Groundworks, drainage and structural concrete for Helston, Porthleven, Wendron and the Lizard, delivered under one contract from site clearance to finished build. Matt Richards prices the job, runs it and operates the machine himself. Ground conditions here are established on site, not assumed from a postcode.
Helston is the gateway to the Lizard, and it is where west Cornwall stops being granite. South of the town the Lizard complex takes over, serpentine and gabbro rather than the granite of Penwith, and it weathers and drains differently. Inland towards Wendron and Sithney the ground turns heavy and agricultural instead.
That matters more here than almost anywhere else we work, because so much of the Lizard sits off the mains. A soakaway sized for a Penzance plot can fail on a serpentine plot two hills away. So percolation gets tested rather than assumed, and depth to bearing strata gets established with a dig. Building Regulations Part H requires a soakaway design to be based on a percolation test, and it is that result which sizes the system, not habit.
The town adds its own constraints. The main street climbs steeply through a historic core, so access, levels and muck away are settled before anything is broken out, and the ground falling towards Loe Pool and Loe Bar puts retaining into jobs that started out as gardens. Past Culdrose towards Gweek, Cury and Mullion it is farms and smallholdings rather than housing plots.
The Lizard sends us more rural and off mains work than anywhere else we cover. These are the services Helston clients ask for most.
site clearance, muck away, excavation, foundations and setting out, on farm access and tight town plots alike.
agricultural barns, workshops, extensions and renovations, masonry and timber frame, run as one contract with the groundworks beneath them.
foul and surface water, sewer connections where the mains reach, and land drainage for wet agricultural ground where they do not.
driveways, patios, steps, garden walls and retaining features, built off a base that was dug and compacted properly.
sized on a percolation test and built to the ground you actually have, with attenuation where surface water has nowhere else to go.
installed and replaced across the Lizard, set out to the General Binding Rules for small sewage discharges.
One contractor from strip out to finished buildClearance, groundworks, drainage and the build sit under one contract, so nothing waits on a handover between trades.
Matt is on site, operating the machineThe person who priced your job is the person running it, as owner and sole director.
Built to the engineer's drawingFoundations, reinforced concrete and drainage delivered to architects' detail and under external structural engineers' direction.
£5m public liability, including groundworks and demolition up to 15 metresMost public liability policies in this trade exclude demolition altogether.
A written quote with the scope and the sequence on itSet out so it can be read against a tender, with the conditions that would change it named.
Helston and the Lizard sit inside the area we cover from Newlyn, so a site here is priced the same way as one on the doorstep.
Helston and the Lizard bring us land drainage on wet ground, soakaways, treatment plants, barn bases, yards and farm access. The structural side is the same trade we take across the county, where recent work includes the 45 metre retaining wall in St Ives, 250mm of reinforced concrete on a stepped foundation, and marine grade concrete at Jubilee Pool in Penzance.
Our Google reviews are public, and the people who have left them include the architects we deliver for.
Based on 5 Google reviews
Great company to work with. Professional, reliable and well organised from start to finish. Communication is always clear, sites are well run & the team are a pleasure to deal with. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them and look forward to working together again!
Read more on GoogleCornwall Civils have been working on a complex external works package for our project in St Ives. Their works have included an extensive concrete retaining wall, in-situ concrete stairs and an in-ground modular drainage system.
Read more on GoogleCornwall Civils handled a tricky concrete shuttering, steel work, and pour for us on an emergency job. They stepped in at very short notice and worked through nights and weekends to get it done. The quality of their work was excellent, and their commitment was outstanding.
Read more on GoogleI recently had the pleasure of working with Matry at Cornwall Civils and Construction, and I couldn’t be more impressed with the service provided.
Read more on GoogleOne further five-star rating was left on Google without a written review.
Send the postcode, the drawings if you have them and the stage the site is at, and Matt will come and look at the access, the levels and the ground before anything is priced. One contractor, from the first dig to the finished build.
Call Matt Richards on 07958 102538 · Get a free quote online
14 The Strand, Newlyn, Penzance, TR18 5HN
Phone: 07958 102538
Email: info@cornwallcivilsandconstruction.co.uk
Hours: Mon to Fri 07:00 to 17:00 · Sat 08:00 to 12:00
Sunday: emergency call out only
Last updated: 22 September 2026
