Questions, answered plainly

Size comes first, then what’s underneath. A drive on soft ground, or one where a thick old surface has to be broken out and taken away, needs more digging, more waste removal and more sub-base. After that it’s the material and pattern, edging, drainage, access for machines and skips, and extras such as steps or raising manhole covers. Our block paving cost guide explains each one.

Usually because they’re not quoting for the same job. One might include a 150mm compacted sub-base, edging haunched in concrete and a drainage channel; another might lay straight onto what’s there. Ask every firm to put the dig depth, sub-base thickness, edging detail and drainage plan in writing. When one price is far lower than the rest, something on that list is usually missing.

Not unless you ask for something extra. Your quote is a fixed price. The only other exception is something nobody could see at survey, such as an old soakaway, a buried oil tank or very soft ground under the old drive. If that happens, we stop, show you what we’ve found and agree any extra cost in writing before we carry on.

They’re guide ranges for typical jobs, so they’re useful for setting a budget. What they can’t do is see your ground, levels, access or drainage, which can move a price either way. That’s why we always survey before giving a figure. Try the estimator on any of our driveway and patio service pages, then let the survey fix the price.

No more than 10% of the quoted price, paid when you book, which covers the materials ordered for your job. The balance is due when the work is finished and you’ve walked round it with us. We never ask for the full price up front, never ask for cash only, and every payment gets a receipt.

Thirty days from the date on it. Material prices can change, so after that we’ll check the figures and either confirm the quote or reissue it. If you need longer to decide, that’s fine. There’s no ‘sign today’ price, and nobody will ring to push you into an answer.

Since October 2008, laying more than 5 m² of new or replacement hard surface in a front garden in England has needed planning permission. You don’t need it if rainwater can soak through the surface, or drains onto a lawn, border or soakaway on your property. Smaller areas and back gardens aren’t caught by this rule. Our driveway planning permission guide covers the detail.

Either the surface lets water through, or it sheds water onto ground that does. Resin bound on a porous base and permeable block paving let rain soak straight in. Standard blocks and tarmac don’t, so we lay them to fall towards a border, lawn or soakaway, or fit a channel drain that feeds one. Either way, the water stays on your property.

It shouldn’t. On a new front driveway over 5 m², water running onto the road means you’d need planning permission, and highway authorities have powers to stop water flowing from private land onto the road. Where a drive slopes towards the street, we fit a channel drain across the entrance and send the water to a soakaway or planted area instead.

Yes. A dropped kerb, or vehicle crossing, is work on the public pavement, so it needs approval from your council as the highway authority, and it must be built by the council or a contractor it approves. We don’t install dropped kerbs, but we’ll tell you at survey whether you need one and how to apply, and plan your driveway around it.

Check with your council before you plan anything. If your home is listed, ask the council’s conservation officer to look at your plans first. Some conservation areas and newer estates have had permitted development rights removed, often by an Article 4 direction or a planning condition, and flats and maisonettes don’t have those rights at all. We’ll flag anything like this at survey.

Usually not. A patio in the back garden of a house is normally permitted development, and the 5 m² front-garden rule doesn’t apply to it. The exceptions are listed buildings, flats and maisonettes, homes where those rights have been removed, and raised patios more than 30cm above the ground, which count as raised platforms and need planning permission.

It depends on your drive. Block paving is hard-wearing, easy to repair and suits slopes and heavy use. Resin bound gives a smooth, permeable finish but needs a sound base and dry weather to lay. Tarmac is usually the most economical for large areas but needs drainage designing in. Our block paving vs resin vs tarmac guide compares them side by side.

No, and the difference matters. Resin bound mixes stone and resin together and trowels it to around 18mm thick, so it’s smooth, holds its stones and lets water through. Resin bonded is a coat of resin with loose stone scattered on top: grippy, but not permeable, and loose stones come away over time. We lay resin bound driveways.

Usually, yes. Block paving comes in a wide range of colours, from charcoal and brindle to buff tones that sit well with Yorkshire sandstone, and natural stone patios can be matched to the walls of the house. We can bring samples to your survey. Look at them in daylight, next to your walls and when wet, before deciding.

