What's so special about imprinted concrete driveways?

Patterned or Impressed Concrete is an alternative paving surface to Block Paving or Tarmac for driveways, paths and patios.

The base is still dug out and a hardcore base compacted before the top inches of concrete are applied. Whilst the surface is still wet, a coloured coating is applied and floated in before the final pattern is applied using special moulds.

The result is a surface that can be made to look like any arrangement of blocks or cobbles but without the cost of individual block laying.

You can still have separate coloured 'block pattern' borders - steps can also be created / resurfaced.

Once the pattern has been pressed and the whole surface is dry - a top protective coat is usually applied.

Impressed concrete is particularly useful where there are steep slopes between adjoining areas - with block paving, it may be necessary to create a step - and supporters of impressed concrete will tell you it's a lot harder for the weeds to grow through than with blocks.

Large areas usually incorporate a specially sealed 'break line' so that as the earth moves, structural cracks are avoided in the surface.

Fans of Block Paving will point out that the advantage of blocks is that if one becomes damaged, it's more straightforward to replace a single brick. With impressed concrete, it would mean replacing a small area which would then need skilful blending in with the existing surface.

Both surfaces are recommend to be re-coated with the protective sealants from time to time. If you're in any doubt, always check with your installer first. The maintenance and upkeep of one surface over another might influence your final decision.

You can get quotes for Impressed concrete, Block paving or tarmac driveways, paths and patios at Paving Quoter. Just choose your preferred material, select edging and other features, type in the measurements of the area you want to cover and you'll get an instant online price guide in seconds.

Paving Quoter  - a completely free homeowner service.

Now is the time to get your driveway sorted

The 'Green Zone' in the chart above shows how enquiries have already peaked for the paving industry.

This means greater supply in the market, bringing about lower prices and greater flexibility in installation dates.

So if you have a preferred date in mind when you were thinking of having your old driveway surface replaced, extended or even a new driveway installed, then now is the time to act.

Click here to get your instant online Paving or Driveway quote now.

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Driveway legislation and surface drainage - don't get caught out

With the more recent developments in Driveway legislation - particularly regarding drainage of any new driveways etc, our previous article has proved very popular and we hope useful to those home owners thinking of having a new driveway or patio laid.

So in case you missed it, here's a link to the previous article that's generated so much interest.

http://www.home-improvement-blog.co.uk/2008/08/new-driveway-legislation-being.html

If your thinking of having a new driveway or replacing an old driveway surface, it's still important to get a range of quotes to enable you to compare finishes and prices.

PavingQuoter lets you type in your own measurements, select your preferred finish - block paving, impressed concrete or tarmac - and then calculates a price guide for you there and then.

If you like, you can then follow up that online quote by getting it confirmed by up to three local companies to you that offer that finish. They're all vetted and approved by us so you know we've removed the cowboy element before you start. They'll give you a written firm quotation that's valid for 6 months.

Best bit is it's all completely free for you to use! No catches, no strings attached.

Get your online driveway, path or patio quote now by visiting PavingQuoter. It only takes a few minutes but it could save you pounds.

New Driveway Legislation being introduced

New Driveway Legislation - How to… replace your driveway according to new legislation

With the average household in Britain currently owning two or more cars, it’s no surprise that we are constantly striving for that elusive extra parking space – in the garage, on the driveway, we even concrete over our front lawns to give us an extra space! Keeping the car off the road also significantly lowers insurance premiums, so most families make sure their driveway is as usable as possible. Homeowners in larger cities with unused off-road parking are even renting spaces out! This benefits both the homeowner – spaces can be rented for as much as £3500 per year – and the car-owner, who has the advantage of a guaranteed, safe parking space and cheaper car insurance!

Remember, you can get an instant online quote for your paving and driveway projects at PavingQuoter - click here.

Adapting your driveway at the moment is relatively easy – you don’t need planning permission, you can use whichever materials you like and you can concrete over the front lawn without any trouble. However that’s all about to change.

As of autumn this year, homeowners will require planning permission to replace their driveway or pave over the garden unless porous materials are used. This is all to combat the high flood risks which hit Britain last year – 55,000 homes flooded and, according to government figures, impermeable materials, such as concrete and tarmac, prevented the rain from soaking into the ground and exacerbated the problem. According to the London Assembly, London has already lost the equivalent of 22 Hyde Parks in “green space” as a result of people paving over their gardens. However if the necessity of extra parking really does outweigh your need for green, here are five top tips to replacing your driveway according to the new rules:

1) Gravel
Gravel is by far the cheapest porous material to use on your driveway or garden, and it’s also the one that best keeps your garden looking like a garden. Gravel costs as little as £2 per square metre and comes in many different colours depending on the quarry it’s from. Choose whichever colour you like best and lay the stones onto a permeable membrane to stop weeds going through. If you still want some planting in your garden, work out where your car will go and add “planting pockets” in the membrane. In these you can place hardy plants that will survive if you accidentally drive over them! Try things like bugle, creeping jenny and thyme. You could also try planting berry trees around the edge of your garden where hopefully you won’t crash into them! These are especially hardy and able to cope with the fumes and heat from your car, and will add instant colour. If you are feeling exceptionally green, you can even buy recycled gravel, which is a by-product of the ceramics industry.

2) Bricks
Brick-paving is still an option under the new driveway regulations, as long as you use permeable bricks. These are fitted in an interlocking style that allows rainwater to penetrate through the gaps in the brickwork and soak into the ground. Permeable bricks need to be laid by professionals and cost upwards of £15 per square metre. Brick paving arguably takes away the feel of a garden from your home, but you can add colour by placing pot plants around where your car will go. For pots, it’s easy to add colour all year round – plant things like petunias during the summer months and replace these with hardier plants such as pansies throughout the winter.

