Driveway Installers

If you do decide to press ahead with your driveway installation the next job will be to figure out what kind of driveway you prefer. For a number of reasons, not all kinds of driveway will appeal to you, and there are clearly lots to pick from. If you are on a strict spending budget your options might be limited somewhat. The configuration and dimensions of your available space might also have an impact on your final decision.

You may think "a driveway is just a driveway", however that's simply not true, as there are lots of different designs and styles of driveway, and if you take a stroll around, you'll realise what I'm saying. There's a fair 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 suited to your garden, you should be able to select from 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?

You may assume that planning permission is only needed for significant ventures like extensions and loft conversions, but that isn't automatically true. The regulations that address driveways aren't only administered by your local authority, but are in reality imposed by government law. Currently these only affect driveways in FRONT gardens. The regulations that are currently in effect come from a government act of 2008 - the SuDS (Sustainable Drainage System).

The SuDS regulations apply to driveways in front gardens with an area of over 5m2. Materials like gravel, permeable concrete, porous tarmac, resin, or grass monoblock are compliant with SuDS, and allow the surface water to soak through naturally without any problems. So, if you're building your driveway from one of these substances, you won't need to fret. It is possible to have a look at the SuDS regulations here - Sustainable Drainage Systems

People who don't have an issue with a bit of hard graft and are fairly good at do-it-yourself, could be tempted to build their own driveway. However, don't be fooled, there's a lot of hard graft involved with building a driveway, particularly in relation to the preparatory work, which involves excavation, lugging materials and rubbish removal. If you are in any doubt about whether you would be able to handle a project like this, it might be best to employ an experienced driveway installer.

Trustworthy tradespeople are not always that easy to get hold of with regards to conducting this kind of work, so you need to be mindful in choosing the right person or contractor. Cowboys and rogue traders are frequently operating in the area, their work will be second-rate and some of them could even grab your cash and disappear into the ether without doing anything at all. Even if that means spending a little more on the enterprise, you might as well have it done to a decent standard by a professional. Driveway contractors and landscape gardeners who've been operating in the area for a good few years would be the smartest choice.

When screening contractors for your driveway project, you should 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 overboard with these questions, but just ask enough to get a good sense of the type of person you're considering, so that you're able to make an informed choice. You can assume that they are genuine, if they are relaxed about answering all these questions. If questions of this sort bring forth a confrontational or hesitant response, you should be dubious about their credibility, and perhaps look at some alternative providers.

Choosing a first rate tradesperson is vital, as if you manage to find yourself a reputable driveway installer, they will not only do a good job, but also give you advice on the most appropriate materials, style and location for your new driveway. Having a specialist around will mean that all the design, planning and preparation is addressed before any real work commences.

Gravel Driveways

The least expensive and easiest of all the driveway styles is the ubiquitous gravel driveway. In rural locations, gravel driveways are particularly popular and can be very attractive regardless of their inherent simplicity. You should not have any trouble finding a kind of gravel that looks great in your garden, since there are a whole host of colours and sizes available. A good robust base of hardcore is needed for a gravel drive to be efficient, coupled with a firmly-bedded edging. If you apply three or four separate layers of stones, each one rolled and left to settle, you'll get the very best gravel driveway. Gravel driveways are of course SuDS compliant, therefore you won't need planning permission regardless of how large your driveway is.

Asphalt Driveways

Any home in will gain the benefit of the "curb appeal" of the smooth, continuous appearance of an asphalt driveway. When installed by an experienced company, an asphalt driveway will provide years of trouble free use with a bare minimum of maintenance. If the local authority has regulations that prevent non-porous materials being used, so as to preclude localised flooding, a unique porous asphalt substrate enables rainwater to drain away into a sub-base.

Asphalt driveways are very well designed to hold up against anything that typical winters can throw at them, and deliver extremely good value for money. Because of how asphalt is manufactured, it's also easy and cheap to repair, maintain and if required, remove. The fact is, asphalt can be recycled and used elsewhere, and can this be called the most environmentally friendly of hard driveway materials.

Block Paving Driveways

Over the past ten years or so dozens of driveways have appeared in using the block-paving technique. These are fashioned using purpose-made block-paving bricks which are butted together to form attractive and sometimes intricate patterns. Once the blocks have been laid, they're firmly tamped down, and kiln-dried sand is brushed into the joints. To get the longest life and best service out of your new block-paved driveway, you ought to get it professionally sealed after a few months to stop weed growth. Block paving can be laid in lots of designs, including basket weave, fan, herringbone and stretcher bond.

SuDS Compliant Block Paving Driveways: It is even possible to build a To comply with SuDS block paving driveway in, if that's what you require. By leaving wider gaps between the blockwork and packing them with a very fine aggregate as opposed to the traditional kiln-dried sand, you are able to accomplish a permeable surface that does not call for planning permission. (Tags: Block Paving, Block Paving Driveways, Block Paved Driveway).

Natural Stone Driveways

Natural stone is a driveway material that never loses its beautiful appearance even as it grows older. Going with a natural stone finish on your driveway will provide you with a lifetime of use for any vehicle and will look the business from the first day until fifty years down the line. Owing to the unique depth of tone and colours in the stone, you will have a driveway that's bespoke to your house. It gives that that vital curb appeal and WOW factor that every householder desires.

