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Gravel driveways are very popular in the UK for a reason. Not only do they provide a more natural look than other driveway surfacing options and happens to be quite affordable, but they’re also very easy to install and maintain. And more importantly, they have a great range of colour scheme to match and compliment your brickwork and plants to make for an alluring outdoor living space.

Are you also planning to install a gravel driveway? You’ve come to the right place! If you’re a competent DIYer with confidence, then this should be as easy as they come. If otherwise, then it’s advisable to hire a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this guide, we’ll shed more light on the gravel driveway installation process. Let’s get started!

✓ Prepare the floor. To get a level and flat floor, you’ll have to clear the area of all weeds, paving slabs, block paving etc. Get a good foundation material to apply to the surface if you have an uneven surface or if you have potholes to fill.

✓ Stop the weeds. You’ll have to apply an anti-weed membrane so you won’t have stubborn weeds growing through your finished driveway.

✓ Spread the gravel. In the process of purchasing your gravel, ensure to select handy bags, bulk bags if tipped loose. If you go for the bags there may be a need of wheelbarrow to help move the gravel around, however with a tipped loose you can have the gravel chippings tipped directly on to the driveway.

✓ Make use of the hose. It’s possible that when your gravel arrives, it’ll be be dusty. Make use of an hose to run over the driveway to bring out the true colours of your driveway.

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.

How To Lay Block Paving

Do you wish to know how to install block paving? We’ve got you covered! Here, you’ll find a useful step by step guide that’ll provide you with all the necessary information to lay a wide range of block paving products available in the market today. You must, however, note that the installation of block paving can be a tricky affair and should not be attempted unless you have undergone a proper training or have a good experience in the field. If otherwise, we’d advise you to leave the task for a reliable block laying professional to guarantee the best results and also avoid making costly mistakes.

lDesign

• Draw up a design to perfectly suits your needs.

• Decide on the type of block as well as colour.

lExcavation

• Use a mini excavator or a JCB ( depending on the size of the job) to excavate the driveway.

• Identify and mark out the area to be excavated.

• Dug out the area until you reach a suitable level

• Ensure that the proposed finish level is 150mm underneath the damp proof course in any of the adjoining building’s brick.

lEdge Restraints

• Build a 100mm depth-thick concrete foundation with the help of a concrete mixer, 1 part cement and 6 parts ballast.

• Position the kerb unit on top of the level with a string line and spirit level.

• Use a trowel and rubber mallet to mortar the kerb unit to the foundation.

• Haunch the back of the kerb units in such a way that the concrete reach half way up the kerb’s rear.

lSubbase

• Put the crushed concrete in the edge restraints and ensure it’s at the desired level of 50mm.

• Use a vibrating plate to compact and level

lScreeding

• Apply a layer of sharp sand (to 50mm depth) and campact it using a vibrating plate.

• Apply second layer of sharp sand (to 20mm depth) on top of the first layer.

• Level the second layer to the correct falls.

lInstallation Of Paving

• Lay the block paving starting from the bottom of a slope.

• Ensure the blocks are placed at about 10mm to 15mm above the required finish level.

• Make sure the blocks used are between 3-5 packs as you proceed with your desired pattern. You may need to cut smaller block pieces to fill smaller gaps.

lFinishing Touches

• Clear out the area to ensure no debris is left on the blocks.

• Put kiln dried sand and brush across the whole of the area, ensuring the sands falls between the blocks’ joints.

• Compact the drive with the vibrating plate.

• Brush more kiln dried sand over the area and compact again

• Repeat the process until the joints are full of sand.

When your driveway is suffering from depression, it becomes unsafe for driving (a danger zone) and ugly - no homeowner wants that! Unfortunately, most driveways won’t hold flat for long as they tend to develop cracks and potholes pretty quickly. Here, we are going to take you through how to fill asphalt driveways’ depression so as to ensure the sinkholes in your driveway poses no threat to you or your loved ones, while also beautifying your property. The approach to be used depends on the intensity of the depression. If its only a few cracks and holes, this can easily be repaired with some equipment. But if otherwise is the case, then calling a reliable professional will be your best bet. In this article, we’ll show you how to repair dips in your asphalt driveway relatively quickly.

