How working with me works.

Last updated 18 September 2026.

Who you are dealing with

Green & Gravel is the trading name of Austin Coombe, a sole trader based in Loose, Maidstone, Kent. My full trading address is on every quote and invoice. Contact: hello@greenandgravel.co.uk, 07305 030625.

The site visit

The first visit is free and there is no obligation after it. I come and look, take measurements where I need to, and tell you honestly what I think is worth doing. Booking a visit through this site is not a contract for any work.

Quotes

Every quote is in writing, itemised, and fixed for what it lists. It stays valid for 30 days. If something turns up during the job that nobody could have seen (buried rubble, a broken drain, a tree root through the path) I stop, show you, and agree a price for it before I carry on. You never get a surprise on the invoice.

Seasonal lighting quotes list every metre of light and every decoration. Everything I put up stays with you afterwards, so the year after you are only paying for the fitting.

Saying yes

The job is on once you have accepted the quote, by email, text or in writing, and we have agreed a start date. For larger jobs I may ask for a deposit to cover materials; if so it will say so on the quote, and I will not order anything until I have it.

Your right to cancel

Because we agree the work at your home or over email rather than in a shop, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you 14 days from accepting the quote, or from booking online, to change your mind, for any reason, by emailing or messaging me. If you ask me to start inside those 14 days and then cancel, you pay for the work done and any materials already bought for you up to that point, and nothing more. After the 14 days, if you cancel before I start I only charge for materials I have already bought for you that I cannot return.

Doing the work

• I need clear access to the area and somewhere to put materials and tools. If a gate needs to be unlocked or a car moved, please do it before I arrive.
• I will use your outside tap and, for lighting, your outdoor socket. That is the only thing I ask you to supply.
• Tell me about anything buried that you know of: pipes, cables, drains, septic tanks. I dig carefully, but I cannot be responsible for something nobody knew was there.
• Weather can move dates. Wet ground and frozen ground both ruin work, so if I have to push a day back I will tell you as early as I can.
• I tidy up and take my own rubbish away. If a job creates more waste than I can carry, the quote will say how it is dealt with.

Lighting and electrics

I am not an electrician and do not touch the wiring of the house. Everything I fit plugs into your own outdoor socket and is rated for outdoor use. If you do not have a suitable socket, that is a job for a qualified electrician before I start. If a set of lights trips or fails I will help work out why and put right anything of mine, but I am not liable for the house circuit, and replacing lights damaged by weather or third parties is down to the owner.

Paying

Payment is due within 7 days of the invoice, by bank transfer or cash. For regular garden care it is due after each visit or monthly, whichever we agree. For work that runs longer than two weeks I may invoice in stages, which the quote will say. For Christmas lights, I invoice a 20% deposit when I confirm your booking, to cover the lights I buy for you, and the rest once they are up. If an invoice is late, please just talk to me.

If something is wrong

Walk round the finished job with me. Anything you are not happy with gets sorted before you pay. If a problem shows up later, ring me: I will come and look, and if it is down to my workmanship I put it right at no cost. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you are entitled to work carried out with reasonable care and skill, and nothing here takes that away.

Plants are living things. I plant them properly and tell you how to look after them, but I cannot guarantee they survive weather, pests or neglect.

Insurance and liability

I carry public liability insurance and can show you the certificate on request. If I damage something of yours I put it right or cover the cost. Beyond that, my liability for any job is limited to the price of that job, except where the law does not let me limit it, such as death or personal injury caused by my negligence.

Photos

I like to photograph finished work. I will only use photos of your garden on this site or on social media if you have said yes, and I never show your address or house number.

The legal bit

These terms, the quote and any written changes we agree are the whole agreement. They are governed by the law of England and Wales. Nothing here affects your statutory rights as a consumer.