Of course, you may already have a driveway, but it is past its’ best and you want to brighten up the front of your home and possibly get rid of dips and potholes that might have formed over the years. Nothing lasts forever, and that includes driveways, but we can provide you with some long-lasting and tough options for a new driveway for your home.

One of the cheapest options is tarmac, and, no, it doesn’t have to be black! Tarmac is available in a range of colours. It is also extremely durable and can put up with a lot of punishment, which is useful if you have heavy vehicles or perhaps several of them. Tarmac is also weatherproof, so it doesn’t matter if it rains or snows.

Block Paving

Another choice is block paving. This is great if you want a choice of patterns and colours for your driveway as the range of options with block paving is almost limitless. You can have an antique cobbled look, a Mediterranean appearance, mottled effect bricks, and more, and the choice of brick shapes and patterns and sizes means that you can have a driveway that is unique to you.

You can also get permeable block paving which means that the rainwater will simply drain away, and that also means that if you don’t have a soakaway at present you won’t need to install one, which in turn means that you won’t need planning permission. In addition, block paving is highly durable, which is what you want in a driveway, and even if a brick should get damaged it is a simple matter to remove it and replace it with another one.

Another option for your driveway would be imprinted concrete. This doesn’t provide as many options for appearance as block paving, but it can be a less expensive choice. It is also not as long-lasting as either block paving or tarmac. In addition, it is impermeable which means that you need drainage.

There are also other solutions such as resin bound surfaces. Whatever your choice, at Base Driveways we can provide what you wish.

When it comes to constructing a patio, or for that matter a driveway, you have a choice of many different materials. You can use marble, granite, imprinted concrete, slate, limestone, travertine, quartzite, and more, but one of our favourites is block paving in Kent.

One of the beauties of block paving is that it is extremely strong and hard-wearing. You may not have heavy weights on it when using it for a patio, but when it comes to a driveway you need something that is going to last.

Block Paving Can Also Be Permeable

Block paving also comes in an almost endless choice of colours patterns, shapes, sizes and surfaces. Some block paving is also permeable, and that is important in the English weather. You don’t want puddles forming on either your patio or your driveway, and with permeable block paving, the water just soaks through the block and disappears. That is very different from many of the other stones such as marble, granite, and so on, where the water just lays on the surface in puddles unless you have a drainage channel installed.

Furthermore, if you have something such as an imprinted concrete driveway, it will typically only last about ten years. Block paving can go for at least 20 years and often longer. True, block paving is a bit more expensive than some other materials, but it comes in a range of price points. It is also very easy to repair if a block gets damaged. If you have something such as imprinted concrete and it gets damaged, you have really got to rip it out and start over again, and that can be expensive. When you have a cracked brick or block, you simply take it out and replace it.

So, if you want a new patio or driveway for your home, now is the time to talk to us about it.

At Base Driveways, we can provide you with the driveway or patio of your choice, but in order to make an informed decision you need to know about the different materials involved. Both block paving and imprinted concrete provide a more aesthetic appearance than simple plain concrete or something such as tarmac, and there are, of course, several other materials from which you could choose as well.

However, here are the differences. First, if you are concerned only about cost, then imprinted concrete will be a little less expensive than block paving in Kent. This is because there is a little less labour involved. A suitable sub-base is laid and then the concrete is poured over it. While the concrete is still wet, a pattern is imprinted on it to create the effect that you want.

On the other hand, block paving consists of individual bricks or blocks which are laid in a pattern of your choosing. You can also select the colour and material of the blocks as well as the design.

Both types of material will need a little maintenance. Imprinted concrete needs a sealant applied every three or four years, while block paving really only needs a brush and clean to keep it looking smart. However, with block paving you may also get crafty little weeds poking their heads up between the blocks, but you can keep on top of them by using a weed spray. With imprinted concrete you are very unlikely to get any weeds.

With block paving there is no need to provide any drainage as the blocks are classed as permeable. However, with imprinted concrete you have to incorporate drainage because it is non-permeable, and garden and patio regulations require it.

With block paving, if a block/brick gets damaged it is a simple matter to replace it. However, it is not so easy to repair concrete if it suffers damage, and the repair is likely to show up.

As specialists in the installation of driveways and patios, at Base Driveways we can install whichever you choose. Call us today to talk through your options.