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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

When considering the various types of driveway you might choose to favour the standard least expensive and easiest, which is gravel. In spite of their inherent simplicity gravel driveways can be an exceptionally attractive solution, especially in a rural setting. Since there's such a wide array of gravel sizes and shades, you should have no difficulty finding one that you are happy with. A substantial base of hardcore is essential for a gravel drive to be successful, combined with a well-bedded edging. If you apply 3 or 4 separate layers of shingle, each and every one tamped and left to settle down, you will get the best quality gravel driveway. No matter what size your driveway is, or whether it is in your back or front garden, if it's constructed from gravel it will not need planning permission, because it will automatically be SuDS compliant.

Asphalt Driveways

An asphalt driveway, with its smooth, consistent appearance gives instantaneous curb appeal to any property or home in. For the best outcome ensure that you employ a competent asphalt company who will provide a driveway that lasts for many years and requires virtually no maintenance and after care. If the local authority imposes restrictions that bar non-permeable materials being used on driveways, so as to stop local flooding, a unique permeable asphalt substrate enables rainwater to soak into a sub-grade reservoir.

Asphalt driveways offer extremely good value for money and asphalt is a durable, strong material that is perfect for tolerating freezing and thawing effects of a British winter. Because of how asphalt is produced, it's also easy and cheap to repair, maintain and if required, remove. It can be seen to be the most environmentally friendly of solid driveway materials as it's even possible for an asphalt drive to be recycled and used in a different project. (Tags: Asphalt Driveways, Asphalt Driveway Recycling, Asphalt Driveway).

Block Paving Driveways

Dozens of driveways have sprung up in in recent years, constructed using the block-paved technique, which can be very effective when carried out correctly. These are built using hundreds of specially designed block-paving bricks which butt together forming attractive and elaborate patterns. The gaps that are left between these blocks are filled up using kiln-dried sand which is brushed into the exposed joints, producing a tidy finish. It is recommended to have your block paving driveway sealed after several months with Everbuild sealant or something like that. This is important to stop weed growth. Block paving can be made very attractive and can be laid several different patterns, including basketweave, herringbone, stretcher bond and fan.

SuDS Compliant Block Paving Driveways: It is also possible to install a Compliant with SuDS block paved driveway in, if that's what you need. By simply leaving wider spaces between the blocks and packing them with a very fine aggregate instead of the usual kiln-dried sand, you can accomplish a porous surface that does not need planning permission. (Tags: Block Paving Driveway, Block Paved Driveways, Block Paving).

Natural Stone Driveways

Natural stone, as a driveway surface, never loses its outstanding appearance even as it gets older. Selecting a natural stone finish on your driveway will give you a lifetime of serviceable use for any car or vehicle and will stay looking great from the first day until fifty years down the line. The depth of tone and natural colouring gives a unique appearance to every stone driveway, and delivers a bespoke look to any home. When properly installed, a natural stone driveway has that desirable WOW factor that will complement any property.

A natural stone driveway is also much easier to maintain, and is less vulnerable to weather damage than concrete based materials. They're also a lot easier to clean, and with smaller joints between the stones there's significantly less potential for weeds and seeds sprouting up on your drive. An expertly prepared and installed stone driveway is an investment which will add to the value and appeal of your home.

Driveway Cleaning

If your property has already got a drive, and you're thinking of replacing it because it is starting to look shabby - why not give it a thorough clean instead? For the majority of householders, maintaining the cleanliness of their driveway isn't necessarily regarded as a priority. Yet, cleaning a driveway is something that should be carried out with a fair degree of regularity, and is important from both an aesthetic and maintenance viewpoint. Your driveway's structure can be weakened over the years, by unwanted weeds and plant growth. A widening of existing driveway crevices or cracks could happen, and structural complications can occur if this growth isn't eliminated.

When you notice that your drive has stains, dirt or weeds, it is better to get rid of them before things get worse. It isn't a good idea to wait around for the spring or summer to arrive to pressure wash your drive, despite the fact that these are the periods when you are most likely to notice moss and weed growth. If petrol, oil and brake fluid is spilled from your vehicle, the appeal of your drive can really be blighted. It is therefore important to eliminate them quickly to prevent ugly stains on your driveway's surface.

