Chris Hogan 
Following a change in the law in England in October 2008, planning permission is now required for homeowners wishing to pave a front garden with a hardstanding of more than five square metres if they are not using a permeable material. One of the main reasons for the new legislation …
You’re absolutely right, gravel will be impractical for a drive with a slope like that. Quite apart from the constant topping up that you’d need to do, because the gravel will naturally roll downhill when someone drives over it and whenever it rains hard, there be a health and safety …
Algae, moss and eventually weeds can take over a newly laid drive unless you keep an eye on the situation. Regular applications of weedkiller and path clearing products will keep them under control, but many people don’t like using these chemical products because of the damage they can do to …
Stains in concrete are notoriously difficult to remove and, as patching is rarely successful in the looks department, the best option might be to wait for time and the natural action of the sun and rain to dull the visual impact of the stain. Having said that, we will cover …
Do you have a hole in your driveway, or maybe a larger area? You might be wondering how to fix it. In this blog post we will show you how to patch up any holes and cracks in your tarmac with hot asphalt material. If you need help getting the …
Patching concrete drives is not for the faint-hearted. It’s best to start in the knowledge that the patch is never going to blend in seamlessly with the rest of the drive, and that it will always look like a patch. With this in mind, you need to be sure it’s …
Replacing individual blocks in paving is possible, although the success of the repair does depend on some extent to the problem that you are trying to solve. If a block has cracked because the substrate below is not even, for example, then replacing the block without levelling the substrate will …
It’s the attention to detail that highlights the difference between an amateur job and a professional job show. As your driveway is often the first thing that people will see of your property, it’s worth putting in the time to make a difference. Here are 10 tips that will help …
In our article on tarmac patching we pointed out that there is no way that a patch will ever be invisible. But there is a way that patches can successfully be hidden, and that’s by putting down a new layer of bitumen or an acrylic coating on top of the …
In a previous article, we went through the process that should ensure you find a contractor who is reputable and can offer guarantees that are worth the paper they are written on (see Using Professionals For Work On Your Driveway. In this article, we focus more on the ways that …
