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If you do choose to proceed with a driveway installation the next step will be to figure out what type of driveway you want. For a number of reasons, not every kind of driveway will be of interest to you, and there are naturally lots to pick from. Your choices may be to some extent limited if you are sticking to a tight spending budget. Your final decision could also be affected by the configuration and size of your garden.

You might say "a driveway is just a driveway", but that's simply not the case, seeing as there are lots of different designs and styles of driveway, and if you take a trip around, you will see what I'm saying. You will be able to pick 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 all of these will actually 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 think that council planning permission is only needed for significant projects like extensions and loft conversions, but that is not necessarily the case. There are nationally binding regulations covering the installation of driveways, not merely local ones. However, at this moment in time, this legislation only affects driveways that are being laid in front gardens. Ever since 2008 driveway installations in front gardens in the British Isles have come under the SuDS (Sustainable Drainage System), which was brought in by the government at the time.

A driveway in excess of 5 square metres, which is being laid in a front garden is going to be subject to the SuDS regulations. In order for a driveway to be compliant with SuDS it must be made out of a porous (permeable) material which permits the water to drain through it. SuDS compliant materials would include: gravel, permeable concrete, porous tarmac, resin, or grass monoblock. Check here - SuDS - if you think that the Sustainable Drainage Systems regulations will affect your new driveway in TOWN.

People who relish a bit of hard graft and are fairly adept at DIY, may be tempted to have a crack at building a driveway on their own. But no-one should consider this as a simple process, seeing as there's a lot of preparation work involved in addition to the actual laying of the driveway, including digging out, doing waste removal and manhandling materials. At the end of the day, it may be better to contact an experienced driveway contractor, if you have any concerns doing it yourself.

With driveway installers, just as with a number of other building related occupations, you have to be wary of who you choose to let loose on your property. Rogue traders and cowboys are regularly lurking around in the area, their standard of workmanship will be poor and some of them may even take your money and disappear into the ether without accomplishing anything at all. Even if that means shelling out a bit more on the enterprise, you might as well get it done properly by a professional. The best option will normally be a driveway and patio company who's been been offering their services in and around your area for a number of years, and who has a strong track record locally.

When looking for suitable tradespeople, it is best 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).

Don't go over the top with this questioning, but just ask enough to get a good sense of the type of person you are considering, so that you're able to make an informed choice before hiring someone. If they are glad to answer all your questions, you can assume that they are for the most part genuine. You can conclude that they are less than honest or hiding something if they seem confrontational or uncertain when asked these questions. If that is to happen you'd be wise to give them a miss and try another company.

If you choose your driveway specialist sensibly you'll realise that they can give you a lot of practical guidance and advice regarding the ideal materials to employ and the recommended sort of driveway for your property. Having a professional on hand will mean that all the preparation, planning and design is in hand before any actual physical work commences.

Gravel Driveways

The simplest and least expensive of all the available types is the ubiquitous gravel driveway. Gravel driveways are especially effective in a rural location, and in spite of their inherent simplicity they can be particularly attractive. Gravel can be acquired in a whole host of shades and sizes, so you should not have any trouble locating one that looks good in your garden. A efficient gravel driveway will need a substantial and well-defined edging, and a good substantial base layer of hardcore. If you want to wind up with a really high quality gravel driveway, you should make sure that three or four separate layers are put down, with each and every one individually rolled and left to settle for a day or two before the next is laid. Regardless of what size your driveway is, or if it is in your back or front garden, if it's constructed from gravel it will not require planning permission, as it will be SuDS compliant.

Asphalt Driveways

When you're looking for that extra touch of 'curb appeal' for your house in, an asphalt driveway, with its smooth consistent surface, is the perfect choice. For best outcome make certain you employ a professional asphalt company who'll install a driveway that lasts for many years and requires very little maintenance. In flood risk areas it may be required to have a porous drive, and there is an asphalt type, with sub-layer for rainwater drainage, which stops surplus water from over-filling road drains.

Asphalt driveways offer outstanding value for money and asphalt is a strong, durable material that is perfect for tolerating freezing and thawing effects of a British winter. It is also the easiest driveway substance to repair or remove because of the process by which it is manufactured. The fact is, asphalt can be recycled for use elsewhere, making this the most ecological of the solid driveway materials. (Tags: Asphalt Driveways, Asphalt Driveway Recycling, Asphalt Driveway).

Block Paving Driveways

Over the past few years scores of driveways in have sprung up using the block-paved method. Forming a robust, hard-wearing driveway, many hundreds of purpose-made block paving bricks are butted together in eye-catching and elaborate designs that can be personalized to your requirements. Once the blocks have been put down, they are firmly tamped down, and kiln-dried sand is brushed into the exposed joints. To get the best performance and longest life out of your block paving driveway, it is best to get it properly sealed after 4 or 5 months to stop weed growth. Block paving can be made very attractive and can be laid lots of different designs, including basket weave, fan, herringbone and stretcher bond.

SuDS Compliant Block Paving Driveways: It is even possible to install a Compliant with SuDS block paved driveway in, if that's what you need. By simply leaving bigger gaps between the blocks and filling them with a fine shingle rather than the usual kiln-dried sand, you can accomplish a permeable surface that doesn't need planning permission.

Natural Stone Driveways

Natural stone is great as a driveway material as it improves with age. This compact, dense material looks magnificent on any driveway and will provide an entire lifetime of serviceable use for any cars or vehicles you might own. It can provide your garden with a driveway that, thanks to the different colours and hues of the individual stones, is wholly bespoke to you. When expertly installed, a natural stone driveway has that much desired WOW factor that complements any house.

