Driveways in KT7
Driveway installation in Thames Ditton, Surrey
Block-paved driveways built on a proper sub-base, with edge restraints, drainage and a permeable finish.
9.86/10Driveways for Thames Ditton gardens
The village centre is period cottages and Victorian terraces on compact plots, and it gives way to 1930s semis and detached houses as you move out towards the A309. Gardens are generally long and narrow rather than wide, which is why so many of our jobs here are a terrace at the house and a second seating area at the far end.
This is our home patch. Our yard is at Manor Farm on Manor Road North, so most Thames Ditton jobs are a five minute drive rather than a scheduled trip, and we can drop back to check something the same day.
The build
How we build it, Thames Ditton or anywhere else
Front gardens are the fiddly ones: a live road, a pavement crossing, and neighbours who need to get their own cars out while we work. We stage deliveries so the road stays passable and sweep down at the end of each day.
The build-up does not change: membrane, deep compacted sub-base, concrete haunched edges, permeable jointing so rainwater stays on your ground.
- Survey of levels, the pavement crossing and where surface water currently goes
- Break-out and removal of the existing drive
- Membrane and a compacted sub-base built for vehicle loads
- Concrete haunched edge restraints on every open edge
- Permeable jointing, or a channel drain and soakaway where needed
- Manholes brought to finished level
- Road and pavement swept daily, full clear-up at the end
The full detail on materials, build-up and what a quote covers is on our driveways page.
Nearby project
Gravel driveway with sandstone stepping path, East Molesey
Our nearest completed case study to Thames Ditton, built to the same specification we would use on your garden.
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.
- Timescale
- Under two weeks
- Approximate value
- Available on request
On the ground
Working in Thames Ditton
How we get materials in
We know the village well enough to choose the right method before the first day. Older properties often need materials barrowed through, while the 1930s stock usually has a wider side return or a garage run a mini digger can use, which shortens the groundworks.
Permits and deliveries
Skip permits from Elmbridge Borough Council are arranged as part of the job. On the village streets with less kerb space we often use grab-away instead of a standing skip, so neighbours keep their parking spaces.
Reviews
What our clients say
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
“First of all my list of nominees working for HD Landscapers and overseeing my project…”
Rosemarie · 3 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.
Free site visit
Get a fixed price for your Thames Ditton garden
Tell us the postcode and roughly what you are after. We will come out, measure up and give you a proper fixed price for Thames Ditton, not a ballpark over the phone.