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So, you've made the decision to have a driveway installed, but what style of driveway will be best for your requirements? Driveways come in all styles and sizes and can be made out of a range of different materials, some might be more suitable than others. If you haven't got a lot of cash to expend on such a project, the style and material options will be limited to what you can comfortably afford. The makeup and design of your driveway might also be subject to the layout and size of your garden area.

If you take a quick stroll around, you'll notice all the different styles of driveway that other people have installed, and probably get a few good ideas for what your own driveway could look like. You should be able to select 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, even though not every one of these will automatically be appropriate for your garden geography 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 might believe that council planning permission is only required for big projects like extensions and loft conversions, but that isn't always the case. Driveways are actually governed by a number of rules and regulations, and these apply on a national scale rather than being just locally binding. These regulations only apply to driveways in front gardens at this moment. This driveway legislation, which is called the Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) has been in place since 2008, when it was first announced.

If you're aiming to build a driveway with an area of more than 5 square metres and it is going to be in your front garden, you will likely be impacted by these SuDS legislation. In order for a driveway to be in compliance with it must be made from a porous (permeable) material that permits the water to drain through it. Materials that are in line with SuDS include: gravel, permeable concrete, porous tarmac, resin, or grass monoblock. If you believe that the Sustainable Drainage Systems legislation will affect your new driveway in TOWN, you can see more information by clicking here - Sustainable Drainage Systems

To some property owners, building a driveway may seem to be a pretty straightforward undertaking, and for anyone who's a good do-it-yourselfer, it's by no means unthinkable. However nobody should consider this as an easy process, because there is a great deal of preparation work involved besides actually laying the driveway, including lugging materials, excavating and doing rubbish removal. If you're in any doubt about whether you'd be able to complete a project like this, it might be advisable to call in an established driveway contractor instead.

Due to the nature of this sort of project, it is not necessarily that easy to track down reliable tradespeople who can be guaranteed to do a good job. Rogue traders and cowboys are always operating in the area, their workmanship will be inferior and some can even take your cash and do a runner without completing any work at all. It's well worth shelling out a bit more cash to get a decent job done, instead of taking a chance with a less than perfect workman simply to save a few pounds. It is best to look for locally based driveway and patio companies who've been providing their services in the area for the past few years.

When you are sifting through possible contractors to lay your driveway 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).

Asking for such salient information will give you a perception of the kind of tradesperson you're going to be dealing with, but it shouldn't be done in an aggressive way. Anybody who's willing to respond to all of your questions, and put your mind at rest about the standard of work they do, will probably also be genuine and reliable. If questions of this nature bring forth an agressive or hesitant response, then you should be doubtful of their credibility, and maybe look at some alternative providers.

As soon as you have found an excellent driveway installer, you can have a discussion about all the potential driveway alternatives including the most appropriate location, style and materials. And that's not the end of it, because they'll also take care of all the preparation, planning and design that is required for your new driveway installation to go like clockwork.

Gravel Driveways

Of all the types, the ubiquitous gravel driveway is the most economical and easiest. In a rural location, gravel driveways are particularly popular and can be very attractive despite their inherent simplicity. You should not have any problem finding a type of gravel that looks amazing in your garden, since there are a wide range of colours and sizes on the market. For gravel driveways to be effective they need a good sturdy base of hardcore, and firmly-bedded, substantial edging. If you put down 3 or 4 separate layers of aggregate, each individual one tamped and rolled and left to settle down, you'll get the best gravel driveway. You will not need planning permission for a gravel driveway, because it will be SuDS compliant no matter how large it is, or if it's in your back or front garden.

Asphalt Driveways

When you are looking for 'curb appeal' for your property or home in, an asphalt driveway, with its smooth uninterrupted surface, is the ideal choice. When installed by a competent contractor, an asphalt driveway will give you years of good use with minimal maintenance. There are even permeable asphalt options so that rain can soak away into a sub-layer, instead of running off into highway drains, which are known to lead to localised flooding.

Asphalt driveways offer outstanding value and asphalt is a strong, durable material that is designed to withstand freezing and thawing effects of a British winter. Because of how asphalt is produced, it's also easy and cheap to repair, maintain and when necessary, remove. It could be seen to be the most eco-friendly of solid driveway surfaces since it is even possible for an asphalt driveway to be recycled and used in another project. (Tags: Asphalt Driveway Recycling, Asphalt Driveways, Asphalt Driveway).

Block Paved Driveways

Block-paved driveways are among the most frequently seen styles in at the moment, and dozens of these seem to have appeared over the last few years. Forming a hard wearing and robust driveway, many hundreds of purpose-made block paving bricks are butted together in eye-catching and sometimes elaborate designs which can be customized to meet your requirements. After the blocks have been put in place and firmly tamped down, the gaps are filled using kiln-dried sand which is brushed into the joints. After 4 or 5 months it might be a good idea to get your block paving driveway sealed with a high quality sealant (like Rycal), this helps to stop weed growth. There are a lot of designs in which block paving is laid, including fan, stretcher bond, herringbone and basket weave.

SuDS Compliant Block Paving Driveways: It is even possible to build a Compliant with SuDS block paved driveway in, if that's what you need. By leaving bigger spaces between the blocks and packing them with fine shingle as opposed to the usual kiln-dried sand, you can accomplish a porous surface that doesn't call for planning permission.