A driveway made from natural stone is also a lot easier to maintain, and is less susceptible to damage and cracking from weather than concrete materials. The smooth surface of the natural stones means that they are far easier to clean, and weeds find it harder to take root in the narrower gaps of a stone driveway. A stone driveway properly installed by an experienced contractor should be seen as an investment that will increase the value of your home.

Driveway Cleaning

If you are planning to upgrade an existing driveway because your old one is starting to look scruffy, it is going to be substantially less costly to clean it, if you think that will help. The process of keeping a driveway clean, is something that the majority of homeowners postpone, or forget about entirely. Yet, cleaning a driveway is vital from both a maintenance and cosmetic viewpoint, and this procedure should really be carried out fairly regularly. Weeds and unwanted plant growth can weaken the structure of your driveway as time passes. If your driveway suffers from existing cracks or fractures, these can quickly be enlarged, and structural complications can occur as a consequence.

It is preferable to remove weed growth, dirt or stains from your driveway the instant you discover them. Although, weed and moss growth is more noticeable on your drive during the spring and summer, you should not wait till then to give it a good clean. The appeal of your drive can be really compromised by petrol, brake fluid and oil spills from your vehicle. To prevent unattractive staining of your driveway's surface, it is therefore crucial to get them cleaned promptly.

If you are cleaning your own driveway, you will need the use of a jet washing machine, and to do it thoroughly you'll also need some additional equipment and tools, including a bucket, a scraper, a broom, a wire brush and detergent. If you aren't clear about doing it yourself, or you don't have the correct equipment, you should ask your driveway installers if they're able to do it, or call on a specialist driveway cleaning service.

Tarmac Driveways

Because of its durability and strength, tarmac is a really good choice for surfacing driveways. It is weather resistant, needs very little maintenance and looks great, when laid by a professional driveway company. Tarmac's strength and durability means that it can contend with larger and heavier vehicles, like camper vans, without causing any significant damage to the surface.

If you wish to colour tarmac, it is incredibly easy to do so, and it offers great value for money in comparison to other driveway options. Tarmac allows you to get away from a dreary black coloured surface and colour it to complement your property. The installation of tarmac driveways is fairly straightforward and can frequently be achieved by a skilled contractor in one day. Tarmac really is a great material for any driveway, due to its straightforward installation, low maintenance properties and resilience.

Resin-Bound Driveways

One of the most frequently seen kinds of driveway recently, resin-bound driveways (or resin driveways) are porous (permeable) and SuDS compliant. Resin driveways can be installed in a wide variety of patterns and designs that can be customized to your requirements. If you've a current tarmac or concrete driveway, a new resin-bound surface can be laid on top of your existing one. Resin driveways are easy to clean, maintenance free, durable, permeable, and a brilliant alternative to asphalt, gravel, block paving or concrete. When laid by a trusted installer, a resin-bound driveway will come with a long guarantee and give you years of reliable service. (Tags: Resin-Bonded Driveways, Resin-Bound Driveways, Resin Driveways).

Concrete Driveways

Strong, durable and requiring hardly any maintenance, concrete is an excellent material for driveways. Being more expensive that asphalt or gravel, but considerably cheaper than some other options (i.e. block paving or resin), concrete is a straightforward choice for many property owners. Nearly everyone would acknowledge that concrete driveways, generally speaking, are rather drab and boring. However this does not have to be the case, seeing that it's quite possible to finish the surface off with a stamped or imprinted design which can be fairly 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.

Enhancing the Outside Scenery of Your Residence

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. It is important that you appreciate the way that your home looks, which is why improving the curb appeal is something you ought to do anyway. So let's look at some easy ways to upgrade your home's curb appeal.

A simple way to add curb appeal to your house is to focus on your front lawn for starters. Depending on the size of your lawn, keeping it looking as good as possible may take quite a bit of effort. Consistency is the key in regard to curb appeal with a lawn - people need to see it taken care of each and every week. It's essential to keep it well trimmed, weeded and frequently watered. Your lawn needs to look uniform all the way across without barren spots (if there are any, add sod quickly so it can grow!). You may want to find a landscaper or lawn maintenance company to at least fix any problem areas so your lawn can get a fresh start if it needs one. You might have additional things to tend to including shrubbery and trees on the property.

The exterior of your home should be colorful, but you need to choose wisely. A simple exercise would be to imagine your home a completely different color and then compare it against the color that it is now. 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 can also make use of color when it comes to any plants or flowers in your front or back yard, along with any decorations you may have. Once you have decided on what color changes to make, you should consider how this will make you feel as well as how it will be perceived by those that come over to visit.

Oftentimes, the consideration of replacing an existing green lawn with something that is much easier to care for will cross the minds of homeowners. Traditional lawns are becoming less popular due to the amount of water that must be used and the amount of time that must be spent taking care of them. These can also give your home a more interesting look, and you won't have to always be thinking about mowing or watering your lawn. Xeriscaping is a new type of landscaping that is very trendy which requires little work and is very environmentally sustainable. Even if you do not live in an area or region that is prone to droughts, you will definitely be impressed with xeriscaping on your property.

Peering at your home from every possible angle is a good idea because curb appeal can be connected with many determinants. If there are many things that need attention, make a list and then set priorities. Afterward, make a time frame of working on these problems, regardless of whether you hire someone or do the work yourself. The above-mentioned tips for creating an enhanced curb could point you in the correct way, and maybe aid you in coming up with your own plans.

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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