Flood resilience & ground improvement

Ground engineered
to drain.

Assess flood and drainage risk, map how water moves, improve suitable compacted clay, protect vulnerable openings and monitor performance over time.

Check your flood risk ↗Explore the five-stage journey ↓
5-stageassess · survey · improve
protect · monitor
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The Hydrofence platform

Five stages.
One connected plan.

Start with the property and the way water behaves. Then choose the right level of survey, ground improvement, protection and ongoing review.

01 / Assess

Understand the risk.

Review the property, soil, drainage, flood history and access.

Explore assessment ↗
02 / Survey

Map how water moves.

Use aerial imagery, terrain data and site observations to find low points and routes.

Explore surveys ↗
03 / Improve

Open suitable ground.

Target compacted clay with high-pressure air and calcium sulphate treatment.

Explore treatment ↗
04 / Protect

Reduce property exposure.

Compare barriers, air-brick protection, pumps, valves, alarms and kits.

Explore protection ↗
05 / Monitor

Review and maintain.

Revisit drainage, survey change and keep protection ready.

Explore monitoring ↗
Start with evidence

Map the site.
See the water story.

Drone-assisted surveys can combine aerial imagery, terrain visualisation and surface-water-flow interpretation to support clearer decisions at residential, commercial and development scale.

02

Surface-water mapping

Explore likely runoff routes, low points, ponding and vulnerable openings.

Explore flow mapping ↗
03

Illustrative simulator

Build a simple property layout and see indicative water movement and interventions.

Try the simulator ↗
Early screening

Check the indicators.
Choose the next step.

Use transparent, clearly limited planning tools before committing to a survey or treatment.

Flood risk calculator

Build an initial property-risk picture.

Screen flood history, surface water, drainage and vulnerable openings without pretending to use live authoritative data.

Check Your Flood Risk ↗

Domestic clay checker

Read common signs in a waterlogged garden.

A homeowner-friendly observation tool for sticky, cracking or heavily compacted ground.

Check Clay Soil ↗

Cost calculator

See a broad, editable planning range.

Combine assessment, survey, treatment, entrance protection and monitoring allowances.

Estimate a Range ↗
Large tracked Hydrofence treatment rig working beside a modern residential development

Residential to development scale

The right platform
for the site.

Compact treatment equipment supports access to occupied homes and finished gardens, while larger specialist machinery remains available where development access, treatment area and ground conditions justify it.

Explore ground improvement ↗
01 / The challenge

A new home should not come with a garden you cannot use.

Love the home.
Fix the ground outside it.

Heavy clay and construction traffic can leave new-build gardens compacted, saturated and slow to recover after rain. Hydrofence treats the affected ground in situ—giving water new pathways without defaulting to widespread excavation.

Cross-section showing water trapped above compacted clay, a treatment probe creating fractures and calcium sulphate pathways, and improved soil structure
BeforeWater trapped above dense clayTreatmentAir opens fissures at depthAfterConnected routes for water
01

Break the compacted layer

A controlled high-pressure air pulse leaves the probe at the target depth, creating a network of irregular fissures through the dense clay.

02

Introduce calcium sulphate

Fine mineral particles are carried into the new fissures, placing calcium throughout the treated zone rather than only at the surface.

03

Change the soil structure

Where soil chemistry is suitable, calcium can encourage fine clay particles to group into larger aggregates. That more open structure supports connected pore space and easier water movement.

What changes? The treatment combines physical decompaction with mineral amendment. Results depend on clay mineralogy, existing calcium levels, compaction and site drainage, which is why every garden starts with an assessment.

Designed for real gardens

Professional treatment.
Domestic scale.

Our specialist equipment is substantial enough to deliver controlled pressure at depth, yet compact enough to reach most rear gardens through a normal side gate.

  • No large tracked vehicle needed in the garden
  • Targeted probe points with limited surface disturbance
  • Suitable for occupied homes and finished landscaping
Ask about your garden ↗
A specialist service at home

Built to perform.
Made to fit.

One professional system, designed to reach the garden, assess the problem and treat compacted clay with minimal disruption.

Garden access

The right equipment for the route in.

Rear gardens are rarely designed around ground-treatment machinery. Hydrofence can select from a range of professional equipment according to the gate width, distance, steps, slope and working space available.

01

Compact wheeled system

Our wheelie-bin-scale treatment unit is designed to pass through many normal side gates while still delivering controlled pressure and mineral treatment at depth.

02

Remote power and hose

Where the main power equipment must remain outside the garden, pressure can be supplied through a professionally managed hose route to the working area.

03

Hand-positioned Hydrofence

For particularly small or restricted areas, a compact hand-positioned lance arrangement can facilitate treatment without bringing the wheeled unit into the garden. It is still operated as a specialist service—not sold as consumer equipment.

Photographs and access measurements help us select the safest, least disruptive arrangement before arrival.

Tell us about your access ↗

Targeted treatment

Treat the restriction, not just the lawn.

Waterlogging is often geographic. One part of a garden may sit lower, have deeper construction compaction or lie across an old machinery route, while nearby ground drains adequately. Hydrofence treatment therefore does not automatically need to cover the whole garden.

Common treatment zones
  • Persistent low or ponding areas
  • Compacted bands left by construction traffic
  • Ground beside patios, paths or retaining features
  • Sections where investigation identifies a restrictive clay horizon
What guides the pattern
  • Where water appears and how long it remains
  • Changes in level, soil depth and compaction
  • A safe route around services, structures and planting
  • Where released water can move after treatment

A targeted pattern can reduce unnecessary probe points, surface disturbance and cost while focusing effort where it can be most useful.

Show us the wet areas ↗

Home assessment

Assessment and treatment, planned as one visit.

