Driveway Installation St Albans

Resin driveways suit St Albans’ older houses particularly well. Natural stone aggregate is mixed with a UV-stable resin and trowelled by hand into a smooth, even surface that won’t fade or yellow in the sun. Buff, brown and grey stone blends sit well against Victorian red brick or the render on a 1930s semi, and a brick or block border gives the edges a neat finish.

Resin is permeable, so rain drains straight through it. On a permeable base it usually doesn’t need planning permission, which helps on terraced frontages where there’s no room for a drainage channel. There’s no loose gravel to end up on the pavement, and upkeep is a regular sweep. If your existing tarmac or concrete is sound, we can often lay resin straight over it; if not, we build a new compacted stone base first. Most resin drives take two to four days to lay, plus 24 to 48 hours to cure. More about our resin driveways.

Block paving is a natural fit for the Victorian and Edwardian houses around Clarence Park and Bernards Heath. Clay pavers keep their colour and look at home next to old brickwork. Concrete blocks cost less and come in more colours and shapes, and tumbled blocks have softened edges for a drive that looks like it’s always been there.

For a drive that takes a car every day, we usually recommend a herringbone pattern, because the blocks lock together tightly and resist turning tyres. Basketweave and mixed-size layouts suit wider frontages. Every block drive needs a firm edge, so we set a kerb or a row of blocks in concrete along the sides to stop the paving creeping outwards. Permeable block paving drains through its joints, which keeps a larger front garden within the planning rules. Because each block is separate, a cracked or stained one can be lifted and replaced without touching the rest, so repairs are quick. More about block paving driveways.