Find a Driveway Installer you can trust in South Queensferry.

Patios use durable and hard wearing materials which will be able to withstand extreme weather. It’s important to consider the drainage of your patio, as heavy rain will need to drain away to an area that can absorb the water. A professional will be able to design and lay a patio to do this.

Have you decided to install block paving and wondering what the best sand to be applied to the joints is in order to achieve a perfect job? Well, you’re at the right place! This is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to block paving and we seek to give you a reliable solution once and for all.

The best sand for block paving is a kiln-dried sand. It’s an extremely fine sand which has been dried in a kiln to get rid of all the water before it’s incorporated to achieve the best results. Therefore, the sand contains no moisture and is commonly used to fill the joints of block paving to keep the paving’s structure rigid and strong. It also goes a long way to prevent the ingress of water while stopping the paving from moving and becoming loose. The major reason why the paving sand must be dried is to allow it flow easily into the joints as well as the block paving’s gaps. As result of this smooth flowing to the bottom of the joints, there will be no sand sticking to the sides of the pavers.

Another major reason why kiln-dried sand is commonly applied to the block paving’s joints is to prevent water from penetrating the paved area. It also tightens the individual pavers together to prevent from moving and becoming loose. In the event whereby you happen to leave the joints of your block paving without kiln dried sand, it’s highly likely that they’ll sink as a result of water penetration and the blocks will become very loose. After washing block paving, it’s very important to also replace any sand washed off in the process once the paving is dried to prevent water ingress into the joints.

Gravel, asphalt, concrete and paving can all be permeable. However, some types of asphalt and concrete are impermeable. This is why it’s important to be precise about what material you want for your driveway. If you want a permeable driveway, you should also make sure that your sub-base is also permeable.

Can You Lay Block Paving On Top Of Concrete?

The replacement or improvement of your driveway is unarguably one of the most expensive projects you can undertake in the exterior of your home. When done by a true professional the results can be impressive and visually appealing, however you’d have to pay huge bucks to have this done. This is exactly the situation with block paving as it is not only time consuming, but also a lot more expensive when compared to other types of driveway.

A large chuck of this cost is associated with the removal of the existing driveway. So assuming your old driveway is concrete, can you simply pave over the existing concrete? If yes, will it save you money? The simple and short answer is yes. It’s in fact advisable to pave over concrete as this will not only add around 20% to your home’s value, but also make it look a lot more attractive and pleasing to the eye.

However, there are some problems associated with block paving over concrete. It may be better to remove the concrete in situations whereby the base is substandard. For instance, if the ground underneath the concrete is failing, there’ll most definitely be problems.

Also, there’ll be some issues with settling (not even the cracks). If your concrete is dropping little amounts every year, these can affect the blocks and ultimately lead to dropping of some sections of the block paving in such a way that they’ll no longer be on the same level as the other blocks. Giving a rise to the possibility of drainage issues, tripping hazard and lots more.

Other issues that may crop up can be triggered as a result of using the wrong size block height as well as totally ignoring or overlooking the undulations of the concrete.

Slab paving is a great material to use to create a sturdy shed base.

Start by measuring out the area where your shed is going to be. This needs to be the size of your shed, plus about 10-20cm extra each way. Mark it out with string and pegs, make sure it’s square, and dig it down to about 6cm deep.

Then create a sand and cement mixture and put a layer down, followed by your paving slabs. Make sure you start in one corner and use a rubber mallet and spirit level to make sure they’re as level as possible. Leave this to set and you’re ready to use your shed base.

So have you decided to lay block paving on your property? If yes, then knowing how much it would cost would help you prepare a budget and set out a plan before commencement of the project. The cost of block paving depends on a wide range of factors such as the the size of the area in question, cost of labour as well as the type of brick and block paving to be used. So how much does block paving cost? In this article, we’ll give you an general idea of the cost of laying of block paving on a driveway so you can estimate your cost according to your personal requirements and needs.

For a small to medium sized driveway featuring a complex design, the block pavings’ cost starts from a range between £3,000 to £4,000, meanwhile that of a large sized pathway will jump to a range between £6,500 to £7,500. And depending on the complexity of the design, the final cost of the project can be greatly impacted as it would also take a longer period of time to be completed. For the same small to medium sized pathway featuring a simple design which usually takes up to 3 to 4 days will cost within a range of £4,500 to £5,500. While a complex design such as a herringbone pattern will take up to 5 to 6 days and costing within a range of £5,000 to £6,000.

Furthermore, there are also other factors that can determine the price of block paving and another example is the current condition. This includes the preparation work to be carried out before laying the block paving can be a time consuming task especially when the driveway is in a terrible condition and this comes with a high labour cost. Another factor to be considered is the materials used in making the block paving such as stone, concrete, cement, composite and resin - they’re all available in various range of colours and textures. They play a key role in the block paving cost.

• Where in the country you live
• What colour you choose
• What pattern you choose
• Whether you choose a standard or a higher-quality concrete

If you’re considering laying gravel on your driveway, then you’d probably want to know the amount of gravel you’ll need to complete the project. When you are calculating the amount of gravel you’ll require to cover your driveway, there’s an important factor you’ll need to consider and that is the type of gravel you opt for such as a crushed or pea gravel. There are varying grades which are found in particles from fine to course, with a size ranging from 2mm to 64mm. Therefore, there’s a need to estimate the volume of the gravel while also having the rock’s size in mind. Also, there’s a need to select your most preferred gravel which you’ll like to use before proceeding to dig the depth of your driveway and subsequently determine the amount of gravel that’ll be needed using these excellent tips.

✓ Determine the size and coverage. As you would have expected, the smaller the gravel is, the bigger the coverage will be, and gravels should be at least 4 inches deep. However, if the rocks happen to be a bit large then you can allow for an extra 1/2 inch.

✓ Measure the driveway. Multiply the width by the length and depth to get the size of the driveway in cubic feet. Meanwhile for cubic yards, you can divide the total cubic feet by 27. This is due to the fact that one cubic feet is same as 1.13 tons.

✓ Working with gravel. Here, you’ll have to calculate an underlay measurements differently. You can use 2 inches of road base that’ll be overlaid with 2 inches of gravel.