Driveway Installers

If you think that a driveway is just the ticket for you, and you have ample space to put one, you will now need to decide what type of driveway you're going to choose. You will undoubtedly be aware already that there are lots of different driveway solutions available and not every one of these will necessarily appeal to you. If you are on a tight budget your choices might be limited somewhat. The size and layout of your available space could also affect your decision.

When walking around you will probably have seen all the various designs of driveway. You can choose from stone resin driveways, concrete driveways, patterned concrete driveways, tarmac driveways, natural flagstone driveways, permeable driveways, asphalt driveways, aggregate driveways, pebble driveways, block paved driveways, although not every one of these will necessarily be suitable for your garden ground conditions and layout.

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 suppose that council planning permission wouldn't be needed for a driveway installation on your own land, this is not always the case. The legislation that pertain to driveways are not only laid down by the local council, but are actually imposed by government guidelines. However, at this moment in time, this regulation only affects driveways being installed in front gardens. The regulations that are currently in effect come from a government act of 2008 - the Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS).

The SuDS legislation applies to driveways in front gardens with an area of over 5 square metres. Materials like gravel, permeable concrete, porous tarmac, resin, or grass monoblock are compliant with SuDS, and permit the rainwater to soak through without any problems. Therefore, if you're making your driveway from one of these, you will not have to worry. You can view the SuDS regulations here - Sustainable Drainage Systems

People who don't have an issue with a bit of hard graft and are fairly adept at do-it-yourself, may perhaps be tempted to lay their own driveway. But you should not imagine that installing driveways is an easy undertaking, because apart from the laying of the driveway there's lots of rubbish removal, excavating and carting materials associated with such a endeavour. In most instances it is more sensible to call in a competent driveway contractor, who will have all the knowledge, equipment and manpower to carry out the task correctly.

With this sort of work, you've got to be careful about exactly who you pick, given that you naturally need somebody who knows the score. Cowboys and rogue traders are always taking advantage of people in the area, their workmanship will be low quality and some of them will even take your cash and vanish into the ether without completing anything at all. It's well worth paying out a bit more cash to get a decent job done, instead of taking a chance with a low quality worker simply to save yourself a few quid. If a locally based driveway installer has been running a business in the area for a number of years, you can generally assume that they will be pretty dependable, and a solid choice for your installation project.

When assessing companies for your driveway, you need to 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).

You don't need to be too pushy with these questions, since what you are really trying to achieve is get a perception of the kind of tradesman you are going to be working with. You can safely assume that they are fairly reliable, if they are willing to answer all of these questions. If questions such as this invoke a hesitant or antagonistic response, then you should have concerns about their integrity, and perhaps look at some alternative providers.

If you are cautious and pick a really professional driveway paver, they will help you make all the important decisions with regards to your forthcoming project, including the ideal driveway technique, the preferred location and the most appropriate materials. Having an expert around will mean that all of the design, preparation and planning is in hand before any real work commences.

Gravel Driveways

Of all the driveway styles, the standard gravel driveway is the simplest and cheapest. In spite of their inherent simplicity gravel driveways can be a really eye-catching alternative, particularly in rural locations where they are the most popular. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a kind of gravel that looks great in your garden, since there are a wide selection of shades and sizes to choose from. A successful gravel driveway will need a sturdy and clearly-defined edging, and a good robust base layer of hardcore. If you apply 3 or 4 separate layers of shingle, each individual one tamped and left to settle, you'll get the best quality gravel driveway. Irrespective of what size your driveway is, or if it's in your back or front garden, if it's constructed from gravel it will not need to apply for planning permission, because it will be SuDS compliant.

Asphalt Driveways

Any home in will gain benefits from the "curb appeal" of the smooth, continuous appearance of a newly installed asphalt driveway. When laid by a competent company, an asphalt driveway will provide many years of reliable use with very little maintenance. In flood risk areas it may be required to have a permeable driveway, and there's an asphalt type, with sub-base for rain run-off, which prevents excess water from filling up highway drains.

Asphalt driveways are exceptionally smartly designed to withstand anything that winters can throw at them, and offer excellent value. Asphalt is easily maintained and repaired, and can be removed should circumstances change in the future. Actually, asphalt can even be recycled and used elsewhere, making this the most eco-friendly of the solid driveway materials. (Tags: Asphalt Driveway Recycling, Asphalt Driveways, Asphalt Driveway).

Block Paved Driveways

Block-paved driveways are among the most popular styles in right now, and scores of these seem to have sprung up in recent times. Forming attractive and elaborate designs, many hundreds of specially designed block paving bricks are butted together to produce a robust, hard-wearing driveway. Once the blocks have been laid, they're tamped down firmly, and special kiln-dried sand is brushed into the joints. A good idea is to have your block-paved driveway sealed after several months with Thompson's sealant or similar. This is crucial to stop weed growth. Block paving can be laid in various patterns, including basketweave, fan, stretcher bond and herringbone.

SuDS Compliant Block Paving Driveways: SuDS compliant block paved driveways are quite possible by adjusting the traditional methodology. Wider spaces than normal are left in between the bricks and as opposed to the usual kiln-dried sand, these can then be packed with a fine aggregate material.

Natural Stone Driveways

The attributes of natural stone means that it only improves with age. The choice of natural stone will provide you with a stable, robust driveway, for any vehicle, and will look good for a whole lifetime. Thanks to the individual colours and depth of tones of the stone, you will end up with a driveway that's entirely bespoke to your house. The natural stone gives a warm, soft edge to any driveway, and contributes to that valuable WOW factor.

