Driveway Installers

If you believe a driveway is just the thing for you, and you have enough space to put one, you'll now have to establish what type of driveway you're going to construct. Driveways come in all styles and sizes and can be made from a number of different materials, some might be more suitable than others. Your choices might be limited to some degree if you are sticking to a tight spending budget. The makeup and design of your driveway might also be influenced by the layout and dimensions of your garden.

While walking around you'll likely have observed all the different designs of driveway. You will 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 actually be suited to your garden terrain 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?

You may believe that a driveway would not be of any concern to the local authorities, and would not be subject to planning permission requirements, however that notion would quite often be incorrect. There are in fact regulations addressing the laying of driveways, and those are UK-wide rules, not only local ones. However, at the present time, these rules only affect driveways being installed in front gardens. The law that we're referring to here is the SuDS (Sustainable Drainage System), which was brought in by the government in 2008.

The SuDS legislation applies to driveways installed in front gardens with an area of more than 5m². This demands that your driveway is made from gravel, permeable concrete, porous tarmac, resin, or grass monoblock, so that surface water can easily drain away safely and not cause flooding. It is possible to check out the SuDS regulations here - Sustainable Drainage Systems

Of course it's perfectly possible to build your own driveway, if you're fairly adept at do-it-yourself and don't mind a bit of hard graft. But you should not suppose that this is an easy task, since aside from the laying of the driveway there's a whole lot of rubbish removal, hauling materials and heavy digging associated with such a endeavour. If you have any doubts about whether you would be able to tackle a project like this, it would perhaps be wise to bring in a professional driveway installer instead.

With this type of work, you have to be careful of who you choose, as you plainly need someone who knows what they are doing. You'll want to be on the lookout for cowboys and rogue trader types who are renowned for doing this sort of work, and can easily take you by surprise. Even if that means shelling out a little more on the enterprise, you may as well have it done properly by a professional. The smart choice will generally be a patio and driveway company who's been been offering their services in and around your area for the past few years, and who has an excellent reputation locally.

When screening these paving contractors, you should at least 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).

Don't get carried away with such questions, simply ask enough to get a good impression of the type of company you are dealing with, so you're able to make an informed choice of tradesman. Anyone who's happy to answer all of your questions, and put your mind at rest about the calibre of the work they'll be doing, will likely also be honest and trustworthy. If questions such as this invoke a hesitant or aggressive response, you should have concerns about their credibility, and maybe look at some alternative providers.

Once you have located a decent driveway specialist, you can ask for guidance about all of the potential driveway alternatives including things like the best style, location and materials. Having a specialist at hand means that all of the preparation, planning and design is addressed before any real work commences.

Gravel Driveways

Of all the available types, the ubiquitous gravel driveway is the simplest and cheapest. Gravel driveways are especially effective in rural settings, and in spite of their inherent simplicity they can be particularly attractive. You should have no problem locating a type of gravel that looks great in your garden, as there are a host of sizes and shades to choose from. A efficient gravel driveway will require a clearly-defined and sturdy edging, and a good robust base of hardcore. If you would like a really top notch gravel driveway, you must make sure that 3 or 4 separate layers are applied, with each one individually tamped and rolled and left to settle for a day or so before the next one is laid. Gravel driveways are obviously SuDS compliant, so you won't require planning permission no matter how large your driveway is.

Asphalt Driveways

An asphalt driveway, with its smooth, continuous appearance gives immediate "curb appeal" to any property or home in. A reputable driveway contractor in will supply you with an asphalt driveway that will give you years of satisfaction, with a bare minimum of maintenance required. If your local authority has regulations that prevent non-permeable materials being used on driveways, in order to prevent local flooding, a special porous asphalt substrate enables rain to soak into a sub-base.

Asphalt driveways are very smartly designed to successfully hold up to anything that typical winters can throw at them, and provide exceptional value for money. Because of how asphalt is manufactured, it's also easy and cheap to repair, maintain and when necessary, remove. Actually, asphalt can even be recycled and used elsewhere, and can this be called the most eco-friendly of hard driveway materials.

Block Paving Driveways

Dozens of driveways have popped up in in recent times, created using the block-paving method, which can be extremely effective when carried out correctly. Forming a hard-wearing, sturdy driveway, hundreds of purpose-made block paving bricks are butted together in eye-catching and sometimes intricate patterns that can be personalized to meet your requirements. After the blocks have been laid and tamped down, the gaps are filled up with kiln-dried sand which is brushed into the joints. After four or five months it is preferable to have your block-paved driveway sealed with a suitable sealant (such as Thompsons), this should help to stop weed growth. Block paving can be made very attractive and can be laid several different patterns, including herringbone, basket weave, stretcher bond and fan.

SuDS Compliant Block Paving Driveways: Block paving driveways can even be made compliant with SuDS, by simply leaving bigger than normal spaces between the blocks, which are then filled with fine aggregate rather than the traditional kiln-dried sand.

Natural Stone Driveways

Natural stone is a driveway material that improves with age. The dense and compact material looks terrific on a driveway and will give an entire lifetime of serviceable use for any vehicles you might own throughout the years. It can provide your house with a driveway that, thanks to the unique shades and colours of each individual stone, is wholly bespoke to you. It provides that that crucial curb appeal and WOW factor that every property owner desires.

