RW Groundworks & Civil Engineering
From numerous residential developments to stunning renovations & extensions to multi-million pound one off developments. RW Groundworks delivers the complete groundworks package from start to completion. RW Groundworks place great importance and commitment to building strong client relationships - tailoring our process to meet the clients needs.
12 Years' Experience
Full Plant Fleet
100% Word of Mouth
Cornwall Groundworks & Construction Specialist
Groundworks Cornwall — RW Groundworks
From numerous residential developments to stunning renovations & extensions to multi-million pound one off developments. RW Groundworks delivers the complete groundworks package from start to completion. RW Groundworks place great importance and commitment to building strong client relationships - tailoring our process to meet the clients needs.
12 Years' Experience
Full Plant Fleet
100% Word of Mouth
THE RW GROUNDWORKS STORY
Two Decades Of Cornish Groundworks
Established in Porthleven, Cornwall over 20 years ago, RW Groundworks is one of the country's most sought-after groundwork specialists in the South West. Today we are one of the leading groundworks and civil engineering companies in the UK — covering the full package of groundworks, civil engineering, highways, and street works across Cornwall and beyond.
Whether you're looking for a stunning renovation project or a multi-million pound new home, we offer a complete package from scratch. At RW Groundworks we place great importance and commitment to building strong client relationships and tailoring our processes to meet each client's needs. Read our full story →
OUR APPROACH
A Complete Package
From Scratch
Most groundworks contractors subcontract the critical phases. Plant gets hired in. Crews are bounced between third parties. Clients are left managing a fragmented supply chain and hoping the programme holds. When something slips, the blame bounces with it.
RW Groundworks works the opposite way. Our full fleet of plant — 14-tonne Doosan, 7-tonne dumper, Bomag rollers, and the rest — is owned outright and parked in our yard, not on a hire company's website. Our supervisors hold SSSTS and SMSTS certification. Our operators are CSCS-carded. And we carry every project from first excavation through to handover as a single contractor, under one contract and one standard.
That is why we place such importance on building strong client relationships and tailoring each project to the client's specific needs. In two decades, every major contract we have delivered has come through referral or direct approach. We have never advertised — and we have never needed to.
Get Free Quote
Get Free Quote
CORNWALL, GROUNDWORKS & CIVIL ENGINEERING
Portfolio Recent Projects
CGround
The Oakwood Residence
Highland Park, Dallas
Commercial
Nexus Tower
Uptown, Dallas
Renovation
Heritage Kitchen Revival
Lakewood, Dallas
OUR SERVICES
Groundworks, Drives, Landscaping, Drainage & Plant Hire Across Cornwall
16 services under one roof. Below are the five we're asked for most often. Every one gets the same crew, the same plant, and the same standard — whether it's a £3,000 patio in Helston or a multi-plot housing development in Truro.
Strip footings, trench fill, raft slabs, full site clearance, oversite, and the sub-base prep that decides whether the build above stays level for 50 years. We work to the engineer's drawings, reach Cornwall's 1m frost-depth minimum, and lay everything to the right falls first time. Currently running groundworks packages on 11 houses for two separate clients, so we're set up for scale as well as the one-off extension.
Block paving, tarmac, resin-bound, gravel, concrete — we install driveways that don't sink, shift, or turn into a puddle the first wet winter. Every drive starts with the sub-base, the edging, and the drainage built in from day one, because a drive gets the same structural care as a strip footing. Domestic and commercial, single driveway to full car park, Helston to Hayle.
Hard landscaping is where our groundworks head and our builder's hands meet. Patios, retaining walls, steps, pathways, raised beds, fencing, decking, artificial grass, full garden transformations — we'll plan the levels, dig the footings, and finish the surface without passing you to another trade. One crew, one timeline, one tidy handover.
Cornwall's clay subsoils and high water tables make drainage a make-or-break job. We install foul drainage, storm water, French drains, BS 6297 soakaways, treatment tanks and septic tanks — and we've got the excavators to dig deep and the experience to get the gradient right on the first pass. Building Regs Part H, South West Water connections, and General Binding Rules all handled in-house.
Need a machine for a week? Our fleet hires out across Cornwall: 14T Doosan at £550/day, 3.3T Hitachi at £260/day, 7T dumper at £235/day, 80 and 120 Bomag rollers from £105/day, RTSC3 Rammax at £250/day, plus wacker plates from £70/week. Operated or self-drive, delivered on our own trucks.
