Driveway Installers

So, you've made the decision to install a driveway, but what type of driveway is going to be perfect for you? For a number of reasons, not all kinds of driveway will appeal to you, and there are of course lots to pick from. Costs will vary noticeably across these various driveway styles, thus your choices could be limited if you've only got a set amount of money to spend. The configuration and dimensions of your available space could also affect your final decision.

There are of course plenty of different types and designs of driveway, as you will probably have noticed when strolling around. You should be able to choose between stone resin driveways, concrete driveways, patterned concrete driveways, tarmac driveways, natural flagstone driveways, permeable driveways, asphalt driveways, aggregate driveways, pebble driveways, block paved driveways, even though not every one of these will necessarily be suited to your garden layout and ground conditions.

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?

While you might suppose that council planning permission is not going to be necessary for a driveway installation on your own property, this isn't always true. The legislation that pertain to driveways aren't just laid down by the local council, but are actually enforced by government law. These regulations only affect front gardens at this time. Since 2008 driveway installations in front gardens in Great Britain have to abide by the Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), which was introduced by the Labour government.

If you are aiming to build a driveway having an area of more than five square metres and it is in your front garden, you will be affected by these SuDS regulations. This requires that your drive is made from gravel, permeable concrete, porous tarmac, resin, or grass monoblock, so that excess water can readily drain away safely. You can find out more information on the Sustainable Drainage Systems regulations here - SuDS

Some folks could be tempted to have a stab at building their own driveway, particularly if they don't mind a bit of hard graft and are good at DIY. But no-one should think of this as a simple task, as there's lots of groundwork involved besides the actual laying of the driveway, including digging out, doing rubbish removal and carting materials. In most cases it would be much wiser to bring in a specialist driveway contractor, who'll have all the equipment, knowledge and manpower to carry out the task properly.

Because of the nature of this type of project, it's not always that simple to track down honest tradespeople who can be guaranteed to do a decent job. Unfortunately, there are too many deceitful "cowboys" out there who will take full advantage of your circumstances and purport to be driveway experts. They will either do poor work, or simply grab your money and disappear without a trace. If you want your driveway to endure, and look attractive for many years to come, you may as well get it done to a decent standard and by someone with some experience. driveway pavers who've been offering their services in the area for a number of years would be the preferred choice.

When you are sorting through potential paving contractors 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).

You don't need to be too pushy or aggressive with these questions, seeing as what you're really trying to achieve is get an inkling of the sort of individual you're going to be working with. You can assume that they are for the most part honest, if they're relaxed about answering all these questions. If they act in a hostile or uncertain way when asked such questions, you can presume that they are less than honest or hiding something - so give them a wide berth.

When you have identified an excellent driveway installer, you can have a discussion about all of the available driveway options including the most appropriate style, materials and location. Having a specialist around means that all the design, preparation and planning is covered before any real physical work begins.

Gravel Driveways

The simplest and most economical of all the available styles is the gravel driveway. In a rural location, gravel driveways are especially favoured and can be extremely attractive regardless of their inherent simplicity. Seeing that there is such a wide selection of gravel sizes and shades, you should have no problems locating one that you are happy with. A successful gravel driveway will need a well-defined and substantial edging, and a good solid layer of hardcore. If you put down 3 or 4 separate layers of shingle, each individual one rolled and left to settle down, you will get the very best gravel driveway. Regardless of what size your driveway is, or whether it is in your back or front garden, if it's constructed from gravel it won't require planning permission, as it will automatically be SuDS compliant. (Tags: Shingle Driveways, Gravel Driveways, Aggregate Driveways).

Asphalt Driveways

An asphalt driveway, with its smooth, uninterrupted appearance adds immediate "curb appeal" to any house in. When installed by a competent company, an asphalt driveway will give you years of reliable use with minimal maintenance. In high flood risk locations it might be required to have a porous driveway, and there's a type of asphalt sub-layer for rainwater drainage, which stops surplus water from over-filling highway drainage systems.

Asphalt driveways offer exceptional value for money and asphalt is a durable, strong material which is perfect for enduring the freezing and thawing effects of a British winter. Due to how asphalt is made, it is also cheap and easy to repair, maintain and if required, remove. If you are concerned about the environmental impact of your driveway installation in, it's good to know that asphalt can even be lifted and recycled for other uses. (Tags: Asphalt Driveways, Asphalt Driveway, Asphalt Driveway Recycling).

Block Paved Driveways

Scores of driveways have popped up in in recent times, built using the block-paving technique, which can be very successful when carried out properly. Forming attractive and intricate designs, hundreds of purpose-made block paving bricks are butted together to create a robust, hard-wearing driveway. After the blocks have been put in place, they're firmly tamped down, and special kiln-dried sand is brushed into the exposed joints. It might be a good idea to have your block-paved driveway sealed after several months with Everbuild sealant or something like that. This is vital to stop weed growth. There are lots of designs in which block paving is laid, including herringbone, stretcher bond, basket weave and fan.

SuDS Compliant Block Paving Driveways: Block paved driveways can also be made SuDS compliant, by leaving bigger than standard spaces between the blocks, which can then be packed with fine aggregate in place of the traditional kiln-dried sand.

