When purchasing a new build home, the external areas are often overlooked in favour of the interior finishes. However, the drives, paths and landscaping around your property must meet specific standards set out by the NHBC. Understanding these requirements can help you identify potential issues and ensure your developer delivers your home to the expected standard.
This guide covers Chapter 10.2 of the NHBC Standards 2026, which provides technical requirements for private roads, shared private drives, private drives, car parking areas, paths, patios, gardens and landscaping.
10.2.1 Compliance
All drives, paths and landscaping works on your new build property must comply with the NHBC Technical Requirements. This means that work should be completed in accordance with the approved design and, where applicable, any ground remediation statement that may have been prepared for the site. Formation levels, which are the prepared ground levels before surfacing is laid, should match what was specified in the design documents.
During a snagging inspection, we can identify visible defects in external areas such as uneven surfaces, poor drainage falls or substandard finishes. However, it is important to note that verifying compliance with detailed design specifications or investigating subsurface construction would require more comprehensive surveying beyond the scope of a standard snagging inspection.
10.2.2 Provision of Information
The NHBC requires that designs and specifications for external works are produced in a clear, understandable format and distributed to all relevant personnel on site. This includes site supervisors, specialist subcontractors and material suppliers. All works relating to drives, paths and landscaping should be fully specified before construction begins.
For homeowners, this means your developer should have detailed plans showing how your external areas will be constructed. If you have concerns about the finished work, you are entitled to ask your developer for information about what was specified.
10.2.3 Stability
Ground stability is a fundamental requirement for all external works. Where ground may become surcharged, meaning subjected to additional loading during construction, precautions must be taken to ensure it remains stable. Flexible retaining walls such as gabion baskets and timber structures should not be used to provide support to homes, garages, roads, drives, car parking areas or drainage systems.
Where retaining structures give support to the foundations of a home, these must be completed before work starts on constructing those foundations. This sequencing is critical to ensuring long-term stability of the property.
10.2.4 Freestanding Walls and Retaining Structures
Any freestanding walls and retaining structures on your property must be adequate for their intended purpose. Freestanding walls should comply with BS EN 1996-1 and PD 6697, which set out design requirements for masonry structures. Retaining structures must comply with several British Standards including BS 8002 for earth retaining structures.
All retaining structures more than 600mm high must be designed by a qualified engineer. Where timber structures exceeding 600mm in height are used for retaining ground at boundaries, they should be designed with a service life of 60 years and hold appropriate third-party certification. Planters provided by the developer should also be designed to support the volume of retained soil and the intended plant species.
10.2.5 Guarding and Steps
Safety is paramount when it comes to level changes around your home. Guarding must be provided where structures retain land more than 600mm high and where people have access, where a retaining structure is more than 600mm high with less than 300mm between the top of the wall and the higher ground level, or where a path is adjacent to a vertical drop of more than 600mm.
Any guarding provided should be at least 1,100mm high, should not be readily climbable by children, and must not allow a 100mm diameter sphere to pass through any gaps. External steps that fall outside Building Regulations should have a maximum rise and minimum going of 220mm each, and should be reasonably uniform. A handrail is required where the total rise of external steps exceeds 600mm and individual step goings are less than 600mm.
During a snagging inspection, we can measure guarding heights and check step dimensions to identify any obvious non-compliance with these requirements.
10.2.6 Drives, Paths and Landscaping
This section covers the main requirements for access routes to and around your home, including general construction, drainage, construction details, sub-base thickness, and house paths and patios.
10.2.6.1 General Construction Considerations
Private roads, shared drives, private drives, car parking areas and paths must comply with relevant Building Regulations. Where these surfaces abut your home, they should be at least 150mm below the damp proof course (DPC) and should fall away from the property, unless a channel or other suitable drainage is provided.
All vegetable matter must be removed from areas before construction, and only suitable fill materials such as clean, well-consolidated crushed rock, hardcore, slag or concrete should be used to make up levels. Sub-bases should be mechanically consolidated in layers not exceeding 225mm.
Private roads, shared drives and private drives should have a maximum gradient of 1:6. Where the gradient exceeds 1:10 and changes, suitable transition lengths should be provided to prevent vehicles from grounding. Paths should also have a maximum slope of 1:6, with steps required on steeper ground.
The standards specify minimum path widths depending on their location and use. Paths to the main entrance should be at least 900mm wide, whilst paths used for refuse removal to collection points require a minimum hard standing width of 750mm with an overall width of 900mm.
10.2.6.2 Drainage
Adequate rainwater drainage and disposal is essential for all paved areas. Surfaces should have adequate falls, cross-falls and drainage to ensure surface water drains properly. Paved areas should not be flatter than 1:40, or should have a camber of 1:40 where no fall is available. Private drives and paths require a minimum finished fall of 1:80.
All paved surfaces should drain away from the home and garage, or drain to a channel or other suitable collection point adjacent to the property. Surface water from private areas must not drain onto adopted public areas, and paved surfaces should not be within 2m of a soakaway.
Poor drainage is a common issue we identify during snagging inspections. Ponding water on drives and paths can indicate inadequate falls or blocked drainage, which should be rectified by the developer.
10.2.6.3 Construction Details
The NHBC Standards provide detailed specifications for the construction of different types of access routes depending on their expected use. Private roads that will see frequent commercial vehicle use require the most robust construction, with specific requirements for sub-base, road base, binder course, surface course and, where block pavers are used, appropriate bedding and paver specifications.
Shared parking areas and their access routes also require construction suitable for frequent commercial vehicle use. Shared drives, which typically see only infrequent commercial vehicle access, have slightly reduced specifications. Private drives and parking areas used only by cars and light vehicles have the lightest construction requirements.