Natural Stone Driveways

The attributes of natural stone means it only improves with age. The choice of natural stone will provide you with a robust, sturdy driveway, for any vehicle, and will look fantastic for a whole lifetime. Owing to the individual colours and depth of tones of the stone, you'll end up with a driveway that is bespoke to your garden. The natural stone gives a soft, warm edge to any driveway, and adds to that much desired curb appeal.

Natural stone driveways don't just look attractive, but they're easy to maintain and less vulnerable to damage than concrete alternatives. The smooth, solid surface of the natural stones means that they're far easier to clean, and unwanted weeds find it harder to take hold in the smaller gaps of a stone driveway. You must class a properly prepared and laid natural stone driveway as an investment on your home's overall value.

Driveway Cleaning

If you are planning to replace an existing driveway because your old one is starting to look shabby, it will be considerably cheaper to clean it, if you think that may help. For a lot of people, keeping their driveway clean is not often considered a priority. Nonetheless, cleaning your driveway is a procedure that ought to be performed on a fairly regular basis, and is important from both an aesthetic and maintenance perspective. Unwanted weeds and other plant growth can damage the structure of your driveway over time. An enlargement of existing driveway cracks or holes could happen, and structural issues may appear if this growth isn't eradicated.

As soon as you notice weeds, dirt or stains on your driveway, it's advisable to remove them ASAP. However, weeds and moss are definitely more noticeable on your driveway during the spring and summer season, you ought not wait until then pressure wash it. The appeal of your driveway can be seriously blighted by diesel, brake fluid and oil spills from your car. To avoid ugly discolouration of the surface, it's therefore crucial to remove them promptly.

To get your driveway thoroughly clean you will need to use a jet washer, and you'll also need some other tools and equipment, such as a bucket, a scraper, a broom, a wire brush and detergent. If you're not clear about doing it yourself, or you don't have the correct equipment, you can ask your driveway installers if they are willing to do it, or bring in a professional driveway cleaning service.

Tarmac Driveways

On account of its strength and durability, tarmac is a perfect choice for driveway surfaces. When it's installed by a professional driveway company, tarmac looks terrific, requires little or no maintenance and offers outstanding weather resistant properties. The durability of a tarmac driveway means it is able to withstand the daily use of heavier and larger vehicles, like vans and motor-homes, with no damage or ridges being inflicted on the surface.

Tarmac is also great value and comes in a variety of colours to fit in with your home and surrounding area. You do not need to have a dull, conventional looking drive; you are able to customise your driveway to the colour of your choosing. It's quite possible for a competent driveway company to install a new tarmac driveway in a single day. Many homeowners opt for tarmac over other materials for their driveway due to its rapid installation, durability, low maintenance demands and surface finish.

Resin-Bound Driveways

There is very little doubt that nowadays resin-bound or resin driveways have become one of the most popular sorts of driveway. The fact that they're also compliant with SuDS of course increases their attraction. Resin-bound driveways can be installed in a host of designs and colours that can be customized to your precise specifications. If you've a pre-existing tarmac or concrete driveway, an attractive new resin surface can be laid over your existing one. Resin driveways are easy to clean, maintenance free, durable, permeable, and an awesome substitute for asphalt, concrete, block paving or gravel. When laid by a reputable installer, a resin-bound driveway should come with an extended guarantee and give years of excellent service.

Concrete Driveways

Well suited for building driveways, and a much favoured material for a long time, concrete has got the advantage of being durable, strong and relatively maintenance-free. Being more pricey that gravel or tarmac, but significantly cheaper than some other options (i.e. block paving or resin), concrete is a straightforward choice for many homeowners. For many people, the negative aspect of concrete is its rather boring and drab visual appearance, but this can be easily remedied by requesting a patterned or imprinted surface finish.

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.

Positive Impacts Utilizing Your Home's Curb Appeal

When a person references the curb appeal of a home, they are talking about the outside of the house and how it looks. You really want to make you outside of your home look better when you're trying to sell it to enhance its overall curb appeal. 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. Painting your deck is also an option, as well as choosing a new color which will stand out much more prominently. Painting your shutters, as well as your window casings, can also add curb appeal almost instantly. You could also just clean your house up, making it look neat and tidy, which always makes people look twice. Moss, mildew, and mold are three things you definitely do not want to have on the outside of your home as it will absolutely detract from your overall curb appeal. 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.

To improve your curb appeal, you might also want to make your home look appealing and inviting. There really is no need to spend a wad of cash on this idea; you simply need to put something up that looks nice and fun. 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. Find a convenient spot that you are okay with to put each of your plants so that everyone can see it and be impressed. Wrought iron or wicker furniture can create a homelike atmosphere in your front yard. People that add lawn decorations typically overdo it, so keep that in mind as you plan your front lawn.

Another thing you can do is to improve the walkway that leads up to your front door from the street. You might change your walkway a little bit by paving it replacing perhaps the cement that was there - it is totally up to you. It is always something to see when you observe a new driveway in front of a home - you might want to do this! The driveway should not only be visually appealing, but give people the feeling that they are safe when they park there. So if your driveway is full of potholes, clutter that belongs in your garage or even things like leaves or branches, do everything you can to clean it up and make it more welcoming. Guests should always feel important. This includes people that drive into your driveway or those that walk to your house for a social visit.

Extreme satisfaction can be had as you exert yourself to enhance your abodes curb appeal. Whether one attempts to produce a more beautiful lot, paint the porch or enhance the carport, every motion you make can enable your abode to have a prettier appearance and make it worth more. 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

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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.

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