How we work

The quote starts
below ground.

Two quotes for the same drive can differ by a third and both be honest, if one of them is for 100mm of stone and the other for 75mm. Nobody can tell the difference once the blocks are down, which is exactly why it gets left out.

A trial hole, not a glance

We dig a small hole at the first visit and look at what is under your drive. Clay, sand, or somebody else’s rubble. It takes ten minutes and it decides the price.

Drainage designed first

Where the water goes, what the falls are, and whether the job needs planning permission. Settled before anybody chooses a colour.

The quote, by depth

Itemised with the excavation depth and the sub-base thickness written on it. A quote without those two numbers is not comparable to anything.

Dig, base, edge

Excavate to the depth quoted, lay and compact the Type 1 in layers, then the concrete haunch to every free edge before a block is laid.

Surface and joint

Lay to the fall, cut the edges, kiln-dried sand brushed and vibrated in twice with a week between. Then we come back and do it a third time.

The edge

Blocks do not sink. They spread.

A block is held in place by the blocks around it. At a free edge there is nothing on one side, so under every vehicle that outer course creeps outward a fraction. Once there is a gap at the edge the whole field loosens, and the middle settles down into it. The base gets the blame and the edge was the cause.

Every free edge on our jobs gets a concrete haunch before a block is laid. It costs about half a day and it is the single cheapest thing you can buy that decides whether a drive still looks laid in ten years.

The paperwork

Paving a front garden is a planning matter

Since October 2008, laying more than 5 square metres of impermeable surfacing in a front garden in England needs planning permission, unless the run-off goes to a permeable area within your own boundary. Permeable paving, gravel, resin bound over a permeable base, or a channel into a border all keep you inside permitted development.

It is not a difficult rule and it is routinely ignored. We design the drainage first so that the question never has to be asked.

Asked often

Do I need planning permission for a new driveway?

If you are surfacing more than five square metres of front garden with something impermeable, and the water does not drain to a permeable area inside your own boundary, then yes. That has been the rule in England since October 2008 and it is the thing most quotes quietly ignore. Permeable block paving, gravel and resin bound over a permeable base all avoid it, as does directing the run-off to a border or a soakaway.

How deep should the sub-base be?

For a domestic car drive on reasonable ground, 100 to 150mm of compacted Type 1. Over clay, add 50mm and a geotextile membrane. For a van, a caravan or a horsebox, 200mm and upward. If a quote does not state a depth, it is not a quote you can compare with ours, and you should ask before you compare on price.

Why does block paving sink?

Almost always because the edges spread. Blocks are held by their neighbours, and at a free edge there is no neighbour, so without a concrete haunch the outer course creeps outward under every vehicle. Once there is a gap at the edge the whole field loosens and the middle settles into it. The base gets blamed and the edge was the cause.

Can you lay resin over my existing drive?

If the existing surface is sound tarmac or concrete with no movement, yes, and it is excellent value. If it is cracked, lifting or has been patched repeatedly, no. Resin bound is 15 to 18mm thick and has no structural strength: every crack underneath will reappear through it, usually within two winters. We will dig a trial hole and tell you which you have.

How long does a drive take?

A typical single drive is four to six working days including the dig. Add a day or two for clay, made ground or a drainage run. We do not start a job until we can finish it, so you will not have a dug-up frontage over a bank holiday because we have gone to another site.

What about the falls?

A minimum of 1 in 80 away from the house, which is roughly 25mm of drop over two metres. Less than that and the water sits, which in winter means ice against your front door and in summer means moss. It is an easy number to get right at setting-out and impossible to fix afterwards.

Get a quote

The quote startsbelow ground.