Chris Hogan 
Although trips and falls are an everyday part of the growth and development of children, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should go out of your way to make a garden unfriendly to them. On the other hand, does the compensation culture in the UK mean that we have to cover …
Often when building a drive for your home it will incorporate new or replacement paths to the front door, from the home to the garage and perhaps up to a garden gate, depending on the layout of the house. If you’re Planning To Turn A Front Garden Into A Drive, …
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 …
Plain poured concrete has, for decades, been one of the cheapest ways of laying down a hard surface such as a driveway, but there’s no denying that it looks cheap, too. There are a number of products around that can improve the looks, but first of all let’s look at …
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’re looking for a new driveway or patio, there are many options available that will suit your needs. This article is going to explore the different tarmac style materials and their benefits and disadvantages in order to help you make your decision. In its simplest form tarmac, also called …
In our overview article about tarmac laying, we discussed the fact that it’s not really a job for the ordinary handyman. This is because of the skill level required, the expense of getting in the specialist machinery, and knowing how to use it (see Tarmac Options For Your Driveway Or …
If you’ve decided that a hard patio surface is right for you, then your choices are down to material, size, colour, texture, and cost. There’s a wide range of stone, clay or concrete paving available for patios. For this article we’re going to assume that wet laid surfaces, such as …
Decking had been popular in many other countries, notably Australia, New Zealand and America, before it became the must-have patio replacement in the UK. Those other countries have more predictable weather so decking makes more sense. Its growth in the UK, over the last decade or two, can be attributed …
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 …