Unlike concrete paving alternatives, natural stone driveways are less liable to being damaged and are easier to maintain and look after. The smooth, hard surface of the natural stones means that they are much easier to keep clean, and weeds find it harder to take hold in the smaller joints of a stone driveway. A natural stone driveway from an experienced company should be looked on as a good investment that will improve the value of your property.

Driveway Cleaning

If your home already has a driveway, and you are wondering about changing it because it's looking scruffy - why not give it a clean instead? Maintaining the cleanliness of a driveway is not a top priority for a lot of TOWN homeowners. Nevertheless, for both aesthetic and maintenance purposes, cleaning a driveway on a regular basis is very important. Weeds and pernicious plant growth can weaken the structure of your driveway over time. If your drive already has cracks or crevices, these could quickly be enlarged, and structural complications may take place as a consequence.

It is preferable to remove stains, weed growth or dirt from your drive as soon as you discover them. Although, moss and weeds are more obvious on your driveway during the spring and summer season, you shouldn't wait until then pressure wash it. The appearance of your drive can be really ruined by brake fluid, petrol and oil spots from your vehicle. You should remove these quickly, so that any a permanent discolouration of the driveway surface is prevented.

To get your driveway completely clean you'll need the use of a power washer, and you'll also need a few other tools and equipment, for instance a bucket, a scraper, a broom, a wire brush and detergent. You should get in touch with a professional driveway cleaning service, if you aren't certain about cleaning it yourself, or you don't have the proper gear.

Tarmac Driveways

Tarmac offers both a strong and durable surface which makes it an extremely good option for a driveway. When installed by a reliable driveway company, tarmac offers excellent weather resistant properties, looks good and requires almost no maintenance. Tarmac driveways can handle larger vehicles, like vans and motor-homes, without damage to the surface or dimpling, and should look pristine for many years to come.

It offers excellent value for money, and tarmac can be coloured to complement the surroundings or your requirements. Tarmac permits you to deviate from a dull black surface and have it coloured to match your home or property. The installation of a tarmac driveway is relatively straightforward and can frequently be achieved by an experienced driveway contractor in a day. A lot of people select tarmac over other materials for their driveway because of its robustness, low maintenance requirements, surface finish and speedy installation.

Resin Driveways

One of the most popular types of driveway nowadays, resin driveways are permeable and compliant with SuDS. Available in a host of patterns and colours, resin-bound driveways can be tailor-made to your exact specifications, and laid to match any theme or concept. For far less mess and hassle a new resin driveway can soon be laid over a pre-existing asphalt or concrete surface. Resin-bound driveways are easy to clean, maintenance free, durable, permeable, and a fantastic substitute for gravel, concrete, tarmac or block paving. Normally coming with an extended warranty when installed by a trustworthy specialist, a resin driveway should give you reliable service for years to come.

Concrete Driveways

Durable, strong and requiring minimal maintenance, concrete is an excellent material for building driveways. A straightforward choice for many home and business owners, concrete can be considerably cheaper than block paving or resin, but if laid properly is stronger and more durable. Many would acknowledge that concrete driveways in general are quite dreary and boring. But this doesn't have to be the case, seeing as it's quite possible to finish the surface off with a patterned or imprinted design.

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.

Your Home's Curb Appeal - How To Make A Great First Impression

Curb appeal is what realtors are chatting about when they are thinking about boosting the appearance of a house that may go up for sale. If you are tossing the idea of selling your home around or not; curb appeal is something that you may want to toss around in that discussion. These repairs or improvements are not necessarily a big deal, but generally will add to the overall appearance in a great way. Within this article we hope to give you a few thoughts to consider when and if you ever decide to make some changes to your home for enhancing the curb appeal.

The initial thought when you are thinking about improving your curb appeal is to give it a paint job. This might seem like the thing to start with, but you may want to reconsider. Power washing your home may be an alternative to putting on new paint if there are no signs like chipping or weathering and the color is one that appeals to you. You will be amazed at the difference it will make and it will be a lot easier on you pocketbook. When the grime builds up as slow as it does, it is hard to imagine it until you see the difference after washing. Power washers are available to rent at many stores and if you are unable to do it yourself, you can always hire the job out. Be careful not to miss any of the outer structures, like garage doors, fences, etc.

To improve your curb appeal, you might also want to make your home look appealing and inviting. How you do this will depend on your tastes, but there's no need to spend a lot of money or go to extremes. Your house should call out to people visually, which means you ought to have plants, flowers, and a few ferns to improve its external visual appeal. You can hang these from various places, put them on window sills or wherever you can find a convenient spot. As for furniture, you should put some on the lawn - you might want to add wicker furniture which is very friendly. There are also many attractive lawn decorations you can buy, though you shouldn't overdo it with these.

Oftentimes, the consideration of replacing an existing green lawn with something that is much easier to care for will cross the minds of homeowners. Landscaping alternatives that require less water and maintenance are now becoming more popular replacing the staple green lawn. Green grass is very beautiful, but it is also a good idea to change up the look of your home by choosing landscaping that requires less upkeep. One such alternative is called xeriscaping, which is a low maintenance, environmentally sustainable type of landscaping. This is especially appropriate in areas that are prone to droughts, but you can use the principles of xeriscaping anywhere that you live.

The different ways to spruce up your home are endless. While you may be focused on interior plans such as your kitchen or floors, you shouldn't neglect the outside either. With the suggestions we have shared, you now have some idea of how to make your house stand out and be noticed for curb appeal; if you were to look closely around the place, you will see many little things that can also be done.

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