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Your next step, if you do elect to forge ahead with installing a driveway will be make a choice about what type of driveway is going to be most suitable for your circumstances. There are many different types of driveway available, as I'm sure you will be aware, but these may not all be right for you. If you're on a tight spending budget you could be to some degree limited in your choices. The configuration and dimensions of your property's garden may also affect your final decision.

You might say "a driveway is just a driveway", however that simply isn't true, given that there are many different designs and types of driveway, and if you were to take a walk around your town, you will see what I mean. You should see shingle driveways, grass driveways, block paved driveways, tarmac driveways, resin bound driveways, asphalt driveways, concrete driveways, cobbled driveways, patterned concrete driveways and natural stone driveways, in various forms, however this will give you a perception of all the potential alternatives.

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?

Although you may think that you can just stick a driveway anywhere you like on your land, this is not automatically true. The legislation that pertain to driveways aren't just laid down by the local authority, but are in reality enforced by government law. However, at this moment in time, these laws only affect driveways being laid in front gardens. This legislation, which is known as the Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) has been in force since October 2008, when it was first brought in.

If you are aiming to build a driveway having an area of more than 5m² and it's in your front garden, you are going to be affected by these SuDS legislation. You won't have to stress about this if you build your driveway from a porous (permeable) substance like shingle, permeable concrete block, porous asphalt, monoblock (grass) or resin, which will allow the water to pass through and naturally drain away. If you believe that the SuDS legislation will affect your planned driveway in the UK, you can see detailed information here - Sustainable Drainage Systems

Naturally it is quite feasible for you to build your own driveway in the UK, if you are fairly good at do-it-yourself and are not fazed by a touch of hard work. However no-one should think of this as an easy process, as there is a great deal of preparation work involved apart from actually laying the driveway, including doing waste removal, lugging materials and excavating. If you've got any concerns about whether you would be able to tackle a project such as this, it might be a good idea to hire an experienced driveway specialist.

With this kind of project, you've got to be wary about exactly who you pick, seeing as you clearly need somebody who knows precisely what they are up to. There are plenty of cowboys and rogue traders out there who will soon pocket your cash and do a lousy job. It's worth shelling out a bit more money to get a proper job done, instead of taking a risk with a substandard worker just to save yourself a couple of quid. Driveway and patio contractors who have been offering their services in and around the UK for a number of years would be the smartest choice.

When assessing these paving contractors, you should at the very least ask for some references from satisfied clientele, ask what warranties they offer on their workmanship, ascertain how long they've been in business, check that they have got insurance protection, ask if they are a member of a trade association such as ANTSCA (the surfacing trade association) and ask to look at a portfolio of past projects.

This doesn't have to be an inquisition, but asking these germane questions should give you an inkling of the sort of individual that you are going to be dealing with. If they are relaxed about answering all of these questions, you can assume that they are fairly genuine. You can deem that they're hiding something or being less than honest if they're confrontational or hesitant when asked such questions. If that occurs you would be wise to avoid them like the plague and try another tradesman.

If you are wary and pick a really good driveway paver, they will help you make all the most important decisions with regards to your project, including the recommended driveway technique, the favoured location and the best materials. And that is not the end of it, because they'll also take care of all the design, preparation and planning that's required for your new driveway installation to go like clockwork.

Gravel Driveways

The simplest and most economical of all the types is the gravel driveway. Despite their inherent simplicity gravel driveways can be an extremely eye-catching alternative, particularly in rural locations where they are the most popular. Gravel is available in a wide array of shades and sizes, so you should not have any trouble locating one that looks great in your garden. A successful gravel driveway will require a substantial and well-defined edging, and a good substantial layer of hardcore. If you want to end up with a really high quality gravel driveway, you should make certain that three or four separate layers are applied, with each and every one individually rolled and left to settle for a day or so before the next is laid. Properly laid gravel driveways are obviously SuDS compliant, therefore you won't require planning permission no matter how large your driveway is.

Asphalt Driveways

When you are looking for 'curb appeal' for your property or home in, an asphalt driveway, with its smooth uninterrupted surface, is an ideal choice. A competent driveway company in will provide you with an asphalt drive that will give you many years of pleasure, with very little maintenance involved. If your local council imposes restrictions that stop non-permeable materials being used, so as to stop local flooding, a unique permeable asphalt substrate enables rain to soak into a sub-grade reservoir.

