We recently had a new sewage treatment plant supplied and installed by David Hopkins and I can’t recommend his groundworks company highly enough. From the outset, his product knowledge was outstanding – David clearly explained our options, recommended the most suitable solution, and answered all our questions with confidence and clarity.

Davids setting out and excavation skills were spot on. Everything was carefully planned and executed with precision, and it was clear he had a lot of experience operating the machinery. The work was carried out efficiently and to a very high standard, with great attention to detail throughout.

Communication was excellent at every stage of the project – we were kept informed, and the David was always punctual, polite, and responsive to any queries. On top of all that, he was genuinely personable and a pleasure to have around.

A very professional, knowledgeable, and friendly individual. We’re extremely happy with the end result and wouldn’t hesitate to use them again or recommend them to others.

We live in an old 5 bedroom property in High Hurstwood. As far as I am aware there is no main drainage system serving the village and certainly not in Burnt Oak Road. All the properties have their own dedicated sewage and waste water treatment system. My house was built in the early 1900s and the sewage system consisted of a concrete chamber divided in to a couple of rudimentary sludge compartments. The effluent discharge soaked away to ground but was not very pleasant. Fortunately the treatment tank was situated a good Gistanice janie! from the house.

In the Spring of 2022 we decided to replace the Exietna system with a modern sewage treatment plant and started to review the products on the market suitable for
a domestic installation..

We eventually chose the Marsh Ensign Sewage Treatment Plant sized for 8 persons which would be sufficient for current and future requirements for the size of the property, even if the garage was converted into living accommodation at some time in the future. The reason we chose this system was because it was reasonably straightforward to install. The mechanical and electrical elements were contained in specialist compartments above ground and easily accessible if any attention was needed. The tank is fibre glass and buried underground. The Marsh system basically replicates the operation of a commercial sewage treatment plant on a small scale. As we wouldn’t be discharging directly into a water course there would not be a need for
additional tertiary treatment before the final effluent is discharged.

We then had to choose a contractor to install the system. We needed someone who was familiar with installing domestic sewage treatment plants and had a proven track record. He would comply with Marsh’s detailed installation criteria. As a retired civil engineer myself, I expected the contractor to be familiar with and operate under current health and safety legislation, provide a competitive price and an undertaking
to comment the works in a agreed time frame.

Fortunately, a neighbour had recently completed a similar operation and had used David Hopkins Groundworks Ltd. I had been able to visit the site on a number of occasions and as well as observing the workmanship I was able to see at first hand the construction process. David Hopkins was an experienced contractor and paid attention to construction detail and health and safety. I was informed by my neighbour that the final invoice was precisely as his initial quotation.

David Hopkins came round to our house, reviewed the job with me and came back with his estimate for the works within a few days. Which I accepted.

David operates on his own. He arrived on the due date with his excavator and other tools on the back of a trailer. He had arranged for the delivery of the Marsh equipment on the first day and he set to work. Other pipes and manholes arrived in due course. He organised for a qualified electrician, known to him, to wire up the electrical installation and he commissioned the new Marsh plant. The final operation was to pump out and backfill the redundant cess pit, landscape the surrounding area and clear the site.
From start to finish the work took 2 weeks and a day.

Throughout the construction process we have been very pleased with David Hopkins’ workmanship, his attention to detail and the relationship that developed with
us as his client over the period.

We didn’t pay any money until all the work was complete and satisfactory. David had arranged everything. His final invoice was exactly as his estimate. .

We would have no hesitation in using David Hopkins for future suitable groundworks.

What a fantastic job by the lovely David Hopkins! He has transformed the driveway at the front of the house, bringing new life to our former tired looking home. He is a true professional, full of great ideas and good sound advice. Such a hard worker from the moment he arrives. Dave came up with some great suggestions and improved our initial design tremendously. We ended up with a real top quality job. Highly recommended.

I have found David very professional in his approach to his work, friendly and vey willing to to advise, his knowledge and experience shows through when carrying out his trade, all in all a good man to have on your site.
Cannot speak highly enough of him.

David hopkins helped us install a sewage treatment plant, put in footings for an extension and installed extensive land drainage in our garden.
I can recommend him for being great to work with, professional and conscientious in every way. His many years of experience was essential in overcoming challenges found in all our projects but his calm considered approach was just what was needed. Very happy with everything he achieved for us

We used David Hopkins to prepare the foundations for our new build house and to install a sewage treatment plant in 2019/20.
David was excellent in giving us advice throughout the process. He advised us on the best treatment system to use and best placement. David was always early on site and achieved great amounts of work each day. He had all the kit required to complete all works and we would highly recommend him to anyone.