✓ Pick a date with warm and sunny weather. This is because if you work in a cold weather, chances are the materials will freeze and hence, unusable. So find a day when the temperature will over 50 degrees Fahrenheit and below 80 degrees Celsius and when there would be no rain. We’ll advise a day between May to October.

✓ Prepare the area. Remove all loose stones, soil, dirt as well as vegetation from the holes. Once done, you can then proceed to washing the area with a pressure washer or sweep with a broom.

✓ Apply a thin mixture of asphalt to the area. Use a flat stirring stick to coat the low driveway area with a thin mixture of asphalt.

✓ Tamp the asphalt repair mix. Purchase the right kind of asphalt to repair the driveway. Fine aggregate asphalt mixture is more suited to filling small holes, whereas the coarse aggregate is more suited to filling larger holes. Apply layers ( about 2 inches each time) of the asphalt repair mix to the sunken area and use a shovel to give it a smooth finish. Once done, simply make the area smooth and protect it with a piece of plywood. Do not walk or drive on the area for a couple of days.

Weeds growing on your gravel can look unsightly, so it’s worth taking steps to stop them sprouting up.

When you lay your driveway, make sure you use a weed proof membrane. This will help to stop most growth, although it won’t totally prevent weeds occurring. For any other growth, dig the weed out or use a weed killer.

It’s up to you what size gravel you use for your driveway, but there are some guidelines that are worth following. If you go too small, your gravel will get displaced easily. But, if you go too big, you driveway might be quite tricky to walk on. Generally, it’s a good idea to go for a gravel size somewhere between 10-20mm.

Paved driveways are popular amongst residence and also homeowner in the UK and not surprisingly so. Be it concrete, gravel, brick, rock or asphalt, there are a great deal of benefits you stand to obtain. If you're aiming to have your driveway paved, then you go to the ideal location! In this article, we're going to think about some of the top benefits of having your driveway paved. Allow's take a look!

Right here are a few of the leading advantages of mounting a paved driveway.

• Longevity. With normal upkeep in mind, many paved driveways can last up to three decades and even much longer. Therefore, you should ensure that the driveway is properly installed and maintained to guarantee its durability.
• Marginal Upkeep. Compared to various other options, most paved driveways require just a little upkeep. For instance, some concretes are can crack or establish craters, but this can also be protected against by installing the driveway in big square concrete slabs.
• Smooth And Easy Snow Removal. Compared to various other alternatives, many paved driveways make it relatively simple to get rid of snow. For example, when the snow beginning going down, you'll rejoice you had actually a driveway made out of concrete or block.
• Paved driveways are really solid and also rock solid. If appropriately set up with a correct base along with reinforcement, they can withstanding any kind of hefty vehicle you can potentially drive.
• Many paved driveways are a relatively cost effective choice especially when you take into consideration its long life.

How To Repair Sunken Concrete Driveway

If you have concrete driveway that’s cracked, uneven and mostly especially sunken, you’d know how distasteful it can be just viewing it on your property. A sunken concrete driveway is most likely caused by rainwater erosion removing the soil under it or a big root under it which as rotted over time. Another possible cause of the sunken concrete is an improperly prepared base which implies that the soil beneath wasn’t fully compact when the concrete was poured on it. Later on the soil beneath will eventually settle and shift below the concrete driveway which weakens the integrity of the entire driveway, making it more vulnerable to cracks, unevenness and sunken.

Two ways in which you can fix this problem includes either demolishing the whole driveway, re-compact the soil underneath and fill with new concrete or repair the entire driveway using an easy process called slabjacking. In this article, we’re going to look at the slabjacking repair process as it’s significantly less expensive than the demolishing approach and will also cause minimal disruption to your lifestyle.

Also referred to as mudjacking or concrete lifting, slabjacking is simply a process used to float your existing concrete back to its original position. If you are not a competent DIYer or lack confidence to pull this off, we’d recommend reach out to a professional for help. If otherwise, then you can practice the slabjacking process given below.

✓ Drill holes through the slab.

✓ Pump grout mixture through the holes. This mixture will spread out beneath he driveway and raise it up.

✓ Lastly, fill the holes and level the concrete driveway surface.in such a way to hide the signs of the repair made.

This is a process that works to efficiently get your driveway back in a top condition relatively quickly.