DRIVEWAY IDEAS
When it comes to choosing a driveway installer quality and trust should never be compromised. Working with a professional is an absolute must. With over 35 years experience and a real focus on customer satisfaction, you can rely on us for your next driveway or home improvement project . Our installations are carried out by fully trained staff to the highest professional standards. Always on time and on budget.
The Driveway & Home Improvement Company has proven results for setting exceptional standards in cost control, planning, scheduling and project safety. We have experience that gives us a competitive advantage over others in our field.
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If you are looking for a new driveway, path or patio to compliment your home then the Driveway Company has everything you need, we cover all the major types of drive, pathway or patio that you could ever want which includes Resin, Tarmac, Pattern Imprinted Concrete and the latest style of driveway which is Rubber Compound, all the driveway installers we send your way are fully insured with at least a 10 year warranty/guarantee.
Whether you are looking for a new driveway, patio, pathway, child’s play area or swimming pool decking area we have you covered, The Driveway Company covers every English county for all the above styles of driveway and more.
We have highly qualified installers waiting to give you a FREE no obligation quotation and transform your property and take it to the next level.
Once the driveway or patio etc has been installed your properties kerb appeal and value will increase, if you are looking to sell you can bet prospective buyers will prefer a home that has a modern driveway to one that does not.
Below is a quick breakdown of the higher end type and style of driveways.
Resin Bound Driveways
If you’re looking for a durable driveway, you can’t go wrong with resin-style pavements. This form involves using a mixture of aggregate stones and a resin binder to create a sustainable, protective layer.
People praise resin driveways for their extreme durability and toughness. They can withstand heavy loads consistently without cracking, plus they’re low on maintenance, especially if you choose the resin-bound style (more on this later).
If looks are more your concern, then you’ll be happy to know that resin driveways offer artistic allure via design and colour. You also may choose options for aggregate colours and types that lead to unique “mixtures.”
While they’re not the cheapest driveway types, they’re not that expensive either. On average, it’s comparable to what a block paving or pattern-imprinted concrete would cost you.
Within a general resin driveway, you’ll have several specification choices to make, each with its own pros and cons. Let’s look at a couple of them.
If you need more indepth information on resin driveways please take a look, this gives you a full run down of the 3 main styles of resin aggregate.
Pros and Cons Of Resin
The first specification is a resin bonded driveway. With this option, the resin binder is laid out on an existing surface, and the aggregate stones get sprinkled on top. Once set, any excess is swept up for reuse.
Resin bonded driveways are an incredibly inexpensive way to apply the resin to your driveway, costing as little as £40 per square meter. Another advantage is that you can use this procedure on an existing hard surface, such as tarmac or gravel.
The disadvantage, however, is that resin bonded driveways generally are not as durable as other types of resin driveways because the aggregate stones are not firmly bound to the resin, which is prone to loosening over time.
Resin bonded driveways also are impermeable, which means that water can’t pass through them to drain correctly. Hence, they are not compliant with SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) standards.
The other type of resin driveway is called resin bound. Here, both the aggregate stones and resin binder are mixed onsite before applying them to the surface. This mixture creates a stronger bond, making the surface far more durable than a resin bonded driveway.
This mixture also forms a fully porous surface that excels at draining water from the surface. Thus, it’s fully compliant with SUDS standards, helping prevent standing water from forming.
Their permeability also makes resin bound driveways resilient and highly resistant to cracking. They are, in fact, one of the most durable driveway ideas in the UK. As a bonus, there are a wide variety of colour and design options for especially discerning homeowners.
The only downside to resin bound driveways is that they’re much more expensive, running an average of £90 – £120 per square meter. The increased cost stems from the fact that it must have a sub-base applied first, much as brick paving does. But we believe that the better durability and water drainage features are well worth the cost.
We highly recommend resin-bound driveways for your next renovation or housing project.
Rubber Crumb
For the homeowner who cares about the environment, rubber crumb driveways are an excellent option.
This innovative new pavement technique is enjoying burgeoning popularity across the UK. It involves the use of recycled tires shredded down into tiny pieces, then mixed with aggregate and other materials.