We are very happy with the installation of our Sewage Treatment Plant. The unit was put in quickly and Dave Hopkins landscaped over it so it is barely visible. The plant is running perfectly after a year of use.

Thank you very much for the job you did for us, removing our damaged and ageing hawthorn hedge. You responded extremely promptly and we were treated with the utmost professionalism and courtesy, offering useful practical advice.

The work was made all the more difficult due to the wire chainlink fence running through the middle of the hedge and the tricky roadside location but this seemed to present no problem and the job was completed in a slick and expert manner.

We would have no hesitation in recommending your services to anyone.

David, thank you for the groundwork you did for us, despite awkward conditions and access, you made it look easy and your help and advice were much appreciated.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you and it was a pleasure working with you.

Thank you for doing such an excellent job of carrying out our groundwork and landscaping in such an efficient and conscientious way.

This is the second major project you have done for us and I have been very satisfied on both occasions with your work and your friendly manner.

I had asked several people to come to the house to assess the work that needed to be done and to provide a quote.

Dave was the most prompt and courteous with his reply and then turned up exactly when he said that he would.

He listened to what I felt was needed, he then assessed the work and after a few suggestions due to his experience with solving the problems that I had, he gave me a competitive quote, which he stuck to after the job was done.

I was also very impressed with the fact that he was honest with me about when he could do the work and didn’t say he could start the next day to get the work,
and then ring to say that he would have to delay until a later date.

He completed the work on time and to a very good standard and he was also very careful with his movement of his machine around the rest of the garden, so that there was no damage to the lawn or paths.

I would certainly recommend Dave to friends and family who needed any earthworks done.

I highly recommend David Hopkins. He recently installed a sewage treatment plant for us. He explained the extent of the work before, during and after installation. Dave is a pleasure to work with, he is also efficient, fast, thorough and offers an excellent service.

Thank you very much for the work done in installing the new Ensign Water Treatment Plant, we are both extremely happy with the finished work and the quality of its installation. You kept us informed throughout the project with much expert advice and comment. The groundwork and landscaping afterwards was expertly done in a most efficient and conscientious way. You initially responded promptly with a good price, arrived on time every day, achieved much work each day and behaved with the utmost friendliness, professionalism and courtesy. You obviously enjoy what you do and gain satisfaction from a project well done. We would have no hesitation in recommending your services to anyone.

We had David Hopkins work for us a few years ago we employed him to dig and complete the groundworks for our foundations to our extension, He also extended our driveway out the front of our house. He is a very hard working and reliable person to employ . We are completely happy with the work he carried out for us.

David recently extended our front garden into a bigger car parking area. He listened to our concerns and gave us professional advice and also helped with calculating the materials needed and where to source them from. Once on site, David was punctual and very hardworking and conscientious. Thank you David for transforming a tired front garden to a modern looking frontage. We would highly recommend you.

Dave proved to be the best contractor we could have possibly hoped for when it came to completely landscaping our sloping back garden as well as incorporating all the groundworks for a 100 m2 patio plus all the extra jobs that we kept adding on! Removing 4 annoying trees, building a new hard standing for our additional vehicles not to mention some excellent wall work. We already have more work for Dave and the whole family can’t wait for him to be back.

I want to thank you for doing such a good job for us. It was not straightforward and you dealt with it so well, working carefully and very accurately, and leaving it all so tidy with the minimum of disturbance. And you were always cheerful and positive (provided you had enough tea and biscuits to keep you going!)

We just wanted to say how pleased we are with the sewage treatment plant you recently installed. Your knowledge, attention to detail and keeping us fully informed throughout the process was very much appreciated.

Thank you for all your hard work and for managing to avoid all the various pipes and wires that we buried there just to make it difficult for you! No disasters and a good job done, so many thanks.

Will see you some time in a few weeks time, at your choosing, for the service of the treatment plant.

We recently had a marsh ensign PE installed by David Hopkins.

I wanted to let you know how fantastic he was. He explained everything to us and carried out all the work in an efficient, professional manner. He is also incredibly neat!

Its great to have got the new treatment plant in and all works completed.

Just to say, its been a pleasure having you with us this last week, a nice guy, very professional and a first class job. 

If I can help spread the word, let me know. I’ll certainly recommend you if asked and I can provide a reference if you ever need anything like that.

I understand Carole mentioned the other day, we are waiting on the outcome of a pre-application exercise with Wealden Council currently to do some works with the house which will include an extension to the South of the existing building. We’ve got to get through the planning process first which is no mean feat but once that is sorted we will be giving the building works some thought (main contractor or direct appointment of specialist sub contractors) and I will be in touch.