Asphalt driveways are exceptionally smartly designed to hold up against anything that winters can chuck at them, and provide exceptional value for money. Asphalt is cheaply and easily maintained and repaired, and can be removed if circumstances change. In fact, asphalt can be recycled and used elsewhere, making this the most ecological of the solid driveway materials. (Tags: Asphalt Driveway Recycling, Asphalt Driveways, Asphalt Driveway).

Block Paving Driveways

Block-paving driveways are among the most frequently seen styles in right now, and scores of these have emerged in recent years. These are crafted using hundreds of specially designed block-paving bricks which are butted together to form eye-catching and sometimes elaborate patterns. When the blocks have been laid and firmly tamped down, the gaps are filled with kiln-dried sand which is brushed into the exposed joints. After five or six months a good idea is to have your block paving driveway sealed with a suitable sealant (like Everbuild), this should help to stop weed growth. There are a lot of patterns in which block paving is laid, including fan, basket weave, stretcher bond and herringbone.

SuDS Compliant Block Paving Driveways: It's even possible to build a Compliant with SuDS block paving driveway in, if that is what you require. By leaving wider spaces between the blocks and packing them with a very fine shingle as opposed to the standard kiln-dried sand, you are able to accomplish a permeable paved surface that does not need planning permission. (Tags: Block Paving Driveway, Block Paved Driveway, Block Paving).

Natural Stone Driveways

Natural stone, as a driveway material, never loses its beautiful appearance even as it gets older. Looking amazing from the first day until fifty years in the future, a natural stone driveway will provide you with an entire lifetime of serviceable use for any motor vehicle. It can provide your house with a driveway that, due to the unique shades and colours of each individual stone, is entirely bespoke to you. When installed by an expert, a natural stone driveway has that much desired wow factor that will complement any house.

In contrast to paved alternatives, driveways made from natural stone are less prone to damage and are far easier to maintain and look after. The smaller joints between the stones means there's considerably less chance of weed growth, and the smooth surface is far easier to clean. You must consider a professionally laid stone driveway as an investment towards your property's overall value.

Driveway Cleaning

If you're about to replace an existing driveway as your current one is looking shabby, it would be substantially less costly to clean it, if you think that may help. Maintaining the cleanliness of a driveway isn't generally a priority for most TOWN homeowners. Nevertheless, for reasons of both looks and maintenance, cleaning a driveway on a fairly regular basis is very important. As time passes, your driveway's structure can be damaged by weeds, roots and other organic plant growth. A widening of existing fractures and cracks could ensue, and structural problems may appear if such harmful growth isn't eliminated.

If you discover that your drive has stains, dirt or weeds, it is advisable to get rid of them before the situation worsens. Yet, most householders hold out until the spring or summer to pressure wash their drives, simply because weed and moss growth is more visible at this time of year. The attractiveness of your drive can really be spoilt by diesel, brake fluid and oil stains from your vehicle. To avoid a permanent discolouration of the surface, it's therefore essential to clean them off promptly.

As well as a jet washing machine, you'll also need a bucket, a scraper, a broom, a wire brush and detergent, and a few other tools if you want to clean your driveway thoroughly. A professional driveway cleaning service will be required if you haven't got the proper equipment, or are not confident in cleaning it yourself. You may even discover that your local driveway installer will be prepared to provide this sort of service.

Tarmac Driveways

On account of its strength and durability, tarmac is an excellent choice for driveway surfaces. When installed by an experienced driveway company, tarmac does not need a lot of maintenance, looks great and offers superb weatherproof properties. The sturdiness of a tarmac driveway means it is able to withstand the daily use of heavier vehicles, like camper vans, with no ridges or damage being noticeable on the surface.

Tarmac is also excellent value and comes in a whole host of colours to fit in with your property and the surrounding area. You're able to customise a tarmac drive to correspond to house, with countless colours available. A tarmac drive is also one of the most straightforward to install, and a lot of driveway projects are completed in one day. Tarmac really is an ideal material for almost any driveway, because of its strength, straightforward installation and maintenance free properties.

