Chris Hogan 
Patching concrete drives is not for the faint-hearted. It’s best to start in the knowledge that the patch is never going to blend in seamlessly with the rest of the drive, and that it will always look like a patch. With this in mind, you need to be sure it’s …
Replacing individual blocks in paving is possible, although the success of the repair does depend on some extent to the problem that you are trying to solve. If a block has cracked because the substrate below is not even, for example, then replacing the block without levelling the substrate will …
There are many different choices for driveway materials, including all kinds of shapes, sizes, textures and colours. Let’s take a look at some of the more popular selections to try to help you decide which material is the right one to lay outside your home. Loose Materials The first category …
Following a change in the law in England in October 2008, planning permission is now required for homeowners wishing to pave a front garden with a hardstanding of more than five square metres if they are not using a permeable material. One of the main reasons for the new legislation …
Whether you’re laying concrete blocks (or flags) or clay bricks (or pavers), the process is largely the same. Any key differences with foundations and the like for the different materials will be covered below. We’ll use the phrase ‘block’ throughout this article to refer to all the different materials that …
Concrete block paving stones, particularly the smaller, brick-sized pavers, have become amazingly popular in the last 20 years. This is largely because specialist firms have focused on delivering just block driveways and paths and nothing else. The concrete blocks have taken, by some estimates, over 80% of the UK home …
Laying a concrete driveway is a job that householders often take on as a DIY task, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t achieve a good, long-lasting job, as long as you take care in the preparation and the laying. Unless you have a very long drive, it’s likely that …
If you want to pave a drive but still allow grass to be grown, to help to reduce flooding problems and the loss of microclimates for insects and other invertebrates, cellular paving systems such as grasscrete are a great solution. They are also relatively easy to lay and prices are …
The use of gravel in gardens has become very popular in recent years. This is largely down to a trend for low-maintenance gardens, either for buy-to-let properties or for busy homes where families want to relax in the garden rather than maintain it. Where to Use Gravel You can lay …
In a previous article, we went through the process that should ensure you find a contractor who is reputable and can offer guarantees that are worth the paper they are written on (see Using Professionals For Work On Your Driveway. In this article, we focus more on the ways that …