Driveway Installers

Your next task, if you do elect to proceed with installing a driveway will be make a choice about what style of driveway will be most suitable for your circumstances. There are numerous different types of driveway available, as I am sure you'll be aware, but these may not all appeal to you. Your choices could be to some extent limited if you're working to a tight spending budget. Other stuff that may affect your final decision will be the layout and dimensions of your available space, and exactly how the driveway will match your house aesthetically.

There are of course many different designs and types of driveway, as you'll likely have seen whilst strolling around. There is a pretty good chance that on your travels you'll notice stone resin driveways, concrete driveways, patterned concrete driveways, tarmac driveways, natural flagstone driveways, permeable driveways, asphalt driveways, aggregate driveways, pebble driveways, block paved driveways, and if your garden area is suitable, you ought to be able to choose from just about any of these.

What Type of Driveway is Best? Before deciding what type of driveway is right for your property, there are a few things that you will have to take into account. A few details that you would be sensible to think about - 1. Local authority planning permission - is planning permission needed for your driveway? 2. How the land lies - is the area level or sloped? 3. How successfully does your garden drain - does water collect where you're wanting to build your driveway?

Though you may think that planning permission won't be necessary for putting a driveway on your own land, this isn't always true. The regulations that cover driveways are not just administered by the local council, but are in fact imposed by government law. However, at this moment in time, this regulation only affects driveways being laid in front gardens. Since 2008 driveway installations in Britain have to abide by the SuDS (Sustainable Drainage System), which was brought in by the Labour government.

A driveway in excess of 5 square metres, that is being laid in a front garden will be affected by the SuDS regulations. You won't need to stress about this if you build your driveway from a permeable (porous) substance like gravel, permeable concrete, porous tarmac, resin, or grass monoblock, which allow any excess rainwater to pass through and naturally drain away. It is possible to have a look at the Sustainable Drainage Systems regulations here - Sustainable Drainage Systems

Some property owners could be tempted to have a go at installing their own driveway, particularly if they enjoy a bit of hard work and are fairly adept at DIY. But, don't be fooled, there is a good deal of hard work associated with building a driveway, especially with regards to the groundwork work, which will involve rubbish removal, heavy digging and humping materials. If you're in any doubt about your ability to handle a project such as this, it might be much better to contact an established driveway specialist instead.

Because of the nature of this sort of work, it is not always that simple to find dependable tradespeople who you can be confident will do a proper job. There are a lot of cowboys and rogue traders out there who'll happily take your cash and do an low quality job (or perhaps no work at all quite often!). If you are going to install a driveway you may as well have it done properly, even if it means having to spend a bit more on the enterprise. It would be better to search for locally based driveway installers and landscape gardeners who have been serving customers in the area for several years.

When you're sifting through potential tradespeople to build your driveway you must ask to see a portfolio of earlier projects, ask for some references from previous clients, check that they've got adequate insurance, ascertain how long they've been in business, find out what warranties they offer on their workmanship, ask if they are affiliated with a trade association like ANTSCA (the surfacing trade association).

There's no need to go over the top with this questioning, simply ask enough to get a decent impression of the sort of company you are dealing with, so that you are able to make an informed choice before hiring someone. If they're relaxed about answering all your questions, you can safely assume that they are fairly genuine. If they act in a hesitant or confrontational way when asked such questions, you can presume that they're hiding something or being less than honest - so steer well clear.

If you are wary and pick a really professional driveway installer, they'll help you to make all of the most important decisions in relation to your forthcoming project, including the preferred location, the most suitable materials and the recommended driveway technique. Before any actual work starts your driveway paver will make sure all the required planning, design and preparation work is in hand.

