Driveways & Block Paving

A driveway is 80% the bit you cannot see. Anyone can lay blocks; the reason some drives are still flat after fifteen winters and others are rutted and puddled after three is entirely down to what went underneath.

PHOTO TO ADD: Split image or sequence: excavated drive showing depth of Type 1 sub-base, then the finished surface. (delete this note once the image is in)

Surfaces we lay

• Block paving — concrete or clay blocks, laid to BS 7533. Individual blocks can be lifted and relaid if a service ever needs digging up.
• Permeable block paving — drains through the surface itself, which is usually the simplest way to satisfy the drainage rules on a front garden.
• Resin bound gravel — smooth, permeable and quiet underfoot. Needs a sound base underneath, so it suits a resurface as well as a new build.
• Loose gravel over a stabilising grid — the traditional Lakeland look, without the gravel ending up in the road. Suits long rural drives.
• Tarmac — still the most cost-effective surface for a long farm or estate driveway.
• Setts and natural stone edging — where a property in a conservation area needs a more traditional finish.

The planning rule most people have not heard of

In England, paving over more than five square metres of a front garden with an impermeable surface needs planning permission — unless the water is directed to a permeable area such as a soakaway, a border or a lawn. That rule has been in place since 2008 and it catches people out constantly.

In practice it is rarely a problem, because the fix is straightforward: use a permeable surface, or build in drainage that keeps the water on your own land. We design the drainage in from the start so the question never arises. If your property is inside the National Park or a conservation area, we will tell you when we think the surface choice itself needs checking with the planners.

Why sub-base matters more here

Cumbria is one of the wettest counties in England, and much of the ground round here is clay that holds every drop of it. Water in the sub-base plus a hard frost equals heave, and heave is what makes a driveway go wavy.

So we dig out to a proper depth rather than skimming the turf off, lay a geotextile membrane over the formation to stop the sub-base punching down into soft clay, and compact Type 1 in layers rather than dumping the lot in one go and running a whacker over the top. On a domestic drive that typically means around 150mm of compacted sub-base; on anything taking a horsebox, a tractor or a delivery lorry, considerably more.

Drainage, gradients and where the water goes

On the sloping sites that are normal round here, a driveway can act as a very efficient channel for delivering water straight to your front door. We set falls away from the house, use linear drainage across the threshold where the levels demand it, and take the water to a soakaway sized for the area — not into the foul drain, which is both illegal and a good way to flood your own kitchen.

Common questions

Get a price for your job

Tell us what you are planning and we will come and look at it properly. Free quotes, no obligation, anywhere in the South Lakes.