Block pavers used on any of these surfaces should meet BS EN 1338 requirements for weathering resistance, abrasion and slip resistance. When laid in herringbone patterns, the edge perimeter should include a single row of stretcher bond parallel to the edge restraint.
10.2.6.4 Minimum Sub-base Thickness
The required thickness of the sub-base depends on the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) value of the underlying ground. Where the CBR is less than 2%, the subgrade requires specialist improvement. For CBR values between 2% and 3%, a minimum sub-base thickness of 325mm is required. This reduces to 250mm for CBR values of 3% to 5%, 150mm for 5% to 7%, and 100mm for CBR values between 7% and 20%.
Frost susceptibility must also be considered. Where the sub-grade is susceptible to frost, a suitable capping layer should be included below the sub-base to prevent frost heave affecting the construction.
10.2.6.5 House Paths and Patios
For house paths and patios, the standards allow for a simpler construction method. The sub-base should comprise 100mm of clean, non-frost susceptible, well-consolidated material such as crushed rock or hardcore with a maximum size of 50mm, blinded with 25mm of sand. Paving slabs should be fully bedded in 25mm of 1:4 cement to sand mortar or a suitable alternative.
Concrete paths and patios should be at least 75mm thick with a tamped or textured finish. Movement joints at least 10mm wide should be provided across the full width at maximum 4m centres. The concrete mix should be suitable for providing a durable and frost-resistant surface.
10.2.7 Materials
All materials used in external works must be suitable for their intended purpose. Concrete should achieve sufficient strength and be durable enough to resist chemical and frost action. Sub-base material should be Type 1 compliant with the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works specifications.
Asphalts and macadams must comply with relevant British Standards including BS EN 13108 for various asphalt types. Aggregates used in these mixtures should comply with BS EN 13043 and BS EN 13242. Blocks, slabs, pavers and edgings should meet the requirements of standards including BS EN 771, BS EN 1338, BS EN 1339 and BS EN 1344 as appropriate to the material type.
Topsoil and subsoil should be of a quality that does not present a hazard to garden users. BS 3882 for topsoil, BS 8601 for subsoil, and the Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment guidelines provide advice on determining suitability.
10.2.8 Garden Areas Within 3m of the Home
Garden areas within 3m of the habitable parts of your home must not be waterlogged. This requirement exists to ensure adequate access to and utility of the areas immediately surrounding your property. Waterlogging should be prevented through appropriate soil selection and management, and where necessary, through drainage or other suitable means.
If you notice persistent waterlogging in garden areas close to your home, this should be reported to your developer as it may indicate inadequate drainage provision or soil preparation.
10.2.9 Garden Areas
Garden areas within 20m of habitable accommodation must be adequately prepared, stable and provided with reasonable access. This covers slope stability, subsoil preparation and garden finishes.
10.2.9.1 Slope Stability
Where new or existing slopes exist in garden areas, their stability should be determined by a qualified engineer. Alternatively, maximum gradients apply: unsupported granular soil should be 5 degrees less than its natural angle of repose, whilst unsupported cohesive soil should not exceed 9 degrees, equivalent to a 1:6 gradient.
10.2.9.2 Subsoil Decompaction and Preparation
Where garden areas are intended for cultivation, old foundations, concrete bases and similar obstructions must be removed from within 450mm of the finished ground surface. The ground should be appropriately decompacted to restore soil structure and drainage characteristics that may have been damaged during construction. Simple rotavating is unlikely to effectively decompact panned subsoil to the required minimum depth of 300mm.
Construction rubbish and debris must be removed from the garden during decompaction and before topsoiling. Subsoil should never be placed over topsoil.
10.2.9.3 Garden Finishing
Gardens should be finished in accordance with the design, which may include turf, seeding, paving or artificial grass. Where turf or seeding is specified, the area should have a minimum of 100mm of topsoil that is suitable for general landscape purposes and free from hazardous contaminants.
Access should be provided to garden areas by steps or other suitable means, though this is not required for small, isolated areas such as narrow strips at the top or bottom of retaining walls.
10.2.10 External Decking
Patios and decking must be suitable for their intended purpose. Timber decking, including its supporting structure, should be naturally durable or treated with preservative to Use Class 4 classification. Decking more than 600mm above ground level must be constructed in accordance with Timber Decking and Cladding Association guidance or designed by a qualified engineer.
Decking made from materials other than timber, including wood composite materials, should be suitably durable and have a satisfactory assessment from an independent technical approvals authority acceptable to the NHBC. These must also be designed by an engineer.
10.2.11 Landscaping
Planting must be completed in a manner appropriate for the site conditions and layout, with precautions taken to minimise possible future damage to the home. Where trees or shrubs have been removed, retained or planted by the builder, measures should be taken to reduce the risk of future damage to homes and services in accordance with NHBC Chapter 4.2 on building near trees.
This is particularly important on sites with clay soils, where tree root activity can cause significant ground movement affecting foundations.
What a Snagging Inspection Can Identify
During a snagging inspection, our inspectors can identify many visible defects relating to drives, paths and landscaping. This includes uneven or poorly laid surfaces, inadequate drainage falls causing ponding, cracked or damaged paving, missing or damaged edge restraints, guarding that does not meet height requirements, steps with incorrect dimensions, and visible defects in retaining walls or fencing.
However, it is important to understand that a snagging inspection is not a structural survey. We cannot verify subsurface construction such as sub-base depths or materials without intrusive investigation, nor can we provide engineering assessments of retaining structures or slope stability. Where you have concerns about these elements, specialist surveying may be required.
If you are purchasing a new build home and want to ensure your external areas meet the expected standards, a professional snagging inspection can provide valuable peace of mind by identifying defects that your developer should rectify before or shortly after completion.