Gravel Driveways

The cheapest and easiest of all the styles is the ubiquitous gravel driveway. In rural settings, gravel driveways are especially popular and can be extremely attractive in spite of their simplicity. Seeing that there's such a wide array of gravel colours and sizes, you should not have any difficulty finding one that you are satisfied with. A robust base of hardcore is required for a gravel drive to be efficient, along with a well-bedded edging. The best quality gravel driveways are the result of applying three or four layers of shingle, with every layer rolled and left to settle down before laying the subsequent layer. You won't need to apply for planning permission for a gravel driveway, seeing as it will be SuDS compliant no matter how large it is, or if it is in your front or back garden. (Tags: Gravel Driveways, Aggregate Driveways, Shingle Driveways).

Asphalt Driveways

Any home in will benefit from the "curb appeal" of the smooth, uninterrupted appearance of a newly installed asphalt driveway. When laid by a professional company, an asphalt driveway will give you years of reliable use with minimal maintenance. If your local authority has regulations that stop non-porous materials being used, so as to prevent localised flooding, a special porous asphalt substrate enables rainwater to drain away into a sub-base.

Asphalt driveways are very smartly designed to successfully hold up to anything that winters can throw at them, and provide very good value for money. Asphalt is simple to repair and maintain, and can be removed should your circumstances change in the future. It can be looked on as the most ecological of hard driveway materials because it is even possible for an asphalt drive to be recycled and used in a different project.

Block Paving Driveways

Over the last decade or so scores of driveways have sprung up in built using the block-paving process. Forming attractive and sometimes elaborate designs, many hundreds of specially designed block paving bricks are butted together to produce a robust and hard wearing driveway. As soon as the blocks have been laid, they're tamped down firmly, and special kiln-dried sand is rigorously brushed into the joints. It is advisable to have your block paving driveway sealed after five or six months with Thompson's sealant or something like that. This is crucial to stop weed growth. Block paving can be laid in many different patterns, including stretcher bond, herringbone, fan and basketweave.

SuDS Compliant Block Paving Driveways: It's also possible to build a To comply with SuDS block paving driveway in, if that's what you need. By simply leaving wider gaps between the bricks and filling them with fine aggregate instead of the usual kiln-dried sand, you are able to create a permeable surface that does not need planning permission.

Natural Stone Driveways

Natural stone, as a driveway material, never loses its outstanding appearance even as it ages. The choice of natural stone will give you a stable, robust driveway, for any vehicle, and will look awesome for the foreseeable future. It provides your garden with a driveway that, owing to the different colours and shades of each individual stone, is entirely bespoke to you. It provides that curb appeal and WOW factor that every property owner desires.

Driveways made from natural stone not only look great, but they are easy to maintain and less at risk of damage than paved alternatives. The smooth surface of the stones means that they're much easier to keep clean, and weeds find it harder to gain a foothold in the smaller gaps of a stone driveway. A properly prepared and laid stone driveway is a sound investment that will add to the value of your home.

Driveway Cleaning

If your property has already got a driveway, and you are thinking about replacing it because it is looking shabby - why not clean it instead? The process of keeping a driveway clean, is one of those things that many householders delay, or forget about entirely. However, cleaning your driveway is a process that should be conducted on a fairly regular basis, and is essential from both an aesthetic and maintenance perspective. Your driveway's structure can be severely weakened as time passes, by weeds and pernicious plant growth. If your driveway has existing cracks and crevices, these can easily be enlarged which can ultimately lead to structural complications.

It is recommended that you remove stains, dirt or weeds from your drive the minute you discover them. It is not the best option to wait around for the spring or summer to arrive to power or pressure wash your driveway, although that is the time when you are most likely to notice the appearance of moss and weed growth. If diesel, brake fluid and oil leaks from your car, the attractiveness of your driveway can be really ruined. Hence it's important to quickly remove them to avoid your driveway's surface being stained too badly.

As well as a power washing machine, you'll also need a bucket, a scraper, a broom, a wire brush and detergent, and a few other tools to clean your driveway correctly. If you are not confident in doing it yourself, or you haven't got the right equipment, you should ask your driveway installers if they're willing to do this, or call in a specialist driveway cleaning service.

