Ground and Gate sends homeowner enquiries for fencing and gates and driveways and patios across Birmingham and the West Midlands to one local business per area and lane. Each enquiry goes to one firm only. Once you hold a patch, every enquiry for your lane in it comes to you, and nobody else sees it.
No pay-per-lead, no bidding against four other firms for the same drive, no commission on the work you win.
The site is new, and we're building the list of firms area by area. We won't pretend otherwise, and we won't quote you volumes we haven't seen yet. What we can tell you is how it works and what each enquiry contains.
How it works
- A homeowner fills in our quote form: what needs doing, the length of the fence or the size of the area, the surface or style they want, access, timing and at least two photos. They see an indicative price range before they send it.
- Their postcode tells us which patch they're in. The enquiry goes to the firm that covers that patch for that lane, and only to them.
- You get an email with everything you need to price it (see below), including their name, mobile, email and address.
- You tap Contacted once you've been in touch. If the job isn't for you (too far, too small, wrong kind of work, too busy), tap Not for me and it goes to one other firm instead. It's logged, but you're not penalised for an honest pass.
- You log the outcome: quoted, won or lost. It takes a few seconds and it's how we both know what the enquiries are worth to you.
The homeowner is told your business name, so they're expecting your call. A few days later we ask them whether you got in touch.
What an enquiry contains
- The measurements they gave: fence length and height, or driveway, patio or decking area, either from the size tiles or measured length × width
- What's there now and what they want: existing surface or fence, the new surface or fence style, materials, posts, whether the old fence or surface is to be removed
- Access: how a crew gets in, side gate width, whether a mini digger will fit, distance from where a lorry can park, steps or slopes on the way
- Photos: at least two, usually the whole run or area end to end, a view from above where they could get one, and the way in from the road
- The indicative range we showed them, so you know what they're expecting before you call
- Flags, for example:
- a front-garden drive over 5m² that will need to be permeable or drain to a permeable area (permeable paving rules)
- a new or wider dropped kerb, which needs council consent
- a fence over 2m, or over 1m facing a road
- a patch with conservation areas where front boundaries may need consent
- water pooling, steps or level changes, or a job that needs a site visit before anyone can price it
Jobs such as gate automation, dropped kerbs, steep sites and large drives are marked for a free site visit, and the homeowner is told to expect one rather than a fixed figure from the photos.
Two lanes per patch
Each patch has two slots:
- Fencing & Gates: new fences, fence repairs and replacement panels or posts, side gates, timber and metal driveway gates (automation goes to a site visit), decking, garden walls under 1m, trellis and screening
- Driveways & Patios: block paving, resin-bound, tarmac, gravel and imprinted concrete drives; patios and paving; paths and steps; edgings and kerbs; drainage channels and soakaways; dropped kerbs; turfing and groundworks; retaining walls and walls over 1m; driveway and patio cleaning and re-sanding
If a job covers both, say a new patio and a new fence, it goes to the Driveways & Patios firm with the fencing part flagged. You can pass that part on and it goes to the Fencing & Gates firm.
Free trial enquiries now
We're starting with a trial. You get free enquiries from your area and lane, with no strings and no card details. We see how they convert for you, and you decide whether it's worth continuing. While a patch is on trial we may have up to two firms in the same lane there, but each enquiry still goes to one firm only.
A flat monthly fee later
Once a patch is producing a steady flow of enquiries, we'll offer the firm holding it exclusivity for a flat monthly fee per lane per patch. The fee is based on how many enquiries the patch has actually produced, and it's agreed with you before anything is charged. Nothing is taken automatically at the end of a trial. The current indicative tiers are:
| Tier | Enquiries per month | Monthly fee (per lane, per patch) |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Under 15 | £300 |
| Standard | 15 to 30 | £550 |
| Prime | 30 or more | £900 |
- Winter: a reduced rate over the quieter months, currently planned at 60% of your tier.
- Volume floor: if a month comes in below your tier's minimum, the shortfall is credited pro rata against the next month.
- No contract lock-in: rolling monthly, cancel with 30 days' notice.
These figures are indicative and may change before we charge anyone. Prices exclude VAT.
What we ask of you
- Get in touch promptly. Homeowners are told to expect contact soon. If you haven't tapped Contacted after a while, you'll get a reminder.
- Valid public liability insurance. We see the certificate and record the expiry date. If it lapses, enquiries stop until you send the renewal.
- Waste carrier registration with the Environment Agency, if you take waste away from site: old panels, broken slabs, dug-out soil and hardcore.
- Proof of identity and trading name, so the name the homeowner is given is the one you trade under.
- Log your outcomes. Contacted, quoted, won or lost.
- Treat the customer's details properly. Use them to quote and do the job, and nothing else.
If you're a member of an installer scheme such as the Marshalls Register, Brett Approved, Interlay or TrustMark, tell us. We note it for our own information only. We don't verify it or advertise it on your behalf.
The patches
| Patch | Areas covered |
|---|---|
| Sutton Coldfield & Four Oaks | B72, B73, B74, B75, B76, WS9 |
| North Birmingham | B6, B20, B23, B24, B42, B43, B44 |
| Solihull | B37, B90, B91, B92, B93, B94 |
| South Birmingham | B13, B14, B28, B29, B30, B31, B38 |
| Edgbaston, Harborne & Bearwood | B15, B16, B17, B32, B66, B67, B68 |
| Lichfield & Tamworth | WS13, WS14, B77, B78, B79 |
| Walsall | WS1 to WS8 |
| Wolverhampton | WV1 to WV11 |
| Dudley & Stourbridge | DY1 to DY9 |
| Coventry | CV1 to CV8 |
If your patch is already taken for your lane, register anyway: we'll keep you in mind if it becomes free, and we plan to add areas.
Register your interest
Tell us about your business and the patch you'd like. We'll call you to talk it through and check the details. No obligation.
Register your interest
We'll use your details to contact you about receiving enquiries. See our privacy notice and terms.
Questions
Is every enquiry really exclusive?
Yes. Each enquiry goes to one business. We never sell or send the same enquiry to anyone else. If you pass on it, it goes to one other firm instead, and you're no longer involved.
What if an enquiry is time-wasting or out of my area?
Tap Not for me and choose a reason. Genuinely invalid enquiries (fake details, duplicates, spam) are marked invalid. Because the fee is flat rather than per lead, one poor enquiry doesn't cost you anything extra.
Do you take a cut of the jobs I win?
No. There's no commission. The customer pays you directly, and your contract is with them. Ground and Gate is an advertising and introduction service.
How accurate is the estimate the customer sees?
It's a range worked out per metre or per square metre from their answers, photos and typical West Midlands prices, supply and fit with waste included. They're told it's indicative and that you'll measure up and confirm a fixed price. You can see how the figures are built in the fence cost per metre and driveway cost per m² guides.
How many enquiries will I get?
It depends on the patch, the lane and the season, and because the site is new we don't have figures to quote you yet. That's why it starts with free trial enquiries, and why any fee is set by the volume the patch actually produces.
Can I cover more than one patch or both lanes?
Yes, if you can handle the volume and do the work in both lanes.
How do I stop?
During the trial, just tell us. Once you're paying, give 30 days' notice. There is no minimum term.
Do you do the work or compete with me?
No. We don't carry out any work.