Block paving driveway installation
New block paved driveways built from the ground up, and repairs to existing ones that have sunk, spread or stopped draining.
What goes into a block paving driveway
We lay block paving in Dunstable, where we are based in Bidwell, and across Houghton Regis, Totternhoe, Harpenden, Wheathampstead and Redbourn.
A block paving driveway is only as good as what sits underneath it. The visible blocks are the last layer of a job that starts with digging out the old surface and soft ground, laying and compacting a granular sub-base deep enough to carry a car, setting edge restraints so the blocks cannot creep outwards, then screeding a sand bed and laying the pattern. Kiln-dried sand is brushed into the joints and the whole surface is compacted so the blocks lock together.
Skipping depth in the sub-base is the most common reason driveways rut where the wheels sit. We dig and compact to suit the ground and the weight it will take, not to a fixed depth that suits every job on paper.
Drainage and the rules on front gardens
Water has to go somewhere. A driveway should fall away from the house, not towards the damp-proof course, and the run-off needs to soak into the ground or reach a proper drain. In England, paving more than five square metres of a front garden with an impermeable surface that drains onto the road needs planning permission. Permeable block paving, or ordinary block paving that drains to a soakaway or a lawn or border within the property, normally avoids that. We plan the falls, channel drains and soakaways with the layout, and our driveway drainage guide covers the rules in more detail.
Choosing blocks, colours and patterns
Concrete blocks come in a wide range of colours, textures and sizes. Herringbone is the strongest pattern for driveways because the blocks interlock in two directions, which resists the turning forces from tyres. Stretcher bond and basketweave suit paths and patios better. A contrasting border or soldier course frames the drive and gives a straight edge against lawns and walls. Lighter blocks show oil marks more; darker or mixed colours hide them.
Block paving repairs
Not every tired driveway needs replacing. Sunken patches, loose blocks around a manhole, weeds in the joints and edging that has moved can often be repaired by lifting the affected area, correcting the base, relaying the same blocks and re-sanding. Where the whole drive has sunk, or water now sits across it, the base has usually failed and a rebuild is the honest answer. We look at it on site and tell you which it is.
Walls, steps and the rest of the frontage
Driveways often sit next to other built work: a dwarf wall along the boundary, a step up to the front door, a path to the side gate or a retaining wall where the garden is higher than the drive. As bricklayers and builders, we can build those at the same time so levels and materials match across the front of the house.
Block paving driveway questions
- Why is my driveway wet when it has not rained?
- Usually a leaking water supply pipe under or near the drive, a blocked drain or a high water table. Persistent damp patches are worth checking, because a leak can wash out the sub-base.
- Why is my block paving turning black?
- Black spots are normally lichen or algae in shaded, damp areas, or oil and tyre marks. Cleaning and re-sanding the joints helps; constant shade and poor drainage make it come back sooner.
- Why is my driveway sinking?
- A thin or poorly compacted sub-base, soft ground, or water washing fine material out from under the blocks. The area is lifted, the base corrected and the blocks relaid.
- Why is my driveway crumbling?
- Blocks crack or crumble when the base moves, when vehicles turn on a weak pattern, or when frost gets into poor-quality blocks. A sound base and herringbone pattern last far longer.
- What affects block paving cost?
- Area, how much has to be dug out and removed, the ground, drainage, edging, the blocks chosen and access. Our cost calculator gives a starting range, and estimates are free.
- Do you lay block paving in Dunstable?
- Yes. We are based in Bidwell, Dunstable, and build new block paving driveways and repair sunken or loose ones, with the sub-base and drainage done properly. Estimates are free.
- Do I need planning permission for a new driveway?
- Not if it is permeable or drains within your property. Paving over five square metres of front garden with an impermeable surface draining to the road needs permission.
Related: patios, garden walls and driveways · block paving driveway guide · block paving cost factors · driveway drainage · block paving repairs · block paving maintenance · cost calculator.