Driveway Installers

If you think that a driveway is just the ticket for you, and you've got sufficient space to install one, you'll now have to establish what type of driveway you're going to choose. There are of course numerous different kinds of driveway available, as I'm certain you will be aware, but these may not all appeal to you. If you're on a strict budget your options might be somewhat limited. The size and configuration of your available space could also affect your decision.

There are many different styles and designs of driveway, as you will probably have noticed when strolling around. According to the landscape and layout of your garden you can 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.

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 may suppose that planning permission wouldn't be required for putting a driveway on your own land, this is not always the case. Driveways are in fact governed by a raft of rules and regulations, and these are applicable on a national basis rather than just being locally binding. These regulations only affect FRONT gardens at this moment. This driveway legislation, which is known as the SuDS (Sustainable Drainage System) has been in force since October 2008, when it was first introduced as part of the Permitted Development Rights.

A driveway of more than five square metres, that is being installed in a front garden is going to be impacted by the SuDS regulations. In order for a driveway to be in compliance with it has to be made out of a permeable (porous) material which allows excess water to drain through it. SuDS compliant materials would include: gravel, permeable concrete, porous tarmac, resin, or grass monoblock. You'll be able to find out more information on the SuDS legislation here - Sustainable Drainage Systems

Naturally it is perfectly possible for you to lay your own driveway, if you're reasonably good at DIY and don't mind a touch of hard graft. But nobody should consider this as a simple task, because there's a lot of groundwork involved aside from the actual laying of the driveway, including lugging materials, heavy digging and doing waste removal. If you are in any doubt about doing this, it may be advisable to call in a professional driveway specialist to handle the work on your behalf.

With driveway contractors, as with some other building related trades, you've got to be wary of who you employ to do the work. You should watch out for cowboys and rogue trader types who are well known for targeting this kind of project, and can soon catch you with your guard down. If you are going to commit to a driveway you might as well do it to a decent standard, even if this means shelling out a bit more on the project. If a locally based driveway company has been running a business in the area for a good few years, it's plausible to believe that they will be reliable, and a decent choice for your project.

When vetting tradespeople for your driveway project, you need 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 overboard with this questioning, but just ask enough to get a good sense of the type of person you are dealing with, so you're able to make a well informed choice before hiring someone. If they're willing to answer all these questions, you can safely assume that they are fairly genuine. You can deduce that they are hiding something or being less than truthful if they act in a confrontational or uncertain way when asked these sorts of questions. If that happens you'd be wise to steer well clear of them and try somebody else.

If you are wary and pick an excellent driveway specialist, they'll help you to make all the important judgements regarding your forthcoming project, including the perfect driveway technique, the favoured location and the most suitable materials. And that is not all, because they'll also be on top of all the planning, design and preparation that's needed for your new driveway installation to go swimmingly.

Gravel Driveways

The least expensive and easiest of all the driveway methods is the ubiquitous gravel driveway. In spite of their inherent simplicity gravel driveways can be quite an eye-catching solution, especially in rural settings. Gravel is available in a wide range of colours and sizes, so you should not have any problem finding one that looks amazing in your garden. A substantial base layer of hardcore is required for a gravel drive to be effective, along with a well-bedded edging. If you apply 3 or 4 separate layers of aggregate, each and every one rolled and left to settle, you'll get the best quality gravel driveway. Gravel driveways are naturally SuDS compliant, therefore you will not need planning permission regardless of how large your driveway is. (Tags: Aggregate Driveways, Shingle Driveways, Gravel Driveways).

Asphalt Driveways

Any property in will gain benefits from the curb appeal of the smooth, continuous appearance of a newly installed asphalt driveway. For the optimal outcome make sure you employ a proficient asphalt company who will provide a driveway that lasts for many years and requires very little maintenance and after care. It is even possible to get permeable asphalt driveways whereby rain can soak away into a sub-layer, instead of running off into road drains, which are known to trigger localised flood risks.

Asphalt driveways offer excellent value for money and asphalt is a durable, strong material which is designed to withstand the freezing and thawing effects of a British winter. Asphalt is cheap and simple to maintain and repair, and isn't too difficult to remove if circumstances change in the future. If you are concerned about the environmental impact of your driveway installation, you might be interested to know that asphalt can be lifted and recycled for other uses.

Block Paving Driveways

Block-paved driveways are among the most frequently seen styles in right now, and scores of these have emerged over the last few years. Forming a robust, hard-wearing driveway, hundreds of purpose-made block paving bricks are butted together in eye-catching and sometimes elaborate patterns which can be customized to your own requirements. As soon as the blocks have been put down, they're tamped down firmly, and kiln-dried sand is brushed into the joints. After 5 or 6 months it might be a good idea to have your block paving driveway sealed with a high quality sealant (like Thompson's), this helps to stop weed growth. Block paving can be made very attractive and can be laid numerous patterns, including fan, basket weave, stretcher bond and herringbone.

SuDS Compliant Block Paving Driveways: It's also possible to build a To comply with SuDS block paving driveway in, if that's what you need. By leaving bigger gaps between the blockwork and filling them with a fine shingle rather than the usual kiln-dried sand, you can create a porous paved surface that doesn't call for planning permission.