The Other 11 Services
We also handle demolition, drop kerbs, civil engineering, highways and road construction, new builds & extensions, concreting and foundations, patios, fencing, artificial grass, decking, and retaining walls — all across Cornwall, all from the same yard, all with our own plant.
Why Choose RW Groundworks?
Why Reuben Gets the Call Over Every Other Groundworkers in Cornwall
Real Machinery, Not Hired Kit
Our yard runs a 14T Doosan excavator, a 3.3T Hitachi, a 7T dumper, 80 and 120 Bomag rollers, an RTSC3 remote Rammax, forward/reverse wackers, wacker plates, disk cutters and hydraulic breakers — plus five vans including two tippers. The kit starts on Monday because it's parked twenty minutes from your job, not sitting on a hire depot's Monday queue.
Start-to-Finish, One Crew
Most groundworkers dig the footings, pour the concrete and disappear. We stay. Reuben's background runs from first excavation through first and second-fix carpentry, steel works, block work and finishing, so you can hand us a build and let us deliver it — or hand us the groundworks package and know we'll leave it ready for whoever comes next.
SSSTS + SMSTS Certified Supervisors
Our supervisors hold the Site Supervisor (SSSTS) and Site Manager (SMSTS) Safety Training Schemes. The operators hold CSCS cards and machine tickets. Highway operatives are certified for drop kerb and road works. That means we're booked for commercial groundworks packages other crews can't legally run.
12 Years From Labourer to Business Owner
Reuben started as a skilled labourer twelve years ago, worked up through site supervisor, and is now running his own sites. That progression matters — it means he's dug the footings by hand, run the paperwork, managed the crew, and been the one to answer for every mistake and fix it. You get a trades-first contractor, not a salesman with a van.
100% Word of Mouth — No Marketing Budget, Just Results
Every contract in the last twelve years came from a personal recommendation. When that's your only sales channel, you can't cut corners on the sub-base or vanish on snag day — the next job depends on the last one being right. That's our quality control.
Domestic and Commercial — Patios to 11-House Developments
We're currently running groundworks packages on 11 houses for two separate clients, and we'll still come out and lay a garden patio for a homeowner next month. Same plant, same crew, same standard — the only thing that changes is the scale.
Cornish Sites
Every Job From Word Of Mouth — Never Advertised.
Reuben went from skilled labourer to site supervisor to running his own sites. When your entire business comes from referrals, you can't afford to cut corners. We don't.
We Own The Machines
14T Doosan, 3.3T Hitachi, 7T dumper, Bomag rollers, Rammax, breakers. No hire waits.
Start To Finish
Dig to handover. First/second fix, steel, block work, finishing. One team, one invoice.
Qualified Team
Highway operatives, site supervisors with SSTMs, CSCS cards, and skilled machine operators.
Zero Advertising
Every contract, every project, every client. All of it from reputation and referrals.
OUR EXPERTISE IS GROUNDWORKS
Groundworks & Construction Services in Cornwall
Six service lines handled in-house — from the first excavator bucket to the final paving stone, across Cornwall.
Groundworks & Excavation
From footings and foundations to full site clearance, we handle every stage of the groundwork phase. RW Groundworks owns all the machinery needed — excavators, dumpers, rollers — so there's no waiting on subcontractors. Whether it's a single extension or a multi-plot housing development, we dig it, pour it, and prepare it for the build above.
View Groundworks Services
Driveways & Paving
Block paving, tarmac, resin — we build driveways that last. Every installation starts with proper sub-base preparation (because that's what we do), which means your driveway won't sink, crack, or shift after the first winter. We cover everything from small domestic drives to large commercial car parks across Cornwall.
View Driveway Services
Landscaping
Hard landscaping is where groundworks meets garden design. We build patios, retaining walls, raised beds, pathways, and outdoor living spaces — all with the structural foundations done properly underneath. Our team handles artificial grass installation, fencing, and decking too, so your entire outdoor space gets sorted in one project.
View Landscaping Services
Drainage Solutions
Blocked drains, waterlogged gardens, septic tank installations — we solve drainage problems across Cornwall. RW Groundworks installs deep drainage, storm water systems, foul drainage, French drains, soakaways, and treatment tanks. We have the excavators to dig deep and the experience to get the falls right first time.
