Yes. We level the yard, sort out the drainage and lay a neat patio, carrying materials through by hand if there is no rear access for a skip.
Do you need a skip on the road?
Sometimes. If a skip will not fit on the drive we may need a permit for the road, or we can take waste away in our own vehicle. We sort this out before the job starts.