A natural stone driveway is also easier to maintain, and is less at risk of weather damage than concrete materials. The smaller gaps between the stones means that there's significantly less potential for weed growth, and the smooth surface is a lot easier to clean. A professionally prepared and laid natural stone driveway is an investment that will add to the value of your home.

Driveway Cleaning

If you don't have a driveway at this point in time, then of course cleaning is not going to be needed, but this is certainly an issue you'll need to think about in the future. Maintaining the cleanliness of a driveway is not normally a priority for a lot of folks. Nonetheless, cleaning a driveway is vital from both a maintenance and cosmetic perspective, and this should really be conducted fairly regularly. With time, the structure of your driveway can be damaged by weeds, roots and other pernicious plant growth. An enlargement of existing driveway crevices or cracks can happen, and structural complications could occur if such growth is not eliminated.

It is better to remove stains, dirt or weed growth from your drive as soon as you discover them. Although, the spring and summer months is when you are most likely to notice the growth of moss and weeds, you ought not wait until them to power wash your drive. If diesel, brake fluid and oil is spilled from your vehicle, the attractiveness of your driveway can be really ruined. Thus it's vital to immediately clean them off to avoid your driveway's surface being stained too seriously.

If you're cleaning the driveway yourself, you will need the use of a jet washing device, and to accomplish it effectively you'll also need some additional equipment and tools, for instance a bucket, a scraper, a broom, a wire brush and detergent. If you are not clear about doing it yourself, or you haven't got the correct gear, you can ask your driveway installers if they are able to do it, or call in a professional driveway cleaning service.

Tarmac Driveways

Tarmac offers strength and a durable surface making it a perfect option for a driveway. When installed by a competent driveway company, tarmac looks amazing, does not need much maintenance and offers exceptional weatherproof properties. Tarmac driveways can contend with larger vehicles, such as carvans and camper vans, without dimpling or damage to the surface, and will look good for many years.

Tarmac is also fantastic value for money and is available in a whole host of colours to fit in with your property and the surrounding areas. No longer do you need a dreary, traditional looking drive; you are able to customise your driveway to a colour of your choosing. The installation of tarmac driveways is reasonably simple and can be accomplished by a skilled driveway contractor in one day. Tarmac really is a decent material for almost any driveway, because of its ease of installation, maintenance free properties and durability.

Resin-Bound Driveways

One of the most popular sorts of driveway recently, resin-bound driveways are porous and SuDS compliant. Resin-bound driveways come in a wide range of designs and patterns that can be customized to your exact requirements. If you have an existing asphalt or concrete driveway, a brand new resin-bound surface can be laid on top of your existing one. Resin-bound driveways are easy to clean, maintenance free, durable, permeable, and a great alternative to gravel, block paving, concrete or tarmac. A resin-bound driveway will give years of good service, and when installed by an experienced specialist, come with a long warranty.

Concrete Driveways

Ideal for building driveways, and a much favoured material for many years, concrete has the advantage of being strong, durable and largely maintenance-free. When it comes to price, concrete is about average for driveway construction, being more expensive than gravel or tarmac, but less costly than block paving and resin. If you find concrete driveways to be rather boring and dreary, it's perfectly possible to add a stamped or imprinted finish to make them look more eye-catching. (Tags: Imprinted Concrete Driveway, Concrete Driveways, Concreted 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.

Simple And Inexpensive Ways To Upgrade Your Home's Curb Appeal

Curb appeal refers to the appearance of your home, especially from the outside. So if you're trying to sell your home, you might want to consider outside home improvement projects that will make it look better. Regardless of your intentions, improving the outward appearance, the "curb appeal" of your home will make a huge difference to those that see it. The following paragraphs will detail several ways that your home's curb appeal can be dramatically improved.

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. If your home has window casings, and shutters, you can give these a fresh coat of paint as well. You could also just clean your house up, making it look neat and tidy, which always makes people look twice. One other thing you can do is remove moss and mildew that may be prominent on the outside of your home; if it is there, people will definitely see it and shake their heads. Sometimes you can clean all of this up yourself. However, if it is extremely bad, always hire a professional to get the job done right.

Possibly individuals may enhance their residence curb appeal in the manner of creating some advancements that they didn't truly realize were essential. Sometimes when you look at something every day for years, you don't even realize how it looks to others. For instance, look intently at your garage door. For the most part, individuals do not contemplate putting in a new one with the exception of when it is broken. Though if the door is dingy and old, a big difference could be had with an upscale new one. A mailbox is something else that can repeatedly be ignored. A new mailbox isn't expensive, but if your present one is old and rusty, you'll feel much better when you replace it.

To endeavor to do a comprehensive job of escalating the curb appeal a dwelling, one may have to seek out the assessment of others. Pick the brain of your relatives or chums whose thoughts you have respect for on how your abode looks to them. Another tactic you might want to try is going all around your home and taking some good photos. When you are done, view the images in such a way that the home belongs to someone else and figure out what augmentations you would perform. One might need to peer at their dwelling with a new eye in order to genuinely figure out how to revamp the outside of their home.

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. You can focus on simple and inexpensive actions or you can do more extensive home improvements, but all of these measures will add to your home's curb appeal.

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