Rubber drives use a highly environmentally friendly building material by helping to recycle rubber tires that otherwise are generally hard to dispose of. Instead of dumping rubber into landfills that are bursting at the seams, you can use it as a safe and durable material for the approach to your home. In the US, for example, the use of crumb rubber effectively recycled nearly 300 million pounds of rubber, instead of being lost to pollution.
Durable, Flexible, Affordable
One of the best properties of rubber crumb is that it’s anti-slip. As such, it is suitable for use in areas with lots of kids, like schools and playgrounds. When used in your driveway, this creates a better grip for your cars during rainy weather.
This skid-free property is also great if you have small kids or older people in your household. It helps reduce the risk of accidental injury.
Durability is also another reason to use rubber crumb. Because rubber is naturally elastic, it is better at absorbing stress, which dramatically reduces cracking and repair costs over the long haul. Rubber crumb also withstands extreme weather conditions, giving it an extended lifespan.
Maybe best of all, rubber crumb is not very expensive, being comparable in price to most other types of driveway pavements.
Rubber crumb is also flexible, so you can adhere it directly to a hard surface for a slip-free covering. Or, to make it compliant with the Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) standards, you can apply a sub-base first, so surface water drains away quickly.
Aside from pavement, rubber crumb also is used as a protective cover for such things as outdoor play equipment and athletic running tracks. It also is a material used in artificial turf to provide improved cushion and safety.
Environmentally Safe & Sound
Rubber crumb comprises at least 70 per cent recycled rubber tires. These get sourced from scrap tires formerly used on cars and trucks. During processing, all other parts, including steel and tire cords, get separated, leaving tiny, granular rubber pieces. With advanced methods like cryogenics, these pieces then can be further reduced, depending on the specifications you desire.
Other additives in rubber crumb include steel, fibre, and miscellaneous materials. These elements form roughly 30 per cent of the material’s total composition.
You’ll also find that rubber crumbs are classified by grades, colours, and textures. You can pick a colour from pure black to white to varying shades of grey, and textures from fine to coarse.
If you’re looking for a durable, safe, and environmentally sound pavement idea, rubber crumb won’t let you down. Not only will it cost you less in maintenance fees, but you’ll have peace of mind knowing you helped Mother Nature in your own small way.
Tarmac
Tarmac is one of the most commonly used pavement styles in the world. It’s a common sight on city roads, airport runways, and parking lots. It’s a driveway style with a familiar look.
Traditionally, tarmac refers to a specific material called tarmacadam. It’s a dark substance composing a mix of crushed stone, tar, and sand. It’s poured hot and compacted using a machine to achieve the right shape and volume. Over time, it cools down, and the particles form a hard, firm surface.
Durable, Anti-Slip & Impermeable
Tarmac is extremely durable. It can withstand extreme weather conditions without deteriorating and can support heavy loads regularly without cracking. You can see why it’s been such a popular material for roads and highways for decade upon decade.
Using tarmac for your driveway also serves up a good grip and limited anti-skid properties. In slippery conditions like rain or snow, your car can cross your driveway easily without slipping. If you have children and elderly in your household, it can also provide support against slipping accidents.
A driveway made with tarmac is impermeable, which means it’s highly resistant. While it prevents internal water damage, however, it is not SUDS-compliant and will require a separate drain mechanism.
The material also is straightforward to work with, easy to apply to almost any surface, and requires no prepping or subsurface layer. Completing a tarmac driveway paving takes only a couple of hours, ensuring minimal disruption at your home.
You might also guess that tarmac is one of the least expensive materials you can use on your driveway. What’s more, it’s incredibly inexpensive to maintain, as you can polish away any visible damage. In the worst case, you need only apply a new layer of tarmac to correct an imperfection, so there’s no expensive excavation required.
Plain Jane
Where tarmac falls a little short is in its appearance. The truth is, it’s a very plain looking material and creates a pretty standard drive. Some people are okay with that or find its simplicity beautiful. But if you want a more decorative driveway, other materials might be more suitable.
These days, tarmac is being phased out of many places in favour of more modern alternatives, like asphalt concrete. In fact, in the UK, tarmac usually refers to driveways paved with asphalt.
Despite the terms getting used interchangeably, real tarmac isn’t the same as asphalt concrete. The latter comprises asphaltic concrete mixed with sand or rough stones. It’s cheaper but only for larger areas. It’s also more durable and more resistant to changing weather conditions.
