Is your driveway looking old and tired? Are bits of it breaking away or are there weeds growing through the cracks? If so, it sounds like it’s time to renew! For some properties, the driveway is the first thing people notice upon arrival. Read our guide for a great overview of all the things you should consider before getting started on your project…
Gravel
This is a popular choice because it is extremely good value for money and relatively easy to do; ideal if you’re thinking of undertaking the project yourself! Most of the other options will need to be carried out by driveway specialists. There are many different types of gravel that could be used for your driveway including crushed shale, limestone, granite and golden gravel.
Estimated cost: £20-£40 per sq m
Tarmac
Tarmac is a popular option for driveways due to its durability and affordability. It can also be laid quickly, making it a good choice for those looking for a fast solution. Not the most eye-pleasing option, but one to consider if you’re looking for low maintenance.
Estimated cost: £40-£70 per sqm
Concrete
Gone are the days of ugly grey slabs of concrete – it now comes in many colours and can be imprinted with a pattern too if you wish, giving it a paved, aesthetically-pleasing look. It’s an affordable, durable and low-maintenance option.
Estimated cost: £40-£80 per sq m
Paving
A popular choice for driveways, it is durable and visually appealing. Block paving can be designed in a variety of patterns and colours to match the style of your home. Keep in mind that it may involve some maintenance as the joins between blocks may encourage growth from moss or weeds or attract dirt.
Estimated cost: £50-£100 per sq m
Resin
Resin-bound driveways are a newer option that have gained popularity in recent years due to their permeable and eco-friendly properties. They are also visually appealing and can be customised to match the style of your home.
Estimated cost: £50-£100 per sq m
Once you’ve decided on a gravel driveway, you need to have a think about what type of gravel you could use and the look you’d like to go for. TJ can supply you with a choice of different gravels for the top layer, such as 4/10mm gravel, 10/20mm gravel and 5/20mm limestone suds.
When’s best?
When are you planning to carry out the project? Will you take time off work to blitz it or do it gradually at the weekends? Once you know the intended timescale, it will be easier to plan everything else, such as booking grab hire and organising deliveries. Take into consideration the seasons as the ground will be easier to work with when it’s warmer and you’re more likely to recruit helpers in the warmer weather too!
Book any equipment you might need
Make a list of all the equipment you’ll need. Is there anything you can borrow from friends? What will you buy and what will you need to hire? Suggestions as follows:
Get started!
Once you’re ready to start, the first thing you’ll need to do is prepare the ground. This may mean getting rid of an existing driveway or simply preparing the land. Either way, you’ll need to make sure that you’ve dug down enough to enable a strong new driveway to be installed. Most driveways will be 6-10 inches deep so that’s some digging! Depending on the size of your drive, you will need to consider waste removal options such as grab hire to dispose of the old driveway and its layers.
Keep it in place
To ensure your new gravel drive stays on your drive and not on the neighbouring grass or street, you should think about investing in a frame or gravel grids. Building a frame around the edge of the drive will help keep the gravel in place, as would gravel grids, which you would lay on top of the sand layer. They clip together and the gravel is then dropped on top and compacted into the grids to hold it in place.
Layer up
Once your ground has been prepared and excavated, be sure to lay down weed-blocking membrane. After that, you’ll need several layers of gravel to make up your completed driveway. The sub base layer will be an aggregate such as Type 3 limestone, which will need to be compacted, with the finished layer measuring at least 4”.
Next a layer of sand will need to go down and the gravel grids will go on top (if using them). Finally, you will need around 2-3” of top gravel to finish.
In addition to gravel, we supply a range of other aggregates, both from our own quarries – sand and gravel from our Hythe Quarry and rock chalk and recycled aggregates from our Butser Quarry – and from our network of trusted suppliers. Check out our product pages for more info!
Waste collected by our grab lorries from projects such as driveway renewals will be repurposed for recycled aggregate production at our Butser Quarry. We use unwanted rubble, hardcore, concrete, stone and asphalt to make our own recycled aggregates such as iBlend®. This is great for the environment as it is being reused rather than going to landfill.
Our grab hire service is ideally suited for assisting with the removal of old driveway materials, or perhaps materials that need to be dug out in order to make way for a new driveway. This includes soil, gravel, concrete, paving or tarmac/asphalt.
Our grab lorries can take up to 16 tonnes of waste in one go and can be on and off site in 30 minutes or less! What’s more, we can do multiple trips to remove your waste all in one day so you can get on with the project at hand.
You can book a grab as quickly as the next working day if needed and prices start from as little as £150! Get an instant online quote today…
Check out the range of services we offer, from aggregate supply to grab hire! Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss your requirements with one of our friendly and helpful team members…
Here we talk to Woodhorn’s Commercial Director, Mike Jupp, about the partnership that has grown between TJ and Woodhorn over the years. TJ began working with Woodhorn around 11 years ago, after Mike got in touch with TJ’s Commercial Director, Steve Grant, who he knew from many years ago.
Gravel is versatile, durable and affordable making it a popular choice in various industries including construction, groundworks, utilities and landscaping. Gravel is available in a range of different sizes and we can source the size you want in the quantities you need, quickly and efficiently.
At Butser Quarry, our products and services are tailored to serving the construction industry and beyond. We’ve built up many strong partnerships over the years and since acquiring the quarry, we’ve been pleased to supply our own aggregates to these valued customers.
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