Natural Stone Driveways

Natural stone is a driveway surface that never loses its splendid appearance even as it grows older. Looking fantastic from day one to year fifty, a driveway built from natural stone will provide you with a whole lifetime of serviceable use for any motor vehicle. It provides your home with a driveway that, because of the unique shades and colours of each individual stone, is wholly bespoke to you. When properly installed, a natural stone driveway has that all important curb appeal that complements any property.

Natural stone driveways don't just look good, but they're easy to maintain and less vulnerable to being damaged than concrete alternatives. They are also much easier to clean, and with smaller joints in between the stones there is considerably less likelihood of seeds and weeds sprouting up on your new driveway. A properly prepared and installed natural stone driveway is a sound investment which will add considerable value to your home.

Driveway Cleaning

If your home has already got a driveway, and you're thinking of replacing it because it is starting to look tatty - why not give it a good clean instead? For many homeowners, it's not always a priority to keep their driveway clean. Yet, for reasons of both maintenance and looks, cleaning a driveway with some regularity is very important. If roots, weeds and other pernicious plant growth are allowed to become established, over the years they can weaken the composition of your driveway. Existing fractures and cracks can be widened which might ultimately lead to structural issues in your driveway.

When you notice that your drive has dirt, weed growth or stains, it is preferable to get rid of them before the situation worsens. It isn't a great idea to wait around for the spring and summertime to jet wash your drive, even though these are the times when you are most likely to notice the appearance of weeds and moss. Oil, brake fluid and petrol spills from your vehicle can spoil the look of your drive. You must clean these off promptly, so that any unsightly discolouration of the driveway surface is prevented.

As well as a power washing device, you'll also need a bucket, a scraper, a broom, a wire brush and detergent, and a few other tools if you wish to clean your driveway correctly. You could bring in a professional driveway cleaning service, if you are not clear about cleaning it yourself, or you haven't got the correct equipment.

Tarmac Driveways

Tarmac provides a surface with both durability and strength making it an excellent choice for a driveway. When it is installed by a proficient driveway company, tarmac looks terrific, offers outstanding weatherproof properties and does not need a lot of maintenance. Tarmac's strength and durability means that it can cope with larger and heavier vehicles, like camper vans, without damaging the surface.

Tarmac is also excellent value and is available in an assortment of colours to match your property and the surrounding areas. You do not need to have a dull, traditional looking drive; you can customise your driveway to a colour of your choice. The installation of a tarmac driveway is relatively straightforward and can frequently be accomplished by a skilled driveway contractor in a single day. Many householders opt for tarmac over other driveway materials because of its durability, speedy installation, low maintenance demands and finish.

Resin Driveways

One of the most popular types of driveway nowadays, resin or resin-bound driveways are permeable (porous) and SuDS compliant. Resin-bound driveways can be tailor-made to your exact specifications and can be installed in a host of different colours and designs. If you have an existing concrete or tarmac driveway, a brand new resin surface can be laid on top of your existing one. Resin driveways are easy to clean, maintenance free, durable, permeable, and a terrific alternative to block paving, tarmac, concrete or gravel. When installed by an experienced specialist, a resin driveway should come with a long warranty and give years of good service. (Tags: Resin-Bound Driveways, Resin Driveways, Resin-Bonded Driveways).

Concrete Driveways

A much favoured material for driveways, concrete is hard wearing, strong and needs very little maintenance. Being more costly that asphalt or gravel, but considerably cheaper than some of the other options (i.e. resin or block paving), concrete is an easy choice for many folks. If you find concrete driveways to be quite uninspiring and drab, it's possible to administer a stamped or imprinted design to make them look more attractive.

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.

Straightforward Tips That Can Give Your Residence Added Beauty

The term curb appeal references how your home looks on the outside from the street. If you are selling your house, external home improvement projects are definitely what you should be focusing upon. Regardless of your intentions, improving the outward appearance, the "curb appeal" of your home will make a huge difference to those that see it. So let's look at some easy ways to upgrade your home's curb appeal.

If you have a front lawn on your home, curb appeal will definitely begin there. Depending on the size of your lawn, keeping it looking as good as possible may take quite a bit of effort. Regardless of how the upkeep is achieved, it needs to be done continuously by the owner or a hired hand. You need to trim your lawn along the edges and also water it so that it stays green and fresh. If you're lawn has areas that are spotty, you might need to add new sod to these areas so it can grow back. Whatever you do, make sure that your lawn is always cared for, which means you might have to hire a lawn maintenance company to take care of it. It is important to also keep your trees tidy and your shrubs looking tight and fit.

The colors of your home are very important to consider. Think carefully! One way to increase the curb appeal of any home is to change the color that it currently is; to begin this process, you need to think of another color that you would find more appealing. Once you know what color you would change the exterior to, you should also think about changing specific areas like the shutters around your windows and other smaller areas. 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.

Exuding curb appeal is equally significant when the stars are out as it is when the sun up. The right use of lighting can make a big difference to your home's atmosphere. Be positive that your porch is well lit and there are no burned out bulbs. After the sun goes down you can look out at your garden if you put in some ornamental lighting in that area. The different types and styles of outdoor lights are many; you can find just about anything from lanterns to contemporary solar lights. These types of lights are helpful when it is dreary, night or daytime, and will give your friends, family as well as possible home buyers a safe feeling when they visit.

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. We've looked at just a few ways to improve your home's curb appeal, but if you take a look at your property with a critical eye, you can probably find lots more.

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