Asphalt concrete is also reusable, making it much more environmentally friendly. Still, its surface is not as resistant to tire damage – hence, why you see skid marks on asphalt roads.
Overall, tarmac and asphalt concrete both serve up inexpensive and durable driveway ideas. If you’re looking for a basic material that will fit a tight budget, this is the way to go.
Pattern Imprinted Concrete
Pattern imprinted concrete is a fantastic way to achieve the look of your favourite material, without actually using that material. You can achieve this effect with stamped concrete, a type of block that you can make resemble any material, including bricks or stone.
Because it’s just an imitation of the real thing, pattern imprinted concrete is far less expensive than the mimicked material. If you wanted to achieve block paving on your driveway, for example, you could do so with stamped concrete that’s cheaper than actual bricks.
This patterned style of pavement was introduced in the 1970s to give consumers a way to achieve the very look they wanted without breaking the bank.
Creative Freedom
Stamped concrete gives you creative freedom galore! You can achieve brick lookalikes in colours that wouldn’t otherwise be possible, for example. This flexibility provides you tremendous opportunity to make your driveway uniquely yours.
Similar to laying brick paving, you must apply a layer of hardcore sub-base to form a suitable foundation for the stamped concrete. Expansion gaps must be taken into consideration during this stage, so the driveway doesn’t crack easily during extreme weather conditions.
Creating pattern imprinted concrete then goes through a unique three-step process. First, a base colour is added – for example, red for bricks or light grey for stone.
The next step is to apply an accent colour. This colour is a secondary one that adds texture and definition to the pattern. When you want to copy brick paving, for example, you can add a secondary colour for the grout between the bricks. You can also use the imperfections in the stone material to make it look more realistic.
Finally, you stamp the pattern into the driveway material. This procedure is done right after the concrete gets poured, while it’s still soft and malleable. The pattern mould is commonly made of polyurethane or metal. The former allows the most intricate patterns, like the rough natural texture of stone that you can’t replicate with metal moulds.
Cons
One of the issues with pattern imprinted concrete is that it’s not SUDS-compliant. Its impermeability means that when the driveway gets wet, it can’t remove that water on its own. As a result, you must implement an effective drainage system to dry it out when it gets wet.
Stamped concrete also requires regular upkeep to maintain its quality and durability for the long term. For starters, you must re-apply the concrete sealer roughly every 2-3 years, depending on how heavy the foot traffic in the area is. It’s not terribly expensive, but it’s still an additional task you need to prepare for if you choose pattern-imprinted concrete.
If you’re on a tight budget but want to achieve a grand look for your driveway, pattern-imprinted concrete is one of the best and most economical ways to do it.
Gravel
Gravel driveways generally refer to one made with a collection of loose rocks. These are a common sight in rural homes, and you’ll see them appear far more frequently in urban dwellings these days.
Homes with very long driveways benefit most from the use of gravel because it is far more economical to apply. A typical setup is a gravel driveway leading to concrete garages.
Gravel creates a distinct rustic charm for any home. It’s reminiscent of anything from a country home to a rural mansion. If this is the look you’re aiming for, gravel can help you achieve it.
A Touch of Nature
Gravel driveways comprise any of a selection of loose stones sized anywhere from a large pebble to tiny grains of sand. Traditionally, you can use any rocks found in nature to create a gravel road or driveway. The ease of sourcing makes it a particularly inexpensive material, leading to its growing widespread use.
Today’s modern gravel driveways employ stones sourced from a factory as opposed to the environment. This factory gravel is made from a mixture of clay and rocks and has several advantages over natural gravel.
Its most significant pro is that processed gravel compacts much better, leading to a more even surface. Driving over this mimicked gravel is far more stable than the typical jittery ride along a rough gravel road.
Pros
Longevity is an essential characteristic of gravel driveways. They can typically last for 100 years or more if you maintain them properly. The key is in their structure. Because gravel roads are just a loose collection of rocks, cracks are virtually non-existent. Constant hot and cold cycles don’t cause much damage to gravel.
Gravel drives also are SUDS-compliant because the spaces between the loose stones naturally facilitate water flow. You’ll be hard-pressed to encounter a flooded gravel road.