Along with a jet washing device, you will also need a bucket, a scraper, a broom, a wire brush and detergent, and some other tools if you wish to clean your driveway effectively. If you're not certain about cleaning it yourself, or you don't have the proper gear, you can ask your driveway company if they're willing to do it, or call on a professional driveway cleaning service.

Tarmac Driveways

Tarmac offers a strong and durable surface which makes it an ideal choice for a driveway. When installed by a reputable driveway company, tarmac looks good, offers exceptional weatherproof properties and doesn't need a lot maintenance. The resilience of a tarmac driveway means it is able to withstand daily wear and tear from heavier vehicles, such as camper vans, with no ridges or damage being caused to the surface.

It offers excellent value, and tarmac can be coloured to fit in with the surroundings or your home. Tarmac allows you to get away from a traditional black coloured surface and have it coloured to blend in with your house. The installation of tarmac driveways is relatively straightforward and can often be achieved by an experienced contractor in a single day. Lots of folks choose tarmac over other materials for their driveway because of its finish, fast installation, low maintenance qualities and robustness.

Resin Driveways

Among the most attractive and flexible sorts of driveway that are available right now, resin-bound driveways are becoming increasingly more popular and also comply with SuDS, if that's what you're in need of. Resin-bound driveways can be customized to your specifications and can be installed in a wide variety of different designs and colours. For faster, and easier installation resin-bound driveways can be laid on top of a current asphalt or concrete base with a lot less mess and hassle. Resin driveways are easy to clean, maintenance free, durable, permeable, and a terrific substitute for gravel, concrete, block paving or asphalt. When installed by an authorised specialist, a resin-bound driveway will come with an extended guarantee and give you many years of good service. (Tags: Resin Driveways, Resin-Bound Driveways, Resin-Bonded Driveways).

Concrete Driveways

A much favoured material for driveways, concrete is strong, durable and needs very little maintenance. Being more expensive that gravel or tarmac, but considerably cheaper than some of the other options (i.e. block paving or resin), concrete is an automatic choice for many folks. Many would agree that concrete driveways in general are somewhat drab and boring. However this does not have to be the case, seeing as it's possible to finish off the surface with a patterned or imprinted design. (Tags: Concrete Driveway, Concreted Driveways, Imprinted Concrete Driveway).

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.

Home Improvement Tips to Create More 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. When considering home improvement projects, this is always something to think about, especially if you're trying to sell your home. Even if you are not going to move, by improving the curb appeal of your home, you will be more proud of where you live and visitors will appreciate it too. So let's look at some easy ways to upgrade your home's curb appeal.

As it pertains to curb appeal, the doorway to your home is vitally important. This includes your front door, front porch and the pathway leading up to your door. Changing your front door is one of the most effortless ways to improve the anterior of your house. Depending on the style of your home, you have many choices, including modern and antique doors. Immediately this is often what your guests or promising purchasers view which means you want the first impression to be the best. Additionally, a fascinating and pretty door knocker or chime could be a pleasant adornment. Aside from your door, consider elements such as the address or name if it's attached to the front of your home. These appear in bad condition on a regular basis and putting in new ones isn't a budget breaker but could create a large change.

One fundamental section of your house that needs specific attention is the roof; if not just for the shelter it provides your family, it is also a key to good curb appeal. Your roof should take priority over any other home enhancing schemes; so if it needs attention, start there. One product you may consider to spruce up your roof would be architectural roofing shingles. This roofing product will enhance the look of your roof and is quite strong and eye catching; the latest type is made from synthetic slate. Whether your roof needs fixing or not; these shingles can imitate most standard types of architecture and will add another dimension to your home.

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. Another possibility is to put plants on the walkway which is very appealing to those that appreciate nature. If you have the money, you might want to pave your driveway giving it that brand-new appearance. A sense of security is something that you should impart upon your driveway. You should also make it visually appealing. 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. Whether people walk or drive to your home, make it a positive experience for them.

Curb appeal can involve many factors, so it's a good idea to consider your home from every angle. Assuming there are a ton of issues that require you to take care of them, produce a checklist followed by a prioritization of them. Then create a schedule for taking care of these issues, whether you're going to do the work yourself or hire someone. Proposals above can give you a starting point to a more captivating curb appeal, or possibly support you in gaining your own ideas.

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

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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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