Most suitable domestic properties should not need a series of appointments. Our preferred approach is to understand the symptoms and access before travelling, then arrive prepared to confirm the ground conditions and complete the agreed treatment during one Hydrofence visit.

Before the visit

You share the address, approximate area, access measurements and photographs showing where water remains after rain.

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On arrival

We confirm access, compaction, treatment depth and whether the proposed work remains appropriate and safe.

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Home treatment

Where conditions match the review, the treatment pattern is completed and practical aftercare guidance is provided that day.

Occasional exceptions: unusual ground conditions, buried services, very large areas or evidence that engineered drainage is required may mean further investigation or a different solution. We will explain that before proceeding.

Plan a home visit ↗
02 / The technology

One probe.
Two complementary actions.

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A more permeable soil profile. Treatment design depends on site investigation, soil conditions and drainage objectives. Hydrofence does not replace engineered drainage where it is required.

Stage one / Physical decompaction

Opening the clay from within.

A strong stainless-steel lance is inserted through the compacted layer to a planned treatment depth. Instead of digging out the garden, the lance delivers a short, controlled pulse of high-pressure air beneath the surface.

01

Reach the restriction

The lance positions the air outlet inside the dense clay horizon—not simply at lawn level.

02

Release the pulse

Compressed air expands rapidly through the points of least resistance, breaking the solid mass into a branching network of irregular fissures.

03

Reconnect movement

Those new openings relieve compaction and create routes through which water, air and roots can move more freely.

Why a professional system? Effective treatment depends on controlled pressure, lance depth, probe spacing and an understanding of where water can ultimately drain. These are assessed for each garden.

Ask about your garden ↗

Stage two / Mineral soil treatment

Helping clay hold a more open structure.

Calcium sulphate is introduced through the lance and distributed into the freshly formed fissures. This places the mineral within the compacted zone, rather than leaving it only on the lawn surface.

01

Calcium reaches the clay

Available calcium interacts with suitable clay particles and can reduce the forces that keep them dispersed in a dense, water-resistant mass.

02

Fine particles aggregate

Clay particles can group into larger, more stable clusters—a process called flocculation—creating a less tightly packed soil fabric.

03

Pore space is supported

A better-aggregated structure helps preserve connected spaces for infiltration, aeration and root development after the initial air treatment.

Designed for lasting benefit. Unlike temporarily pumping away standing water, the combined treatment is intended to change the treated soil physically and structurally. Where the soil chemistry and wider drainage conditions are suitable, those improvements can remain beneficial for years. Longevity varies by site and can be affected by renewed compaction, soil mineralogy and where the water discharges.

Arrange a soil assessment ↗
03 / Made for new-build gardens

Less standing water.
More garden to enjoy.

Designed around the realities of occupied new-build homes—from narrow access and finished patios to lawns that remain saturated long after rain.

01

Low disruption

Targeted probe points minimise excavation, spoil movements and reinstatement.

02

Depth targeted

Treatment can be planned around the compacted horizon and local soil profile.

03

Garden ready

Suitable for lawns, planted areas and finished gardens—subject to an individual assessment.

Protect / Property resilience

Ground improvement
is one part of the plan.

For properties with vulnerable openings or residual flood exposure, Hydrofence also helps compare barriers, air-brick covers, pumps, valves, alarms and emergency equipment.

Shop Flood Protection ↗Build a checklist ↗
Who we help

One platform.
Three clear routes.

The language, evidence and next step adapt to the person responsible for the property or site.

Residential

Homeowners and new-build buyers

Clear screening, practical surveys, garden treatment and property-level protection.

Explore home services ↗
Development

Developers, designers and housebuilders

Site context, repeatable survey outputs, plot drainage treatment and aftercare support.

Explore development services ↗
Commercial

Managers, authorities and landowners

Property resilience, managed landscapes, monitoring plans and commercial quantities.

Start a commercial enquiry ↗
04 / How it works

From wet ground
to a clear plan.

A measured process, shaped around your soil, programme and site constraints.

01

Site review

We discuss symptoms, ground conditions, build stage and drainage history.

02

Investigation

On-site assessment establishes compaction depth and a suitable treatment pattern.

03

Targeted treatment

The probe delivers controlled air and calcium sulphate at the planned locations.

04

Handover

We record the work completed and agree any monitoring or aftercare.

05 / Who we help

Ground performance,
for every kind of project.

Choose the service closest to your situation to see how Hydrofence can help.

Domestic service

A garden you can use again.

Hydrofence offers a low-disruption route for homeowners dealing with persistent standing water, saturated lawns and heavily compacted clay around newer homes.

  • Initial discussion about the symptoms and property
  • On-site assessment of compaction and access
  • Garden-specific probe and treatment pattern
  • Professional air and calcium sulphate treatment
  • Clear aftercare and monitoring guidance
Discuss your garden ↗

Development support

Targeted help before or after handover.

We can support housebuilders with individual problem plots or coordinated treatment across a development where construction compaction is limiting infiltration.

  • Plot triage and site-specific assessment
  • Pre-handover or occupied-home treatment
  • Phased programmes for multiple gardens
  • Coordination with site and customer-care teams
  • Records of locations and work completed
Discuss a development ↗

Specialist collaboration

Improve the soil beneath the finish.

Hydrofence can work alongside landscape contractors and designers when dense clay and construction compaction threaten turf establishment, planting or long-term garden performance.

  • Assessment before turfing or remedial works
  • Targeted treatment around retained landscaping
  • Support for lawns, beds and public open space
  • Coordination with soil improvement programmes
  • Minimal-excavation access to finished areas
Discuss the landscape ↗

Start with the ground

Tell us where
water is stopping.

Share the address, the areas affected and what happens after rain. We’ll come back to discuss whether Hydrofence is the right next step.

hello@hydrofence.co.uk ↗
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