Creating a gravel driveway is also relatively inexpensive because it’s easy to apply. In essence, you need only a dump truck to unload all the gravel in the desired parameters. Adding a few basal layers before laying the gravel is beneficial. It might increase the cost somewhat, but the added longevity it delivers is usually worth it.
Cons
One drawback of gravel driveways the continual maintenance they require – even more so than asphalt roads. The rule of thumb is to regrade gravel drives at least once a year to maintain optimal driving conditions on them.
Snow presents one of the biggest challenges for owners of gravel driveways. It’s not unusual for snow to displace a sizeable area of gravel from your driveway after winter. They’re also challenging to plough without removing some of the gravel in the process.
Gravel comes in a wide variety of grades and sizes. When laying out a gravel road, it usually gets placed in layers of varying sizes based on the particular segment and form of the drive. Most use a minimum of three sizes of gravel.
All in all, for a rustic feel on the cheap, gravel driveways can be a smart option.
Indian Sandstone
Indian Sandstone is a building material sourced from natural, soft rock. People commonly use it in gardens and patios because it has an elegant look. With this in mind, it might be surprising to some that this material is appropriate for your driveway as well. 
In addition to its sophisticated look, Indian Sandstone actually is quite durable. Thanks to its composition, including a large percentage of quartz, this rock is highly resistant to heavy loads on a regular basis. Driving cars won’t damage a high-quality Indian Sandstone driveway.
Lovely and Unique
This classy-looking material also comes with minimal maintenance requirements. You can clean its smooth surface rather quickly, and your standard garden hose will do the trick to wash down even the most stubborn dirt.
Probably the main reason you’ll choose Indian Sandstone as your next driveway material is that it’s lovely. Its smoothness and elegant colour will add class to your driveway, and the way the tiny quartz crystals sparkle in the sun is just magical. The streaks of colour, which are really imperfections, actually add an attractive variation to the stone.
Indian Sandstone comes in several colours, mostly tans, creams, and greys. But the beautiful thing is that, because it’s a natural material, no two slabs will ever have an identical hue and pattern. Every piece is unique.
You might think that Indian Sandstone is a rich man’s material. While it’s not as economical as asphalt, it’s really not that much more expensive. Compared to block paving, Indian Sandstone is reasonably priced.
Cautions
If you choose to buy Indian Sandstone, do so carefully. There are plenty of sandstone-type materials out there masquerading as the real thing when they’re actually just concrete imitations.
Now, we’re not saying that concrete sandstone isn’t a legitimate building material. It is, but it possesses nowhere near the quality and durability of authentic Indian Sandstone. The concrete replica is also a quarter of the price of the natural rock, so it can be a good gauge if you’re comparing different suppliers and importers.
Whether you intend to buy Indian Sandstone or the concrete version, you need to be aware of the difference.
You also need to know the ins and outs of picking out Indian Sandstone. Because it’s a natural material, you will find striking variations from slab to slab and from supplier to supplier. To maximize durability, pick out tiles that rate a compressive strength (Mpa) of 12.9 or higher.
Also, be sure that the Indian Sandstone you select has the right amount of porosity. Too much porosity will lead to algae growth and a weaker structure, which can make it degrade much faster under harsh weather conditions. A rule of thumb is to maintain a porosity of 1.7 per cent or less.
Finally, be sure that the Indian Sandstone you buy is explicitly rated for driveways. Using the wrong one (for example, those stones intended for patios) will decrease is longevity substantially because it won’t be rated for the heavy loads that regular vehicular traffic brings.
In the end, Indian Sandstone is both an attractive and durable material that makes for great-looking driveways.
Cobblestone
When you picture rustic mansions, heirloom houses, and Tudor style homes, the chances are good that there’s a cobblestone road somewhere in your mind’s eye. Cobblestone pavers create a unique charm of that evokes that “old world” feel. It’s classy and elegant while substantial at the same time. 
Cobblestones originated during Medieval times, and you can still see plenty of examples in many European and American cities today. It’s a testament to the longevity and durability of these stones.
The first cobblestone roads were an improvement over dirt roads and provided better traction for horses in the day. Cobblestone roads also were better at draining water away from the road after rain, thus reducing mud build-up.
