Driveway Installers in Milton Keynes
Driveways across Milton Keynes: block paving, permeable paving and resin bound, on a base built to take a car.
A driveway takes more punishment than any other surface at the house. Two tonnes of car turning on it every day, twice a day, in all weathers. The blocks or the resin are the easy bit. The sub base, the edge restraints and the drainage are what decide whether it still looks right in ten years, and they are the part we spend the most time on.
Typical works can include
Every project is different. Depending on the agreed scope, works may include:
- Breaking out and removal of the old drive or lawn
- Excavation to depth and muck away
- Compacted MOT Type 1 sub base laid in layers
- Concrete bedded kerbs, edge courses and haunching
- Block paving to herringbone or running bond
- Permeable block paving and free draining sub bases
- Resin bound surfaces on a permeable base
- Channel drains, soakaways and drainage connections
- Front garden walls, steps, paths and bin stores
- Dropped kerb advice and coordination with the highways application
Elements such as decoration, flooring, structural engineer fees, Building Control fees and any professional or design costs are dealt with according to the individual project, and are included only where the quotation says so.
Block paving, permeable block or resin bound
Standard block paving is still the workhorse. Laid to a herringbone bond over a sharp sand laying course it locks together under load, it can be lifted and relaid if a pipe ever needs digging up, and there is a huge choice of colours and sizes. Permeable block paving looks almost the same but the joints are wider and filled with grit so water drains through into a free draining sub base, which deals with the drainage rules on its own.
Resin bound is the smooth, modern look: aggregate mixed with a clear resin and trowelled over a permeable base, so no puddles and no weeds in joints. It is a good surface, but it is only as good as what it is laid on. Resin over a cracked concrete drive or a thin base cracks with it. We would rather tell you that on the site visit than watch it happen.
The sub base, the edges and why drives sink
A drive that dips where the car parks had a sub base that was too thin or not compacted. We dig out to around 250mm, lay and compact MOT Type 1 in layers with a plate compactor, then a screeded sand laying course and the blocks, compacted again with kiln dried sand brushed into the joints. Kerbs and edge courses go onto a concrete bed with a haunch behind them, because without a restrained edge the whole drive slowly spreads outwards under the weight of the car.
Surface water: the rule since 2008
A new impermeable driveway over roughly five square metres between the house and the road can need planning permission unless the water drains to a permeable surface, a lawn or a soakaway within your own boundary. Permeable block paving, resin bound on a permeable base, or a channel drain to a soakaway all deal with it. The position varies by property, so it is worth confirming with Milton Keynes City Council, and we will flag it early.
Dropped kerbs and the front garden
If the drive is new rather than a replacement, you will need a dropped kerb, and that is an application to the council highways team rather than something we can just do. It takes a few weeks and they have their own rules on width and visibility. We can advise on the application and we build the drive to line up with it.
Most front garden jobs also involve a wall, a path, steps to the front door and somewhere for the bins. Our front approach project photographs show that kind of job: brick retaining wall, new steps, kerbs and a block paved path running up to the house.
The guys that came out to do the work I needed done, were professional, friendly and extremely helpful, the final result was amazing I’m extremely happy with it, it looks amazing, I can’t rate these guys enough I would highly recommend.
Examples of this work
Some of these are mid build rather than finished, because that is where you can see how something was put together.
Worth knowing
Resin bound driveways are sold hard at the moment, often laid straight over whatever was there before. If your existing concrete or tarmac is cracked or moving, the resin will crack with it within a couple of years. Sometimes the honest answer is to take it up and start again, and we will say so.
Where we do this work
Milton Keynes is home and most of this work is inside the city. We also take it on across the surrounding towns.
Every area we cover, and what is different about building there
Common questions
Do I need planning permission for a new driveway?
Usually not, provided the water can drain somewhere within your own boundary. Since 2008 a new impermeable driveway over roughly five square metres between the house and the road can need planning permission unless the surface is permeable or the water drains to a lawn, a border or a soakaway. Permeable block paving and resin bound on a permeable base both satisfy that.
A new dropped kerb is separate and needs an application to the council highways team. That is general guidance rather than planning advice, and the position depends on your property, so it is worth confirming with Milton Keynes City Council or an appropriate professional. We will flag it early.
How long does a block paved driveway take?
A typical two car driveway is about a week: a couple of days to break out and dig, a day or two on the sub base and edges, then the laying and compacting. Resin bound goes on in a day once the base is ready but needs a dry spell and a day to cure before you drive on it. Add a week or two if you are waiting on a dropped kerb.
Are you insured, and what happens if something goes wrong afterwards?
We carry £5 million public liability insurance and we will send you the certificate on request, before you commit to anything.
On workmanship, we come back. If something we did is not right, call us and we will put it right. Manufacturer guarantees on windows, doors, boilers and appliances are passed on to you at handover.
Do you do small jobs?
No. We do not take on handyman work, single repairs or odd jobs, and it is better to say so up front than leave you waiting for a quote that never comes.
We are set up for substantial building and renovation work: extensions, structural alterations, whole house projects, conversions and significant external works. For smaller repairs or handyman-type work, we would recommend using a tradesperson who specialises in that type of service, as our team is structured around larger building and renovation projects.
Related work
Talk it through before you commit
The site visit and the written quotation are free. If you want to know what we are like to work with first, check out our five star Google reviews.