Natural Stone Driveways

Natural stone, as a driveway surface, never loses its outstanding appearance even as it grows older. Looking great from day one to year fifty, a natural stone driveway will give you a lifetime of serviceable use for any vehicle. Due to the unique depth of tone and colours in the stone, you will wind up with a driveway which is bespoke to your property. The natural stone gives a warm, soft edge to any driveway, and provides that all important WOW factor.

Natural stone driveways not only look attractive, but they're virtually maintenance-free and less at risk of being damaged than concrete alternatives. The narrower gaps in between the stones means there's less potential for weed growth, and the smooth surface is a lot easier to clean. A professionally prepared and installed natural stone driveway is a sound investment which will add value and appeal to your home.

Driveway Cleaning

If you've already got a driveway, but it's beginning to look a bit shabby, you may be able to make it look better by cleaning it. For the majority of home owners, keeping their driveway clean isn't usually deemed a priority. However, from both a maintenance and visual perspective, cleaning a driveway is crucial, and this process should be performed on a fairly regular basis, not just every now and then. As time passes, the structure of your driveway can be damaged by roots, weeds and other unwanted plant growth. If your driveway has existing holes and cracks, these can be widened which may eventually trigger structural problems.

As soon as you notice dirt, stains or weed growth on your driveway, it's preferable to get rid of them as quickly as possible. It is not a good idea to wait around for the spring or summertime to arrive to jet wash your driveway, despite the fact that that is the time when you are most likely to notice the appearance of moss and weeds. The attractiveness of your driveway can be seriously compromised by oil, brake fluid and diesel spots from your vehicle. To prevent a permanent discolouration of the surface, it is therefore essential to get them cleaned promptly.

In addition to a power washing machine, you'll also need a bucket, a scraper, a broom, a wire brush and detergent, and some other tools if you want to clean your driveway thoroughly. If you don't have the proper equipment, or are not confident in cleaning it yourself, you could call in a professional driveway cleaning service, or ask your driveway installers if they're willing to do it.

Tarmac Driveways

Tarmac provides a durable and strong surface making it an ideal option for a driveway. It needs little maintenance, looks terrific and is weather resistant, when laid by a proficient driveway company. Tarmac driveways are able to contend with heavier vehicles, such as carvans and camper vans, without dimpling or damage to the surface, and should look pristine for many years.

Tarmac is also excellent value and comes in a whole host of colours to fit in with your property and surrounding areas. Tarmac permits you to upstage a dull black surface and have it coloured to complement your property. The installation of tarmac driveways is comparatively easy and can often be achieved by an experienced contractor in one day. This straightforward installation, coupled with its high durability and simple maintenance makes a tarmac driveway a good choice for virtually any property or home.

Resin-Bound Driveways

Among the most flexible and attractive sorts of driveway that are available today, resin driveways are becoming more and more favoured and also comply with SuDS, if that is what you are in need of. Resin-bound driveways can be installed in a wide range of designs and colours that can be tailor-made to your exact specifications. For less mess and hassle a new resin driveway can quickly be laid on top of a pre-existing tarmac or concrete surface. Resin-bound driveways are easy to clean, maintenance free, durable, permeable, and an effective substitute for gravel, concrete, asphalt or block paving. Generally coming with an extended guarantee when installed by a trustworthy company, a resin driveway should give excellent service for years to come.

Concrete Driveways

Strong, hard wearing and requiring hardly any maintenance, concrete is an ideal material for building driveways. A straightforward choice for many home and business owners, concrete is cheaper than resin or block paving, but if laid properly is stronger. For many homeowners, the downside of concrete is its rather boring and dreary visual appearance, but this can be easily remedied by asking for a stamped or imprinted surface finish. (Tags: Imprinted Concrete Driveway, Concrete Driveway, Concreted Driveways).

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.

Boosting the Appeal of Your Curb

Making your abodes curb appeal the limelight is what you have to do assuming you want your home to look its best. You should concentrate on this whether you are displaying your home to potential buyers or not, yet it is especially vital when you are. When you look at your home with curb appeal in mind, you're seeing it through fresh eyes and you can often spot flaws and areas that need improving that you didn't notice before.

The first thing that you should do to improve the way at your house looks is to paint it a different color or touch it up to make it look great. Painting your deck is also an option, as well as choosing a new color which will stand out much more prominently. When you paint your shutters and window casings, people will definitely notice your house more from the street. In some cases, a cleaning will be sufficient, but making such areas look their best will greatly improve the curb appeal of your home. Finally, if there's any mildew, moss or mold around the outside of your house, make sure you remove it, as this definitely gives off the wrong impression. It is imperative that you clean up these outside issues and don't think twice about hiring a professional, especially if it is mold that must be removed in a special way.

Your yards need to be looked at carefully. Do your yards look inviting and immaculate, in turn are they a mess with different toys, tools and things? As it pertains to curb appeal, your yards appearance is an enormous component. If there is a lot of clutter in your yard, it's worth the effort to clean it up. Take away everything that is in your way as you meander through the yards. Provided you need to weed or have bushes that need to be cared for, these issues need to be taken care of. If you have kids who leave toys around the yard, teach them to put them away when they're finished playing with them.

If you want to give your home an appealing feature, consider adding a more attractive path or walkway from the street to your front door. You might change your walkway a little bit by paving it replacing perhaps the cement that was there - it is totally up to you. Similarly, a new driveway will impress everyone who drive up to your home. 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. Anyone that enters your driveway should be made to feel as if they are special so that they always remember visiting.

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. 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

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