Resin Driveways

There's no doubt that nowadays resin-bound or resin driveways have become one of the most favoured forms of driveway. The fact that they're SuDS compliant of course increases their attraction. Resin-bound driveways can be installed in a whole host of designs and colours that can be tailor-made to your exact specifications. For far less hassle and mess a new resin driveway could be easily laid on top of a current concrete or tarmac surface. Resin-bound driveways are easy to clean, maintenance free, durable, permeable, and a good substitute for gravel, concrete, block paving or tarmac. A resin driveway should give many years of excellent service, and when installed by a reputable professional, come with a long warranty.

Concrete Driveways

Strong, durable and requiring little maintenance, concrete is an ideal material for building driveways. Being more expensive that gravel or tarmac, but significantly cheaper than some other alternatives (i.e. resin or block paving), concrete is an easy choice for many people. Many would acknowledge that concrete driveways in general are rather drab and uninspiring. Yet this doesn't have to be a problem, seeing that it's possible to finish them off with a stamped or imprinted design. (Tags: Patterned Concrete Driveways, Concrete Driveway, Concreted Driveways).

Driveway Tasks

If you pick your driveway company carefully they will have the skills necessary to help with painted driveways, tar driveways, the maintenance of gravel driveways, coloured tarmac driveways, monoblock driveway installations in the UK, the design of asphalt driveways, permeable driveway installations, the repair of aggregate driveways, bonded gravel driveways, resin driveway installations, driveways with pavers, paving a driveway, cheap driveway ideas, commercial driveway installation, driveway resurfacing, asphalt driveway recycling, driveway cleaning, driveway installation estimates, driveway drainage, driveway replacement, grass driveway installation, driveway culverts, the construction of flagstone driveways, the repair of concrete driveways, driveway markers, gated driveways, granite block driveways, pebble driveways, domestic driveway installations, stone resin driveways and any one of innumerable additional driveway related services in the UK. Listed are just a handful of the duties that are conducted by people specialising in driveways. Driveway providers will be happy to inform you of their whole range of services

More Advice and Guidance

By taking a look at YouTube videos you are able to discover how to put in a resin bound driveway. Social media is clearly the place where the majority of homeowners in the UK head these days when they are searching for ideas and images for products and services. If that is what you love to do and you're presently searching for information on driveway installation check this out. You should pay a visit to Rated People or the government backed Trustmark website, if you want to conduct a search for licensed local driveway contractors in the UK. The dedicated Wikipedia "driveways" page is the place to head over to for details of the purposes of driveways, the different sorts of driveways, the local legislation regarding driveways and the materials used for driveways. To read a useful article about how to choose a driveway check this out.

Driveway Questions

Over the last few weeks I have been looking through the questions homeowners in the UK ask regarding driveways. A number of our visitors have submitted justifiable questions that are relevant to this article. The ones I picked out were, "Where can I buy driveway gravel?" "When should you seal your driveway?" "Should a concrete driveway have rebar?" "How do driveway drains work?" "What happens if driveway sealer freezes?" "How much does the average driveway cost?" I hope nearly all of those questions have been dealt with on this page, and if some remain unanswered a driveway "Q&A" feature will be introduced in the near future. My gratitude goes out to the following homeowners in the UK for making the effort to pose their excellent questions; Kaiden Clarkson, Sarah Crawford, Tony Mcdonald and Jane Mcgrady. It was also fantastic to get offerings from Noah Weston in Newlands, Aaliyah Cowell in Hadleigh and Isaac Friend in Fobbing.

Skip Hire for Driveways

When you're carrying out a driveway installation project in the UK, or any other kind of home or garden revamp, it's likely that a certain volume of rubbish and waste will be generated that can't be disposed of in your regular household wheelie bins. Actually, in most regions, construction or garden materials must be disposed of in a controlled and eco-friendly way, in accordance with local authority legislation. Consequently if you are to stay safely within the law, you'll have to transport your waste materials to a recognised disposal and recycling site, generally a council tip. If you do not want to be carting waste materials back and forth to your nearby Domestic Recycling Centre, it may be better to look for skip hire in your area.

