Groundworks and civil engineering contractor, Suffolk

From first dig to adoption.

Roads, sewers and plotworks for housebuilders across East Anglia, from one Suffolk contractor with its own plant and its own people.

Invite us to tender See how a site comes together

Or call 01473 735315

On site for Taylor Wimpey, Bloor Homes, Hopkins Homes and Bennett Homes.

A Howard Construction excavator in red and white Howard livery tipping a bucket of soil against a blue sky — One of our own excavators, in Howard livery.

Since 1995 A family business, run from our yard at Great Bealings
8 m+ Deep drainage, by open cut, auger boring or drilling
£1.5m Section 278 highway schemes, from £50k to £1.5m
9 to 23 t Our own excavators, with new Volvos in 2026

Groundworks and civils for

Taylor Wimpey
Bloor Homes
Hopkins Homes
Bennett Homes
Bellway
Barnes Construction

What we do

Plots, roads and sewers.
One contractor.

Most housing sites need a groundworker and a civils contractor. We’re both, so you get one programme and one team from tender to handover.

Steel shuttering and reinforcement for house foundations on a Howard site at Dovercourt

Groundworks

Plotworks

Everything up to DPC, plot by plot.

Foundations of every type, including piling
Brickwork to DPC, supplied and fixed
Plot drainage and domestic services
Drives, paths and parking courts
External works

A yellow excavator in Howard livery working on a sloped housing site

Civil engineering

Adoptable infrastructure

Roads and sewers built for sign-off.

Section 38 estate roads
Section 104 foul and surface water sewers
Section 278 highway works
Adoptable pumping stations and sewer connections
Balancing ponds, lagoons and swales
Cut and fill earthworks
Service mains

How a site comes together

First dig to adoption, in six stages.

Scroll through a typical Suffolk housing site. Every stage on this drawing is work we do ourselves.

1 Set out
2 Drainage
3 Roads
4 Plots
5 SuDS
6 Adoption

Site boundary
Foul sewer
Surface water
Estate road
Plot
Pond and swale

An illustrative site layout, not a real site: a loop road with two cul-de-sacs, 65 plots, a balancing pond and a pumping station, built up stage by stage.

Stage 1 of 6
Set out and strip
Our engineers set the site out from the drawings. Then our own plant strips the topsoil and cuts and fills to formation level.
- Setting out
- Cut and fill
Our engineers, operators and plant
CAD-trained engineers in-house, and a fleet we own and renew.
Stage 2 of 6
Deep drainage
Foul and surface water sewers, manholes and connections, laid to adoption standard and deeper than 8 m where the levels need it.
- Section 104
- Deep drainage
Adopted by the water company, Anglian Water in most of Suffolk
Open cut, guided auger boring or directional drilling, whichever the ground and levels call for.
Stage 3 of 6
Roads to base course
Kerbs, estate roads and footways to base course, so every plot can be reached in all weathers. Plus any Section 278 work where the site meets the public road.
- Section 38
- Section 278
Adopted by the highway authority, Suffolk County Council
Melton, for Bloor Homes: a new foul sewer and footpath widening, finished four weeks early on a road closure.
Stage 4 of 6
Plotworks
Foundations, brickwork to DPC, plot drainage and services, released to your build team in planned batches.
- Foundations
- Brickwork to DPC
Handed back to the housebuilder, plot by plot
Brantham, for Taylor Wimpey: the latest batch of plots handed back in October 2026.
Stage 5 of 6
SuDS and pumping stations
Balancing ponds, lagoons and swales to hold back storm water, and adoptable pumping stations where the levels need them.
- Sustainable drainage
- Pumping stations
Built to the approved drainage strategy
Stowmarket High School, for Barnes Construction: an attenuation basin alongside the new block.
Stage 6 of 6
Surface and adopt
Surface course, footways and handover. After the maintenance period the roads and sewers are adopted, and the site becomes part of the public network.
- Handover
- Adoption
Signed off by the adopting authorities
Capel St Mary, for Hopkins Homes: roads, sewers and plotworks for 97 new homes.