3) Recycled driveways
As well as recycled gravel, there are other “green” ways to replace your driveway. Cellular paving is made from hexagonal cells of recycled plastic which you fill with an aggregate, such as resin-bonded gravel or any other aggregate of your choice. The cells usually come in green, but there are other colours available at an extra cost. You can lay cellular paving yourself from £60 per square metre or getting it laid professionally will set you back £100 per square metre.

4) Keep the grass!
If you really do love your garden, but need that extra parking space, you can simply keep your front lawn and park on that. However if you don’t reinforce the grass first, you could end up with a quagmire in front of your house! There are solutions available to reinforce your lawn so that your car can drive on it with ease, without sinking and without ruining the grass. Grass reinforcement is made from plastic and is easy to lay, though you do have to take the grass up first! Then lay the reinforced plastic sheet underneath the lawn and you’ll be ready to park over it in a few hours. There are also concrete underlay options available, but these will obviously take longer to dry before they can be used! Plastic grass underlay costs from £17 per square metre.
If you do want to keep your existing grass and garden pretty much as it is, but still need the extra space for the car, you can lay paving slabs in strips where the wheels of your car will go. This makes a track in your lawn so that your car can be parked on it without leaving tyre marks! However you have to make sure you park precisely and that your wheels don’t leave the paving slabs.

5) Finishing touches
Even though you may think you have turned the front garden into a car park, there are still ways to keep it looking like a garden. As well as “planting pockets” in gravel and pot plants around the car, you can also add other touches to make sure you still have some plants and greenery. Try leaving “holes” in the paving, by leaving circular shapes unpaved. Fill the circles with soil and plant decorative trees or topiary in them – obviously making sure that they will not grow so big that they block the driveway or their roots will damage the paving! Choose small evergreens or topiary bushes that will remain miniature.

You could also build a pergola over the car so that it will stay hidden and your garden will still look pretty. To climb over the pergola, plant variegated ivy or beautiful florals such as honeysuckle, hydrangea, clematis or passion flower. If you don’t want to build a pergola, you could also consider putting a trellis up the front of the house and planting a climbing plant to grow up that. This way you are not missing out on some green in your garden!

If you are still not convinced by using a porous material on you driveway, consider that non-porous materials increase rainwater run-off by 50 per cent, which then has to flow into drains, which could overflow and flood. Non-porous materials also stop rain from soaking into the ground, which makes the ground dry and can cause subsidence. But don’t let this put you off having a driveway – off-street parking can add thousands to the value of your property and is a useful, safe space for your car. Just make sure you are sticking to the new laws and using porous driveway materials!

Don't forget, you can get an instant online quote for your paving and driveway projects at PavingQuoter - click here.

Impressed concrete driveways - why choose impressed concrete over block paving

Impressed concrete driveways – why choose impressed concrete over block paving

When you're considering getting your driveway, path or patio re-surfaced, many think of block paving – intricate designs of small blocks from cobblestone replica's to smoother natural stones in a variety of shades and textures.

However, before you go ahead, have you considered impresses concrete? Impressed concrete is a uniform layer of concrete laid over the area to be 'paved'. This concrete is then imprinted using a variety of different mould's to re-create the same patterns as found in traditional block paving.

After the pattern has been impressed, a coloured powder is added and smoothed in to give the finished colour.

One of the advantages of impressed concrete over block paving is its ability to take in awkward areas and slopes without the need for intricate cutting and steps, however, it should be noted that usually if a step is required for general foot traffic, then a step should still be considered.

You can still specify different colours – one for the edging, one for the middle etc and recognised companies will pay the same attention to the groundwork preparation as they would for block paving.

Costs are not to dissimilar and impressed concrete, like its block paving counterpart can be laid usually throughout the year with only the frostiest of nights slowing down installation.

So, before making your mind up, why not explore the possibility of Impressed Concrete? You can get a free, instant online quote for both at PavingQuoter.co.uk.

Doing up your drive? - Tips and advice

How to…………….Build a new driveway

Resurfacing an existing driveway is a relatively straightforward process, but creating a new driveway entry onto a highway takes a little more consideration. Here’s five tips you must consider before you begin:

1 – Consult the local council
It is essential you contact your local authority before you start any work on your driveway. Planning permission will certainly be required if you live on a major road or near a junction. And there may be other requirements depending on the regulations of your local council, such as the amount of engineering work that will be carried out, or if you intend to install a new gate or fencing. So check first.

2 – Plan well in advance
It may sound obvious, but preparation is absolutely critical, and it’s better to encounter any potential problems before the job starts than halfway through. Mark out the exact area you want the driveway to be laid, and take into account any obstacles that will have to be removed, such as trees or walls. Are you going to put in a gate? Is the new driveway going to be big enough for your car as well as room to walk around it? Remember – if your car overhangs onto the pavement, you might not get planning permission.

3 – Check the ground
If the area where you are planning to build the new driveway has already been excavated, ensure that the ground is still hard. Rainfall may have created soft areas in the earth which could lead to subsidence in the future. If you do find any soft areas, dig them out before starting any other work on the driveway.

4 – Don’t forget drainage
One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of constructing a new driveway is drainage. If the land is flat, you will have to ensure there is a slight gradient in the surface, and if the slope runs towards a building you will have to install surface water drainage channels too.

5 – Specify exactly who does what
There may be parts of the operation that you are confident to carry out yourself, so it’s always best to split the project into stages. For example, excavating the area is a fairly straightforward job, but installing paving is a large-scale-project, and if you have no previous experience it is recommended you bring in the professionals, if only for consultation on what to do yourself.

When looking for firms to carry out work for you, the universal rule for all home improvement companies applies: make sure that you employ a reputable firm with a proven track record! Pavingquoter can help you choose your supplier.