View Drainage Services
Plant Hire & Machinery
Need a digger? We hire out our fleet across Cornwall — 14T Doosan excavator, 3.3T Hitachi, 7T dumper, Bomag rollers, Rammax, and more. Operated or self-drive options available. Day rates from £70/week for plate compactors to £550/day for our 14-tonner.
View Plant Hire & Rates
More Services
We also provide demolition, drop kerbs, civil engineering, highways and road construction, new builds and extensions, concreting and foundations, patios, fencing, artificial grass, decking, and retaining walls. One team, one point of contact, one invoice — whatever the build needs.
View All Services
CONSTRUCTION & GROUNDWORKS
Services Areas We Cover
RW Groundworks operates across Cornwall from our base in Helston. Eight core service areas, all within easy reach of the A30 corridor.
DISCOVER WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUTS US
Trusted by Businesses Across Cornwall and Devon
15+ Google reviews. 5.0-star average. Every review from a real business. No bought reviews, no mates doing favours — just consistent work that speaks for itself.
REVIEW US ON GOOGLE
★★★★★
Cornwall Groundworks & Construction Specialist
Ready To Get Started?
Give us a call or drop us a message for a free, no-obligation chat.
F.A.Q
Groundworks Frequently Asked
Questions
Here are answers to common questions about our Groundworks services.
Q: Do you provide the machinery or do you hire it in?
We own our plant. Our yard has a 14T Doosan excavator, a 3.3T Hitachi, a 7T dumper, 80 and 120 Bomag rollers, an RTSC3 remote Rammax, forward/reverse wackers, wacker plates, disk cutters and hydraulic breakers. Nothing is subcontracted from a hire company. That means we can start on the agreed Monday without waiting for a depot, and if a machine goes down mid-job we've got a backup in the yard twenty minutes away.
Q: Can you handle a project from start to finish, or just the groundworks?
Both. Most of our work is pure groundworks packages — footings, drainage, oversite, hardstanding — but Reuben's background runs through first and second-fix carpentry, steel works, block work and finishing, so we can take a full build from excavation to handover if you want one crew instead of five. Say so when you call and we'll quote it both ways.
Q: How quickly can you start a new job?
It depends on what's already booked. Small jobs (a drop kerb, a single patio, a drainage fix) usually get slotted in within 2-3 weeks. Larger groundworks packages are typically 4-8 weeks out, because we're currently running packages on 11 houses for two separate clients. Call 07385 250920 and we'll tell you the real lead time for your specific job, honestly — we'd rather turn work away than promise a date we can't hit.
Q: Do you cover domestic as well as commercial projects?
Yes. We run the same plant and the same crew whether it's a £3,000 garden patio for a homeowner in Helston or a full groundworks package for a housing development in Truro. The scale changes, the standard doesn't. Plenty of our word-of-mouth referrals come from homeowners whose neighbour saw our 14-tonner on a commercial site the week before.
Q: What areas in Cornwall do you cover?
Our base is Helston and we work across the whole of Cornwall — Penzance, St Ives, Hayle, Camborne, Redruth, Falmouth, Truro, and most places in between. Most jobs are inside a 40-minute drive of the yard which keeps travel off your invoice. For larger or multi-week projects we'll travel further. If your postcode isn't on the areas page, call us anyway — we probably cover it.
Q: What qualifications does your team have?
Supervisors hold SSSTS (Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme) and SMSTS (Site Manager Safety Training Scheme). Machine operators carry CSCS Gold Cards and plant tickets for every piece of kit in the fleet. Highway operatives are certified for drop kerb applications and road works. The whole crew is trained on current H&S standards. That's why we're booked for commercial groundworks packages other contractors can't legally run.
Q: Do you offer free quotes and site surveys?
Yes — always. Every site survey is free, every written quote is free, and every quote is itemised so you can see exactly what you're paying for. No deposit required until the start date is booked, and even then the deposit only covers materials we need to order ahead. Call 07385 250920 or use the contact form and Reuben will be back to you the same day.
RW Groundworks and Civil Engineering Limited
Ready To Get Started?
Give us a call or drop us a message for a free, no-obligation chat.
GET A FREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTE
Get In Touch with Reuben
Get Free Quote
CONTACT INFORMATION
SERVICES
SERVICE AREAS
OPERATING HOURS
Office Hours:
Mon to Sun
9:00am - 5:00pm
Cleaning Hours:
24/7
Privacy Policy | Term & Condition | FAQ
Copyright © 2026 RW Groundworks. All rights reserved.
