The Base Is the Job
What we will not compromise on is the part you never see: the groundworks. The engineered sub-base, the drainage, the falls and the compaction are what keep a surface flat and frost-proof for decades. We would rather lose a quote than cut the base — because the base is the job.
Total Accountability, Zero Friction
We operate as a single design-build unit. Whether a specific task is handled by our core team or an expert specialist we’ve vetted and brought in, everything answers to one accountable lead. You won't face a chain of disconnected handoffs where no one owns the result. You get one point of contact, one schedule, and one team that takes total responsibility from concept to completion.
Engineering, Not Landscaping
MT Developments exists because outdoor renovation, done properly, is an engineering job — not a weekend trade. Most gardens are priced from a glance and built by whoever is free that week. We thought homeowners deserved the rigour you would expect from a building firm, applied to the space they actually live in.
// THE STORY
Why we built it this way.
Chris
Director · BEng Mechanical Engineering
MT Developments is run by one person who is accountable for every project — from the first survey to the final joint. A mechanical engineering background means the work is approached the way an engineer approaches a build: load paths, drainage falls and material tolerances are calculated, not guessed.
That is the whole point of the firm. You deal with the same person who quotes the job, draws it, and stands behind the guarantee — not a salesperson, a call centre, or a chain of subcontractors. If something needs to be right, there is no one else to point to. That keeps the standard high.
DISCIPLINE
BEng Mechanical Engineering
ROLE
Surveys, design sign-off, every base
BASED
Dunstable — covering Beds, Herts & Bucks
// THE DIRECTOR
One name on every job.
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// WHERE WE WORK
Within reach of the workshop.
We work within roughly 20 miles of Dunstable — close enough that the same team is on your site every day, and back to base each night. It keeps the schedule tight and the accountability ours.
LU
AL
HP
MK
SG
Selected Post Codes
// HOW WE BUILD
Commercial standards, residential scale.
Built for Heavy-Duty Longevity
We build residential gardens to a commercial specification. That means a full-depth MOT Type 1 sub-base, laid in layers and plate-compacted to a defined density — the same standard you would find under a car park or a service yard, not the thin scratch of hardcore that cause most domestic jobs to sink in two years.
Engineered Drainage, Not Guesswork
Drainage is engineered, not assumed. We calculate falls, channel placement, and soakaway capacity to current SUDS guidance, ensuring stormwater goes where it should and never toward your house. On clay or against a wall, this is the difference between a patio that lasts and one that heaves in the first hard winter.
The Details You Can’t See (and We Don't Skip)
Every material is laid full-bed, every joint is detailed, and every level is set out before a slab is cut. None of this is visible once the surface is down — which is exactly why most firms skip it. We do not, because the guarantee we sign means we are the ones who come back if it moves. It does not move.
// CREDENTIALS
REGISTERED COMPANY
Modern Tradesman Ltd
Company No. 16534767
INSURANCE
£5m Public Liability
Fully insured, every site
WORKMANSHIP
Written Guarantees
Signed on before starting
STANDARDS
SUDS-Compliant Drainage
Built to current guidance
// WHAT CLIENTS SAY
"MT Developments redesigned our whole back garden and it's made a huge difference. Chris listened to what we wanted and showed us 3D drawings before the work started. The new layout feels much bigger, and we now spend so much more time outside. 100% recommend."
Joe Seech
Tring, HP23
★★★★★
// WHAT CLIENTS SAY
"They are polite, considerate and very easy to work with, and the quality of their work was great. They turned a very sad, ugly area into something beautiful. I'll be wanting to spend all day sitting out there, or just staring at it from indoors. Highly recommend."
Lindy Barker
Redbourn, AL3
★★★★★
// WHAT CLIENTS SAY
"Chris helped us plan the design from the start. He listened, showed us different layouts and materials, and mocked up visuals so we could picture it. The team were on time, tidy and attentive, and our new porcelain patio feels like we've added an extra room to the house."
Eryn Maskell
Dunstable, LU6
★★★★★
// WHAT CLIENTS SAY
"Chris and Co brought my patio back to life and I'm so pleased with the work. It was completed in just five days, and I can now sit outside for breakfast, lunch and dinner."
Sharon Thorbourne
Luton
★★★★★
// WHAT CLIENTS SAY
"A competitive price, and probably the best communication of any trades company I've dealt with, before and after. The team were super nice, worked really fast and cleaned up. They were making good some previous cowboy work, and it really showed. Couldn't be happier."
Ben Wallace
Harpenden, AL5
★★★★★