Driveways
Driveway installation in Surrey and South West London
Block-paved driveways built on a proper sub-base, with edge restraints, drainage and a permeable finish.
9.86/10Block paving driveways, built for vehicle loads
We lay one type of driveway and we lay it well: block paving. Concrete or clay block, laid to a pattern that suits the house, on a sub-base built to take a car rather than a wheelbarrow. We do not offer resin.
A driveway fails at the edges and at the base long before it fails in the middle, so that is where the money goes: a deep compacted sub-base, haunched edge restraints in concrete, and a surface that drains rather than sheds water onto the pavement.
Because the block paving driveway is usually the first thing anyone sees, we treat the frontage as a garden rather than a car park: a border, a planted edge and a path that still works when both cars are on the drive.
Your options
Block paving options for your driveway
Concrete block paving
The workhorse. Wide colour range, consistent sizes, quick to lay and easy to lift and relay if a service ever has to be dug up.
Clay pavers
Kiln fired, so the colour goes all the way through and does not fade. Harder and more expensive than concrete, with a warmer, more traditional face.
Permeable block paving
Blocks laid with wider joints filled with clean grit over a free draining sub-base, so rainwater soaks away on your own ground rather than running to the road.
Setts and borders
Granite or concrete setts used as a border, apron or fan detail to break up a large area and mark the entrance.
What's included
Every quote covers
- Survey of levels, drainage runs and the road entrance before we quote
- Excavation to depth and removal of the old surface and spoil
- Geotextile membrane and a compacted sub-base built for vehicle loads
- Edge restraints haunched in concrete on every open edge
- Laying, cutting in, and kiln dried sand or grit jointing
- Drainage: permeable build-up, channel drain or soakaway as the site needs
- Manholes recessed or raised to finished level, and a full clear-up
Recent work
Projects we finished nearby
Gravel driveway with sandstone stepping path, East Molesey
Tired cracked paving lifted from the front of a 1930s East Molesey house and replaced with a frontage designed from scratch: a decorative gravel driveway, a sandstone stepping path to the door and a curved rendered planter.
Read the full case studyReviews
Driveways clients on the work
9.86/10“HD Landscapers rebuilt my front wall and alleyway exactly as planned. The new wall looks really nice, and the Victorian tiling and porcelain paving were finished to a very high standard. They were well priced, hard-working, and kept me informed throughout. Very happy with the result and would definitely recommend.”
Jack · 9 months ago
Google · 5/5
FAQs
Driveways questions we get asked
How long does a driveway take?
A typical two car driveway is about five to ten working days: two days to break out and dig, a day or two for the sub-base and edges, then laying, cutting in and jointing. New drainage or a rebuilt front wall adds a few days.
Do I need planning permission for a driveway?
If the surface is permeable, or the water is directed to a border or soakaway inside your own boundary, a front driveway normally falls under permitted development. A non-permeable surface over five square metres draining to the road does need an application. We build permeable by default so it does not become an issue. Dropped kerbs are a separate application to the highway authority.
Block paving or something else?
We only lay block. It takes vehicle loads, individual blocks can be lifted and relaid if a service needs digging up, and it is the surface with the best long term record on our local clay. We do not offer resin driveways.
What happens to the old driveway?
It is broken out and carted away as part of the job, whether that is concrete, tarmac or a failed block drive. We check what is underneath before we quote, because an old concrete raft can change the excavation cost.
How much does a driveway cost?
Most driveways we build land between £4,000 and £12,000. Price is driven by area, the block you choose, what has to come out and whether the drainage needs rebuilding. Every price is fixed in writing after a site visit.
Do you guarantee the work?
Yes. Workmanship is guaranteed and the blocks carry their manufacturer's warranty. Settlement at edges is the usual complaint with block drives and it comes from skipped edge restraints, so ours are concrete haunched on every open edge.
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Free site visit
Get a fixed price for your driveways
We'll come out, look at the space and give you a proper fixed price, not a ballpark over the phone.