Fairfield's houses
The 2021 Census puts a number on Fairfield's character: 70.4% of households in the Fairfield ward live in a semi-detached house. A further 17.4% live in a detached home, 6.8% in a terrace and 5.3% in a purpose-built flat. That is a higher share of semis than almost anywhere else in the borough.
The suburb was not built all at once. Some of the oldest housing is around The Avenue, and the southern part of Fairfield, closer to Hartburn, is generally older than the northern streets near Bishopsgarth. A strip of green belt separates Fairfield from Hartburn, and at its western edge the suburb stops abruptly where the town ends and farmland begins. Several schools, including Our Lady and St Bede, Ian Ramsey and Stockton Sixth Form College, are spread through the area.
A typical Fairfield plot is a semi with a narrow side passage and a back garden that runs well away from the house. Plenty of these still have the original slabs by the back door, now uneven, or a patch of crazy paving that has broken up. The usual brief is a wider, level patio by the house with a straight path to a shed or the back fence, so the lawn can be crossed in wet weather without boots.
On the western fringe, gardens that back onto open fields often get more wind and sun, which makes a patio placed further down the garden worth thinking about.
Clay ground and drainage
Fairfield is built on glacial till, according to the British Geological Survey: a dense, stony clay laid down by ice, over Sherwood Sandstone at depth. It is the same type of ground found across much of west Stockton, and it behaves predictably. It drains slowly, it softens when wet and it can shrink in a dry summer.
That is why the base matters more than the slab. We remove turf and topsoil, dig down to firm clay, lay a membrane and build a stone sub-base compacted in layers. On a long, flat garden the fall has to be designed in, because water will not run anywhere on its own; we usually slope the patio gently towards the lawn, and where that is not possible we add a slot or channel drain linked to a soakaway or existing drainage.
The Environment Agency does not show the middle of Fairfield in Flood Zone 2 or 3, though Flood Zone 3 appears within 750 metres along the beck valleys at the edge of the suburb. Surface water after heavy rain is the more common local issue, which is another reason to get the levels right.
Planning in Fairfield
Fairfield has no conservation area, and our research found no Article 4 direction covering it. A patio in the back garden, kept close to ground level, is normally permitted development, so most owners do not need to apply for anything. A raised patio or platform more than 30cm above the ground is different and does need permission.
Front gardens are the other thing to watch. If you plan to pave more than five square metres at the front, the surface must be permeable or drain to a lawn or border, or you will need planning permission. That rule is set nationally and applies to every Fairfield street.
What the price depends on
Every Fairfield quote is worked out from the garden in front of us. The main factors are:
- Size. Width across the back of a semi is usually fixed; depth into the garden is your choice.
- Removal. Old slabs, crazy paving or concrete have to come up and go away.
- Sub-base depth. Soft clay means more digging and more stone.
- Paths and steps. A path down a long garden adds length quickly.
- Material and finish. Concrete slabs cost less than sandstone or porcelain, and porcelain takes longer to cut.
- Access. A side passage helps; without one, materials come through the house.
Neighbouring areas to Fairfield
- Hartburn: South, beyond the green belt: semis, detached homes and a conservation-area village street.
- Elm Tree: West: a higher share of detached homes and newer cul-de-sacs.
- Norton: East across the town centre: an old village core with interwar estates around it.
Services that suit Fairfield's long gardens: patio slabs and paving, porcelain patios, garden paths and steps.
All places we cover: areas page.
Patio questions from Fairfield
Do I need planning permission for a patio in Fairfield?
Not normally. There is no conservation area in Fairfield, and a ground-level back-garden patio is permitted development. Raised platforms over 30cm and large non-permeable front-garden paving are the exceptions.
My Fairfield garden is long and flat. Will water sit on the patio?
Not if the levels are set properly. We build in a fall away from the house and, where needed, a channel drain so water does not pool.
Can you add a path to the shed at the same time?
Yes, and it is cheaper to plan both together because the same delivery and digging covers them. A path in matching or contrasting slabs is common in Fairfield's long gardens.
Which material works best for a semi in Fairfield?
Most people choose between concrete slabs for value, sandstone for a natural look and porcelain for low upkeep. We bring samples so you can see them against your brickwork.
Sources: Wikipedia: Fairfield, County Durham; ONS Census 2021 TS044, Fairfield ward (Nomis); BGS Geology Viewer; Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning; GOV.UK: permeable surfacing of front gardens.