Tarmac Driveways

Tarmac is a much loved surface for driveways due to its strength and durability. It looks superb, is weather resistant and requires little maintenance, when laid professionally. Tarmac's durability and strength means that it can contend with larger and heavier vehicles, such as motor-homes, without damaging the surface.

It offers great value for money, and tarmac can be coloured to fit in with the surroundings or your home. Tarmac allows you to deviate from a dull black surface and have it coloured to blend in with your home. It's possible for a competent driveway contractor to lay a brand new tarmac driveway in a single day. A lot of people opt for tarmac over other driveway materials due to its simple installation, robustness, low maintenance qualities and finish.

Resin-Bound Driveways

There is no doubt that in recent times resin or resin-bound driveways have become one of the most popular kinds of driveway. The added advantage that they are also SuDS compliant merely increases their appeal. Resin driveways can be installed in a host of patterns and designs that can be customized to your precise requirements. If you've a current asphalt or concrete driveway, a new resin-bound surface can be laid on top of your existing surface. Resin driveways are easy to clean, maintenance free, durable, permeable, and a terrific substitute for block paving, concrete, gravel or asphalt. A resin driveway will give years of excellent service, and when laid by a trustworthy installer, come with an extended warranty.

Concrete Driveways

Strong, hard wearing and needing little maintenance, concrete is an ideal material for driveways. Being more costly that gravel or tarmac, but considerably cheaper than some other options (i.e. resin or block paving), concrete is an easy choice for many people. If you find concrete driveways to be somewhat boring and dreary, it's perfectly possible to administer a patterned or imprinted finish to make them look like pebbles or stones.

Driveway Tasks

Local driveway installers will likely help with the maintenance of concrete driveways, stone resin driveway installation, the repair of gravel driveways, cheap driveway ideas, grass driveway installation, driveway repair, driveway ideas, driveway replacement, garden patio installations, the building of flagstone driveways, Indian stone driveways, the building of brick driveways, bonded gravel driveways, driveway removal, coloured tarmac driveways, concrete driveway repairs, tar driveways, driveway sealing, shingle driveways, driveway lights, driveway bollards, gated driveways, the laying of aggregate driveways, gravel driveway laying, the maintenance of block paving driveways, driveway maintenance, the laying of concrete driveways, cobbled driveways, stone driveway installation, driveway resurfacing. Driveway providers will be happy to inform you of their whole range of services

Driveway Questions

In the past week or so I've been having a close look at the popular questions folks ask in relation to driveways in Gillingham. Quite a few of our visitors posted some noteworthy enquiries which are relevant to this discussion. The ones I picked out were, "How much weight can driveway hold?" "Does driveway sealer go bad?" "Where can I buy driveway gravel?" "What are driveway markers used for?" "How much does a driveway cost?" "What are the benefits of a concrete driveway?" The majority of these questions will have hopefully been answered on this page, if there are any left to be answered we'll be including a driveway "Q&A" section before long. Our gratitude goes out to Nolan Macdonald, Caroline Welsh, Oliver Beattie and Sheila Southern from Gillingham, for taking time out to send in these questions. It was also awesome to get offerings from Sawyer Tucker in Wouldham, April Exley in Rainham and Reginald Dwyer in Frindsbury.

Enhancing the Look of Your Curb Effortlessly

Provided you desire to have your house look as beautiful as it can be, you have to pay attention to what it looks like on the outside. Though this is particularly important if you are exhibiting your house to someone who might be buying it, it is something you ought to be thinking about regardless of whether you are trying to sell it or keep it. Many times when individuals will inspect their abode to see how appealing the outside is, they see it with new eyes and often they can see the parts that need modification and the mistakes that weren't noticeable to them earlier.

