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• Where you live
• How big you want your driveway to be
• What colour or design you would like
• Whether any additional work will need to be completed to prepare the area for the driveway

Paving can be used for driveways and is capable of bearing the weight of cars and other vehicles. Ensure that you choose the appropriate type of paving, as some are designed for paths or decorative use. Correct installation is vital as improperly installed paving may move or break under the weight of a car.

There is a variety of methods available to ensure that your paving drains properly, for example draining into a lawn or soakaway. Correct drainage of paving is a requirement for planning permission. See our guide on planning permission for paving for more information.

Patios do not require lots of maintenance. They will only need occasional cleaning to make sure that the material keeps its original appearance. It's always best to clean your patio with a pressure washer and occasionally tap each slab or brick just to check the sand underneath hasn't washed away.

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.

To inexperienced people laying of paving slab isn’t much more than digging a little, purchasing little amount of mortar and pressing down the paving slabs. But how good would it have been if only it were that easy in real life? The truth is, in reality, laying paving slabs does not only require you to prepare your sub-base painstakingly and mix your mortar using the appropriate materials, but you’d also have to work with accurate and precise paver placements to guarantee the patio’s longevity. As a result, if you lack proper training or experience, we’d recommend you hire the services of a seasoned professional who can guarantee the best results and also save you time and extra cash that may result from possible costly errors. In this guide, you’d gain more insight into the paving slabs laying process.

To get started, you’ll need sharp sand, cement, shovel, wheelbarrow, pointing trowel, rubber mallet, spirit level, jointing compound, hard-bristled brush and tarpaulin.

• Mix a layer of mortar for each paver.

• Apply the mixed mortar onto the sub base by using the trowel.

• Slot the first flag in place and ensure not to stain the paver’s surface with the mixed mortar.

• Using a rubber mallet, carefully tap the paver to the mortar bed. Once done, ensure the surface is even with a spirit level.

• Take a measurement of the gap between the pavers

• Repeat the above steps until all pavers have been perfectly laid

• Leave the pavers to dry for about 1 to 2 days. You can protect it using a tarpaulin if concerned about rain.

• Use the jointing compound to fill up the paver gaps to bind together the pavers. Ensure to wipe off any excess compound using the hard bristled brush.

Clearing snow from a gravel driveway can be tricky – you need to remove the snow without taking the gravel with it.

If the snow’s quite light and dry, try using a leaf blower. You might find that this is enough to get the snow out the way. If it isn’t, start by using a shovel. Use this to clear the top layer of snow off your driveway, leaving about an inch behind. Then, use a rake to remove most of the remaining snow. This won’t take away 100% of the snow or leave all of your gravel in place, but it’s still pretty effective. You can then lay salt to melt away the rest of the snow and stop it turning into ice.

Driveway surfacing materials like concrete, asphalt and clay brick usually crack because they’ve been exposed to extreme temperatures or put under high pressure. It’s important to repair driveway cracks before they get worse and cause damage to vehicles and perhaps others to trip on raised cracks.