Driveways made from natural stone don't just look fantastic, but they're easy to maintain and less vulnerable to damage than some alternatives. The smaller joints in between the stones means that there is less likelihood of unwanted weed growth, and the smooth surface is much easier to clean. A natural stone driveway properly installed by an experienced company should be looked at as a wise investment which will bump up the value of your home.

Driveway Cleaning

If your property already has a drive, and you're thinking about changing it because it's looking shabby - why not give it a clean instead? For the majority of folks, it's not often a priority to maintain the cleanliness of their driveway. Nevertheless, from both a maintenance and visual perspective, cleaning your driveway is essential, and this process ought to be completed with a fair degree of regularity, not just now and then. As time passes, the structure of your driveway can be weakened by roots, weeds and other unwanted plant growth. If your drive already has cracks or holes, these could soon be enlarged, and structural complications can arise as a result.

The minute you discover weed growth, dirt or stains on your driveway, it is preferable to remove them as soon as possible. Although, weeds and moss are more obvious on your drive during the spring and summer season, you shouldn't wait till then to clean it. The attractiveness of your driveway can really be spoilt by brake fluid, petrol and oil stains from your car. To prevent unsightly discolouration of the surface, it is therefore vital to remove them quickly.

You'll need a few tools such as a bucket, a scraper, a broom, a wire brush and detergent, along with a pressure washing machine, so as to get your driveway completely clean. If you don't have the proper equipment, or aren't confident in doing it yourself, you could contact a professional driveway cleaning service, or ask your local driveway company if they do it.

Tarmac Driveways

Due to its durability and strength, tarmac is a great choice for surfacing driveways. When laid by a reliable driveway company it does not need much maintenance, looks amazing and offers excellent weather resistant properties. The durability of a tarmac driveway means it is able to withstand the daily use of heavier and larger vehicles, such as motor-homes and lorries, with no ridges or damage being caused to the surface.

Tarmac is also excellent value for money and comes in a wide range of colours to match your home and surrounding area. Tarmac enables you to upstage a dreary black surface and have it coloured to tie in with your home. The installation of a tarmac driveway is comparatively easy and can frequently be achieved by a professional driveway contractor in a single day. Tarmac really is an ideal material for virtually any driveway, due to its low maintenance properties, resilience and straightforward installation.

Resin Driveways

Among the most flexible and attractive kinds of driveway that are available today, resin or resin-bound driveways are becoming increasingly more favoured and also comply with SuDS, if that's what you are looking for. Resin-bound driveways can be installed in a wide variety of designs and colours that can be custom-made to your specifications. For speedier, and simpler installation resin-bound driveways can be laid on top of an existing asphalt or concrete base with far less mess and hassle. Resin-bound driveways are easy to clean, maintenance free, durable, permeable, and an effective substitute for gravel, asphalt, block paving or concrete. Generally coming with a long warranty when installed by a trustworthy specialist, a resin-bound driveway should give you good service for many years to come.

Concrete Driveways

A much favoured material for driveways, concrete is hard wearing, strong and requires very little maintenance. Being more costly that asphalt or gravel, but significantly cheaper than some other options (i.e. resin or block paving), concrete is a straightforward choice for many householders. Many would agree that concrete driveways in general are quite boring and dreary. However this doesn't have to be the case, seeing that it's perfectly possible to finish off the surface with a stamped or imprinted design. (Tags: Stamped Concrete Driveway, Concreted Driveway, Concrete Driveway).

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.

Making the Most of Your Homes Curb Appeal

When you begin to think about it, there are numerous avenues in which to provide your home with more curb appeal. Those that own their own home could misjudge the importance of this due to the fact it is simply a surface problem. However, these seemingly minor characteristics can be extremely significant assuming you hope to sell your abode, or basically just hope to make it more inviting and beautiful. It makes people feel that you are a homeowner that is careful and caring, when your abode has curb appeal.

Among the many projects you could take on for a new look to make your home have a more attractive curb appeal, would be painting. This is often a good idea, but it may not be necessary. Examine the paint for things like signs of aging or flaking; then if the color is reasonable, you might just need to give it a power wash. By taking this route, you will be saving money, it will be simple and you will be pleasantly surprised how great it will look. You hardly realize the collection of dirt and residue that encrusts your home overtime. 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 thorough and make sure to wash all washable things outside; like decks, outbuildings and such.

Examine the outside of your home and think about what colors would look best. A simple exercise would be to imagine your home a completely different color and then compare it against the color that it is now. Aside from the house itself, you may want to use different colors for certain spots, such as your front door, shutters, the deck or any other structures on your property. You might also consider doing smaller changes such as adding decorations, plants, flowers - you might want to do this before repainting your house. The colors that you choose, and the changes that you make, should be things that you want to do that will actually make you happy as well as impress other people.

When people look at a home, the walkway to the front door should look very inviting, something that you should improve on at your home. A paved path, perhaps with flowers or other plants on either side can make the approach to your home more interesting. If you have the money, you might want to pave your driveway giving it that brand-new appearance. Aside from being appealing, the driveway should people a sense of security and spaciousness. 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. Guests should always feel important. This includes people that drive into your driveway or those that walk to your house for a social visit.

It can be very satisfying to work on upgrading the curb appeal of your home. Every little action that you take, whether it's making your lawn look better, painting the deck or improving the driveway will make your home nicer and more valuable. Individuals could put the spotlight on easy to do actions that don't cost a lot of money or greater home modifications, still every course you take will make your curb more appealing.

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