A great place to start is to paint a portion of your house, or the entire house; doing this can really catch the eye of people driving by. Some people have a deck that surrounds the house; if you do repaint the deck, you might consider changing the color. Other items that you can paint include window casings and the shutters on your home. Sometimes all you need is a detailed cleaning which may consist of picking up around the yard, and washing the windows to make everything look brand-new. Your curb appeal will definitely give the wrong impression to people passing by if you have mold and moss on the outside of the house - clean that up as soon as you can! Depending upon the level of mold that you have, you may want to hire a professional to get rid of it if it is a very serious issue.

Your yards need to be looked at carefully. Do they consist of tools, miscellaneous things and clutter, or are they welcoming and clean? The appearance of your yard or yards is a major factor when it comes to curb appeal. On the assumption that your yard is a disaster, cleaning it up will be worthwhile. Take away everything that is in your way as you meander through the yards. Provided you need to weed or have bushes that need to be cared for, these issues need to be taken care of. Instill knowledge in your children to put away their playthings when they are done in the yard, provided they like to leave them lying around.

If you have a long walkway, or even a short one, it should look appealing to those passing by. Options include adding colorful flowers on either side that people will see as they walk toward your home. You might even want to put in a new driveway which is always an eye-catching feature. The driveway should not only be visually appealing, but give people the feeling that they are safe when they park there. By improving the outside, the surrounding area adjacent to the driveway, even if it is full of potholes from years of use, it will look better than it did before. Whether people walk or drive to your home, make it a positive experience for them.

As we've seen, giving your home more curb appeal can be quite simple. The ability to change the way your house looks by adding a few diverse elements is really a miracle in regard to how fast it can be achieved. It is important to simply consider what you have available, from front door to backdoor, to make your curb appeal really come alive.

Searching Online For a Driveway Installer

When looking for any kind of tradesmen these days, the vast majority of householders are inclined to head straight online to simply "Google it". Logic would say that you're seeing this webpage at this moment after you pinpointed it by typing a search phrase into Google, Yahoo or Bing and it appeared on the first page. From time to time the page 1 listings provided aren't exactly what you'd expected when making use of these particular search engines. The majority of householders, when trying to find a driveway expert will visit Google or bing and type "driveways", "Gillingham driveways", "driveway pavers near me" or "driveways". Nevertheless, most of the resulting page one listings on these search engines, as you will shortly discover, are either going to be "pay per click" results or listings for major lead creation sites like TrustaTrader, My Hammer, Checkatrade, Rated People, My Builder or Bark or directories such as Yell, Gumtree, Yelp or Hotfrog. You'll very likely discover the sites of bona fide driveway pavers hidden on page 2 or 3 of the results, outsmarted by the wealthier corporations who can more easily afford SEO. When you are endeavouring to find the most effective person to complete your driveway installation work, it's sensible to explore every technique open to you, so everything supplied by the search process should be reviewed so that you will be able to uncover the ideal driveway installer.

Driveway Installer Services

Find Driveway Pavers in the UK Here

• Driveway Services
• Gravel Driveways
• Driveway Pavers
• Driveway Estimates
• Concrete Driveways
• Tarmac Driveways
• Commercial Driveway Installation
• Driveways
• Asphalt Driveways
• Brick Driveways
• Driveway Installation
• Stone Driveways
• Block Paving Driveways
• Resin Driveways

More Tradespeople: Whilst you may just be looking for someone who can do driveway installation in the UK, you can also find garden clearance in the UK, a builder in the UK, a landscape gardener in the UK, a bricklayer in the UK, SKIP HIRE in the UK, a decking specialist in the UK, a garden designer in the UK, pressure washing in the UK, a fencing contractor in the UK, a gardener in the UK, an electrician in the UK, a carpenter in the UK, driveway cleaning in the UK, a tiler in the UK, a lawn care specialist in the UK, patio laying in the UK, waste removal in the UK, property extension in the UK.

Resin Driveways - Gravel Driveways - Residential Driveway Installation - Cheap Driveways - Concrete Driveways - Commercial Driveway Installation - Driveway Pavers - Driveway Services - Tarmac Driveways