Site boundary
Foul sewer
Surface water
Estate road
Plot
Pond and swale

Recent and current sites

Close to home, on purpose.

Every site on this page is within 25 miles of our yard at Great Bealings, so our gangs and plant are never far from yours.

1.9 miles
Tuddenham St Martin
Near Ipswich
Client Bennett Homes
Foundations under way.
On site, October 2026
2.6 miles
Brightwell Lakes
Martlesham
Client Taylor Wimpey
Groundworks on an NHBC Pride in the Job winning site.
2026
3.6 miles
Melton
Woodbridge
Client Bloor Homes
New foul sewer and footpath widening, finished four weeks early.
Completed
8.3 miles
Wolsey Grange
Copdock, Ipswich
Client Taylor Wimpey
Section 278 works at the A14 junction from 2020, then the estate roads.
Since 2020
10 miles
Walton High Street
Felixstowe
Client Bloor Homes
Sub-Contractor of the Month, April 2026, on an NHBC Pride in the Job winning site.
2026
10.6 miles
Capel St Mary
Near Ipswich
Client Hopkins Homes
Roads, sewers and plotworks for 97 new homes.
Completed
11.5 miles
Brantham
Near Manningtree
Client Taylor Wimpey
Plots handed back in planned batches.
On site, October 2026
11.9 miles
Trinity Meadows
Stowupland
Client Bloor Homes
Phase 2 groundworks on a site awarded an NHBC Seal of Excellence.
2022
12.5 miles
Northfield View
Stowmarket
Client Taylor Wimpey
A major roads and sewers package, on an NHBC Pride in the Job winning site.
2026
12.5 miles
Stowmarket High School
Stowmarket
Client Barnes Construction for Suffolk County Council
Foundations, footpaths and access, and an attenuation basin.
On site, October 2026
22.1 miles
Abbots Vale
Rushbrooke
Client Hopkins Homes
Foundations, brickwork and drainage, plot by plot to handover.
On site, October 2026

Miles are straight-line distances from our yard. Pride in the Job awards go to the housebuilder’s site team; we carried out the groundworks.

Why housebuilders use us

Fewer interfaces.
Fewer surprises.

One contractor, one programme
Plotworks and adoptable infrastructure on one programme, with one team to talk to.
Our own plant
A fleet we keep renewing, from 9-tonne Takeuchis to a new 23-tonne Volvo, run by CPCS-carded operators.
Built for adoption
Roads and sewers built to the standards the adopting authorities inspect, with their engineers kept close.
Value engineering at tender
Our engineers and commercial team look at levels, drainage and phasing for savings before you order.
A programme you can plan around
Plots handed back in planned batches, and road closures finished early when it counts.
Close to home
Based at Great Bealings near Woodbridge, a few minutes from the A12 and the A14.

Recognised on site

Noticed by the people we build for.

Sub-Contractor of the Month
Bloor Homes, April 2026, for our Walton team led by Ben Apperley.
Three award-winning sites
In 2026 we worked on three NHBC Pride in the Job winning sites: Northfield View, Brightwell Lakes and Walton High Street.
Individual Award
Suffolk Safety Day 2026: Mark Chenery, Howard Construction.

A gloved hand holding a red Howard Construction hard hat beside a hi-vis vest

Safety and accreditation

Carded, checked and ready for your prequalification.

NVQ and CSCS-carded site teams
CPCS-carded plant operators
Street Works and Anglian Water confined space cards
In-house health and safety, and principal contractor when a project needs one
Mental health first aiders and regular toolbox talks

Request our prequalification pack

Insurances, accreditations, policies and references, in one email.

Our story

A Suffolk family business since 1995.

