Driveways, Paving and Patios in Surrey and Hampshire
We come at hard landscaping from the groundworks side rather than the gardening side, which is why we tend to get called in where there's something structural going on — a terrace that needs retaining, a drive that has to run over tree roots, a garden that needs re-grading before anything can be laid on it.
The same crew and the same machines that put the foundations in will finish the outside, so the levels, the falls and the drainage are dealt with as one job rather than three.
Driveways
Block paving, porcelain, gravel and tarmac, on a properly formed sub-base. Most driveway failures are sub-base failures — the surface only ever looks as good as what's underneath it, and a drive laid on made ground or an inadequate depth of stone will move within a couple of winters.
Two things worth knowing before you plan one:
Drainage and planning. Laying an impermeable surface over more than five square metres of front garden needs planning permission unless the water is directed to a permeable area within the site. A permeable build-up, or a drive that falls to a soakaway or a gravel border, avoids the application entirely.
Tree roots. Where a drive falls inside a tree's root protection area, you can't simply dig out and lay stone. We install cellular tree root protection systems that spread the load across the surface without excavating into the roots, which is normally what the arboricultural report will require under BS 5837.
Patios and Terraces
Porcelain, Indian sandstone, natural stone and concrete flags, laid on a full mortar bed with the falls set to take water away from the building rather than towards it.
Porcelain has taken over a lot of the market and for good reason — it doesn't stain, doesn't need sealing and doesn't go green the way sandstone will on a shaded north-facing terrace. It's less forgiving to lay, needs a primer on the back of every slab, and the cuts have to be right because you can't disguise a bad one.
Where a terrace sits above the surrounding ground, it needs retaining properly rather than a few sleepers holding back a bank.
Decking
Composite and hardwood decking, including Millboard, on treated timber or aluminium subframes. We often run decking and paving together on the same terrace — decking where you want to sit, paving where the barbecue and the traffic go.
Re-grading and Earth Moving
Plenty of gardens in this part of Surrey are on a slope, and the honest answer is that no amount of paving fixes a garden that's the wrong shape. We re-grade, cut and fill, move spoil and form the levels and terraces first, then lay onto something that works.
Common Questions About Driveways and Paving
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For a front garden, you need permission if you're laying more than five square metres of impermeable surface without directing the water to a permeable area within your own boundary. In practice that means a permeable build-up, or a drive that falls to a soakaway or gravel margin, avoids the application entirely — which is how we build them as standard.
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It depends far more on what's underneath than what's on top. On a straightforward drive, the sub-base, excavation and muck-away is often the larger share of the cost, and the block or porcelain the smaller. A drive over tree roots, on a slope, or where the existing ground has to be dug out and carted away costs materially more than one on sound ground. We price on site rather than by the square metre over the phone.
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Yes, but not by excavating. Where a drive falls inside a root protection area, we install a cellular load-spreading system that sits on the existing ground and carries the traffic without digging into the roots. It's normally what the arboricultural report requires under BS 5837, and it's the difference between a drive that gets signed off and one that doesn't.
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Porcelain doesn't stain, doesn't need sealing and won't go green on a shaded north-facing terrace, which is why it's taken over most of the market. It costs more and it's less forgiving to lay — every slab needs priming on the back and the cuts have to be right. Sandstone is cheaper, warmer-looking and perfectly good in an open sunny spot, but it will need cleaning and it will darken over time.
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Block paving is walkable straight away and can normally take a car within a day or two once the jointing sand is in. A mortar-bedded patio wants a few days before heavy use. We'll tell you on the day.
Get a Price
We'll come and look, take levels if it needs them, and price the job properly rather than by the square metre over the phone.
We cover Guildford, Farnham, Godalming and the rest of Surrey, along with Hampshire. Get in touch or call Dan on 07808 781794.