Porcelain is hard-wearing, resists stains and looks very uniform, which suits modern homes; it needs a slurry primer to bond to the mortar. Indian sandstone has natural colour variation and a softer, traditional look, but it’s porous, so it weathers and can mark. Both should be laid on a full mortar bed, never on a few dabs of mortar. See our patio and pathway page.

The finished surface should sit at least 150mm below your damp-proof course, so rain can’t splash above it and soak into the walls. If the ground next to the house is already too high, we dig it down or fit a drainage channel along the wall. It’s one of the first things we check at survey, because it’s expensive to put right afterwards.

Yes. Herringbone, basketweave and stretcher bond are common block patterns, and herringbone is the strongest choice for drives because the blocks lock together under turning wheels. A contrasting border or a band of setts can frame a resin or tarmac drive too. Busier patterns and lots of curves mean more cutting, which adds time and cost.

For a typical 50 m² drive, block paving takes four to six days, resin two to four and tarmac two to three. A 25 m² patio usually takes three to five days. Deep dig-outs, steps, tricky access and wet weather add time. Your quote includes an estimate for your job, and you can see how a job runs, step by step.

For a block paved drive, typically 200–250mm below the finished level: around 150mm of compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, a 30–50mm bed of sharp sand and the blocks themselves. Paths and patios need less; soft or clay ground can need more. A shallow dig is one of the most common reasons drives sink in the wheel tracks.

Not the part we’re working on, so plan to park nearby for a few days. We’ll tell you when it’s ready: block paving can usually take a car as soon as it’s compacted and jointed, resin after 24 to 48 hours, and tarmac once it has cooled and hardened, usually within a day or two. We always keep a safe route to your front door.

Into a skip or grab wagon, then to licensed recycling and disposal sites. We’re a registered waste carrier, and a lot of what comes out of an old drive, such as concrete and hardcore, is crushed and reused as recycled aggregate. Nothing is dumped, and we keep the waste transfer paperwork for every load.

A little, for a few days. Breaking out old concrete and running the plate compactor is noisy, so we keep to sensible working hours and let the neighbours know before we start. We keep the pavement passable, never block anyone’s drive and sweep the road every evening. If a neighbour has a concern, they can talk to the crew or call us.

Digging out and laying blocks can usually carry on in light rain. Resin can’t be laid in rain or near-freezing temperatures, tarmac needs dry conditions, and heavy rain stops mortar work on patios. If the weather turns, we pause rather than risk the finish, protect what’s been done and tell you as early as we can when we’ll be back.

Our workmanship, for 10 years, in writing. That includes sinking, rutting, loose blocks or slabs, edging that moves and drainage we installed that fails because of how it was built. It doesn’t cover staining, damage from skips or heavy vehicles, tree roots or normal weathering. The full details are on our process and guarantee page.

Sweep it regularly and top up the kiln-dried sand in the joints when it drops, especially in the first few months. Deal with weeds and moss early. If you jet wash, use a wide fan nozzle at a low angle, then re-sand the joints. Clean up oil spills quickly. A sealer is optional; it helps resist stains and holds the joint sand in. More on our block paving page.

Sweep it regularly so dirt doesn’t settle into the surface, and wash it with a hose or a low-pressure jet wash once or twice a year so it keeps draining freely. Weeds can’t grow up through it, but seeds can take root in dirt left on top. Clean up oil or fuel straight away, and in snow use a plastic shovel rather than a metal one.

Give new tarmac time to harden. In its first summer, avoid turning the steering wheel while the car is stationary, and put a board under motorbike stands, caravan jockey wheels and car jacks, which can sink in on hot days. After that, sweep it, keep weeds off the edges and clean up oil or fuel quickly, as both soften tarmac. See our tarmac driveway page.

Keep off it for a day or two, and avoid heavy furniture for a few days while the mortar cures. After that, sweep it and wash it with water and a stiff brush. Sandstone is porous, so wipe up spills such as red wine or barbecue fat quickly; a suitable sealer can help. Porcelain rarely needs more than a wash.

Take a few photos, note when you first noticed it and call 07957 236658 or email info@dnc-paving.co.uk. We’ll reply within 24 hours and arrange to come and look. If it’s covered by the guarantee, we fix it at no cost. If it isn’t, we’ll explain why and what it would take to put right. Small problems are always easier to fix early.