While asphalt has mostly replaced cobblestone roads in the modern world, cobblestones are, nevertheless, still celebrated as a rustic and durable driveway style.
A cobblestone driveway comprises larger pieces of stone, traditionally granite. Other rocks, like basalt, are appropriate, too. The stones typically get placed in a bed of either sand or gravel, or they might employ mortar to bind them together.
Serious Durability
The most significant reason to choose a cobblestone driveway is durability. This material is one of the most durable ones you can use in your home. Granite is a particularly durable rock that’s proven to last for centuries. It’s resistant to weather, extreme heat, and stains, and it does crack, even under extraordinary conditions.
Maintenance of cobblestone streets is also quite minimal. Once you get them set, they’ll usually be there for life. Simply wash them a few times a year and remove any stray weeds that grow in between the stones, and you’re good. Even if your cobblestone driveway somehow gets damaged, it’s easy to replace individual pieces of granite.
Granite itself is also a beautiful material and comes in a variety of natural colours and shades. This variation gives you a tremendous opportunity to match your cobblestone driveway to the material on the outside of your house.
Pricey Option
The most significant blockade to building a cobblestone driveway is price. Granite is a costly building material, even more so than bricks. On average, it will set you back £125 per square meter, and that doesn’t even include labour. Laying a cobblestone driveway is a highly labour-intensive process. You can start to understand why you usually see them at large mansions and on city streets.
There are, however, some ways to lower the cost for your cobblestone driveway. Because it requires no special machinery, you can opt to do it yourself – though we don’t always recommend a do-it-yourself approach – especially if you don’t have the expertise or experience.
You can also opt to mix cobblestone paving with a cheaper option, like concrete slabs. Use the granite pieces strategically where they make the most visual impact, and you might be able to achieve a similar look for less.
Any way you look at it, cobblestones are one of the best driveway materials you can use. They are incredibly durable, attractive, and virtually maintenance-free.
Block Paving
Block paving is currently one of the most preferred driveway styles in the United Kingdom. It gives a classic, rustic feel to your backyard or patio. The red brick layout also looks fantastic when it’ put together correctly, always lending an air of sophistication to your flooring. 
Using block pavers for your driveway is also SUDS-compliant, so when it gets wet from heavy rain or gardening, it will drain off rather quickly. This draining prevents puddles from forming, which can become health hazards, plus it’s easy to clean.
Another benefit of block paving is your ability to remove and replace individual bricks. If one area of your pavement gets damaged, you need only to replace that area and not the entire roadway. Repairs are genuinely that easy.
Pattern Options
If you decide on block paving for your driveway, you’ll have a wide range of patterns you can create. More than just a particular look, some designs are chosen for longevity. The most common one is the herringbone pattern, which arranges the bricks in a 90- or 45-degree angle, perpendicular to each other. The popularity of this pattern is because it creates the most durable bond between the individual blocks, so it’s suitable for high-traffic, heavy-duty areas.
Other popular patterns for block paving include basket-weave and stretcher-bond. These designs are most typical for areas used solely for foot traffic, as their weaker bond can’t withstand heavier loads that a driveway requires.
Bricks used for block paving typically comprise either concrete or clay. These materials offer an excellent balance of durability and price, but they have different ways of setting. Clay bricks require high heat to set, typically achieved in an oven or kiln. Concrete slabs need only time to set.
Costly but Classy
With all its benefits, block paving is one of the more expensive driveway options for your home. It requires a sturdy sub-base for it to work, added to the cost of the bricks themselves. It’s also much more tedious to lay these bricks, as it all gets done carefully by hand.
Block paving also does not work well with all types of surfaces. For example, it is not suitable for hard surfaces, such as tarmac. If you have existing tarmac, you’ll have to excavate the area and start fresh.
Once the area gets prepped, block paving requires installation of a hardcore base. Once this base hardens, you’ll apply a layer of compacted sand, and carefully set it. Only then can you begin laying the bricks down, one at a time.
As you can see, the entire process for block paving a driveway involves lots of extra materials and manpower, pinpointing why block pavement is such an expensive endeavour.
All told, block paving is an excellent idea for creating a classy, unique driveway. It might be costly, but the look it gives your home is well worth the price!