By using an established skip hire contractor, you'll be given assurances that all of your waste will be driven to an authorised site, and will be disposed of correctly and safely. Even so, it's crucial to establish the form of waste materials that will be generated by the driveway project, and you can go through this with your chosen contractor and the skip hire provider concerned. If there's a chance that asbestos containing materials might be involved, the skip hire company will need to divide the dangerous waste into a totally separate disposal system for health and safety reasons. Hazardous waste is best left to the professionals, and strict regulations cover it's safe disposal. To make sure all guidelines and regulations are addressed appropriately, both your driveway installer and the skip hire firm will work together.

The perfect solution is if you happen to have a space when a skip can be sited on your garden or drive. On the reverse side of the coin, if you do not have a suitable area, and you park your vehicle on the main road, you might need to seek the help of your neighbours, and see whether they can leave a space for your skip someplace close to the work area. A skip which is placed on a driveway or private land doesn't need a permit, but if it has to go on a public highway in the UK it will definitely need a temporary local authority skip permit, get hold of them to see whether you need one. This will guarantee there are no problems with regards to siting your skip.

Skip hire providers offer skips of all shapes and sizes, and you can rent anything from skip bags and mini-skips right up to builders skips and gigantic roll-on roll-off monstrosities. To hire a skip for your project in the UK, CLICK HERE for a quote.

Straightforward Tips That Can Give Your Residence Added Beauty

The curb appeal of your home is very important, especially when you're trying to increase its overall market value. Curb appeal is nothing more than how your house impacts somebody walking by. You can improve the overall appearance of your home without spending too much money; the reason you want to do this is to improve its outward appearance dramatically for others.

Even if you're not planning to paint your entire house, it can make a big difference to apply paint in a few highly visible areas. Painting your deck is also an option, as well as choosing a new color which will stand out much more prominently. Other items that you can paint include window casings and the shutters on your home. 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. You really need to take this seriously, and if you have quite a bit of mold on your home, professional removal services are always recommended.

Take a good look at your front and back yards. Are the yards attractive and uncluttered, or are they strewn with all sorts of things, toy or tools? A considerable influence to curb appeal is the look of your yards. Cleaning up your yards is worth the effort, assuming they are untidy. Move any objects that hinder your ability to go through your yard with ease. Provided you need to weed or have bushes that need to be cared for, these issues need to be taken care of. When your kids play with their toys in the yard and then depart, advise them to place them in their proper places when they have completed their play time.

Anyone that has had to take care of a lawn has most definitely contemplated alternative ways to beautify their property without the greenery. Many homeowners are turning to landscaping that requires less water and maintenance than a traditional lawn. 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. If you are looking for something low maintenance, with exceptional landscaping design, xeriscaping may be for you. The principles of xeriscaping were developed to be used in drought prone areas, however, it can be utilized anywhere that you live.

An appealing curb could be affected by numerous aspects, hence there is wisdom in examining your home from all areas. Construct a list of all things that need your attention, provided there are many, and then put them in order of greatest importance. Regardless if you decide to employ a person to do the labor or you are going to do it on your own, create a schedule for tackling these issues. 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.

Doing a Search Online

It is considerably simpler to look for a tradesman or service right now than it was in the past, given that we've got the advantage of technology and can just do a search on the web. Immediate and pertinent results are the reward of searching with Bing, Google or Yahoo, which were created for this exact role. One drawback can be that the first page results displayed by the major search engines might not be exactly the ones you were after. Typing in "UK driveways", "driveways in the UK", "driveway installers near me" or "driveways" will normally be the process to use when looking for a driveway specialist in the UK. You need to know that the 4 top results are often PPC advertisements (which may or may not be on-topic), and lots of the remaining page one listings will likely be from large trade portals like Checkatrade, My Hammer, Rated People, My Builder, TrustaTrader or Bark or web directories such as Gumtree, Yelp, Scoot or Yell. Odd job men usually don't have substantial budgets to push their websites to the uppermost rankings, so you're liable to find these out-of-the-way lower down the listings perhaps on the second or third pages. Approved tradesmen websites like Rated People or Checkatrade are still handy though, and you will be able to make full use of their informative services to examine customers appraisals, obtain free quotes and read through reviews, since there are local driveway pavers on there who do not even have a website.

Driveway Installer Services

Find Driveway Pavers in the UK Here

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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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