Driveways and patios
Driveways and patios built on a proper base
A driveway fails from the bottom up. We excavate to depth, lay and compact a proper sub-base, haunch the edges in concrete and get the falls right, then lay the surface you chose.
Two driveways can look identical on the day they are finished and be completely different jobs. The difference is underneath: how deep it was dug, what went in the bottom, whether it was compacted in layers, and whether the edge courses were haunched properly. That is what decides whether it is still flat and tight in ten years or rutted and spreading in three.
We quote the build-up, not just the blocks. You will see the excavation depth, the sub-base type and thickness, the laying course, the edge detail and how the water gets away, so you can compare our price against another one honestly.
What is included in the price
- Excavation to depth and muck away, with the arisings taken under our waste carrier registration
- Compacted MOT Type 1 or Type 3 sub-base, laid and whacked in layers
- Edge restraints haunched in concrete, not butted against the soil
- Falls set away from the house and drainage designed in
- Block paving, permeable paving, tarmac, resin bound, gravel or concrete
- Channel drainage or a soakaway where the surface needs it
- Kiln dried sand, jointing and a final compaction
- Site left clean and swept
What is not included
Any of these is quoted separately and agreed with you first. Nothing gets added to a bill without a conversation.
- The dropped kerb or vehicle crossing itself, which is a separate council application, see our dropped kerbs page
- Planning applications, though we tell you when one is needed
- Retaining wall design where a structural engineer is required
Get this priced
Four questions and we will come back to you, usually inside the hour.
No call-out fee, at any hour
Coming out to look and giving you a price is free, day or night, weekends and bank holidays included. There is no supplement for out of hours work either.
How it works
Four steps, no surprises
Measure and talk it through
We measure up, look at the levels, the existing surface and where the water currently goes, and talk through surfaces and cost per square metre.
A quote you can compare
Written, itemised, with the excavation depth, sub-base spec, edge detail and drainage set out. Fixed, with no deposit taken.
The build
Excavate, muck away, sub-base in compacted layers, edges haunched, laying course, then the surface. A typical domestic drive is three to five days.
Sign off, then pay
You walk it with us and we put right anything you are not happy with before you pay.
Questions
Driveways and patios: your questions answered
Do I need planning permission for a new driveway?
Not if the surface is permeable, or if the rainwater is directed to a lawn, border or soakaway inside your own boundary, at any size. You do need permission for a traditional impermeable surface over five square metres at the front of the house that drains straight onto the road. Permeable block paving, gravel and porous asphalt all avoid the application, which is one reason we usually recommend them. Our guide sets out the rules.
How deep should a driveway be dug out?
For cars, we normally excavate around 250mm below finished level, giving roughly 150mm of compacted sub-base plus the laying course and the block. Soft ground, a poor sub-grade or vehicles heavier than a car need more, and a geotextile membrane. Anyone quoting to lay blocks on the existing surface is not building a driveway.
Which surface lasts longest?
Well laid block paving on a proper base is the most repairable, because you can lift and relay a section invisibly, and individual blocks can be swapped. Tarmac is the cheapest per square metre and quickest to lay. Resin bound looks the smartest and drains through, but it needs a sound base underneath, usually tarmac or concrete. We will give you honest cost and maintenance figures for each on your job.
Do you take a deposit?
No. You pay nothing up front, and nothing until the work is finished and you have told us you are happy with it.
What happens to the old driveway?
We break it out and take it away under our Environment Agency waste carrier registration, and you get a waste transfer note. It is included in the quoted price, not added afterwards.
Where we do this
Driveways and patios across Hampshire, Surrey and the Berkshire borders
Related
You might also need
Dropped kerbs and vehicle crossings
Vehicle crossings built to the highway authority's specification, with the Section 171 licence and the £10m cover the council insists on.
Licence and insurance heldMore →Groundworks
Footings, concrete bases, retaining walls, site clearance, muck away and drainage for extensions, garages, garden rooms and new builds.
Priced from your drawingsMore →Driveways and planning
Since October 2008 a traditional impermeable front driveway over five square metres needs permission. A permeable one does not, whatever its size. That is worth knowing before you choose a surface.
Read the guide →Blocked drain, or a job you want priced properly?
Ring us and speak to the person who will be doing the work. Twenty four hours a day, no call-out fee, and a fixed price before anything starts.