1990
Paddy Howard and his eldest son, Nathan, start out in groundworks.
1995
Howard Construction (Anglia) Ltd is formed.
2003
Brothers Glenn and Michael Howard join the board and grow the work with the national housebuilders.
2017
Five more tracked excavators join our own fleet.
2024
Dan Howard, Caroline Howard and Leon Yelland lead the business as directors.
2026
Bloor’s Sub-Contractor of the Month, a new 23-tonne Volvo and our first charity golf day.

People who stay
Gavin, our Commercial Director, marked 30 years with us in 2025.
In the community
Our first golf day raised £14,276 for Stand with the Horsfalls and Futurestars, and we sponsor St Johns Devils Under 11s.

Steel shuttering for strip foundations across a row of plots at Dovercourt in 2008 — Foundations at Dovercourt, September 2008.

New Volvo tracked excavators lined up on delivery — New tracked excavators join the fleet, 2017.

Careers

Build Suffolk’s new streets with us.

Local sites, modern plant and a team that stays. Tell us what you do and we’ll be in touch.

Roles we often hire for

Site engineers
Site supervisors
Contracts managers
Skilled groundworkers
Plot, finishing and road gangs
CPCS 360 excavator operators

Local sites across East Anglia
Modern plant, renewed in 2026
Mental health first aiders on the team
People who stay, some for 30 years

A Howard Construction operative in a hi-vis vest with HOWARD on the back, beside an excavator in Howard livery

Questions

What buyers ask us.

Can’t see yours? Call 01473 735315.

A housing site layout drawing on a desk with a Howard Construction mug, scale rule and calculator — A site layout on our desk, with a Howard scale rule.

Which areas do you cover?

Suffolk first, and sites across East Anglia, including north Essex. Every site on this page is within 25 miles of our yard at Great Bealings, near Woodbridge.

Who do you work for?

Housebuilders, developers and main contractors, on new housing and the infrastructure around it. We don’t take on work for homeowners.

Can you take on Section 38, 104 and 278 work?

Yes. We build estate roads to Section 38, foul and surface water sewers to Section 104, and Section 278 works on the public highway, and we work with the adopting authorities through to sign-off.

Do you have your own plant?

Yes. We run our own fleet of excavators and dumpers, from 9-tonne Takeuchis to a new 23-tonne Volvo, with CPCS-carded operators.

Can you act as principal contractor?

Yes. We prepare construction phase plans and take on the principal contractor role when a project needs it.

What size of project do you take on?

From plotworks packages to groundworks and civil engineering contracts in excess of £10 million, and Section 278 highway works from £50,000 to £1.5 million.

How do we add you to a tender list?

Use the form below or email info@howardconstruction.co.uk, and we’ll send our prequalification pack with everything your procurement team needs.

Are you hiring?

Often. We look for site engineers, supervisors, groundworkers and CPCS 360 excavator operators. Send your details through the careers form.

Contact

Invite us to tender.

Tell us about the site and the packages you need, and we’ll come back to you with the right person.

From first dig to adoption.

Groundworks and civils for

Plots, roads and sewers.One contractor.

Plotworks

Adoptable infrastructure

First dig to adoption, in six stages.

Set out and strip

Deep drainage

Roads to base course

Plotworks

SuDS and pumping stations

Surface and adopt

Close to home, on purpose.

Tuddenham St Martin

Brightwell Lakes

Melton

Wolsey Grange

Walton High Street

Capel St Mary

Brantham

Trinity Meadows

Northfield View

Stowmarket High School

Abbots Vale

Fewer interfaces.Fewer surprises.

One contractor, one programme

Our own plant

Built for adoption

Value engineering at tender

A programme you can plan around

Close to home

Noticed by the people we build for.

Carded, checked and ready for your prequalification.

A Suffolk family business since 1995.

Build Suffolk’s new streets with us.

Roles we often hire for

What buyers ask us.

Invite us to tender.

Plots, roads and sewers.
One contractor.

Fewer interfaces.
Fewer surprises.