Driveway design ideas
Check out our pick of some of the most stylish and hardwearing options on the market
Get the lowdown on different driveway styles
Pattern imprinted concrete (PIC) is emerging as a quick and creative driveway option, suitable for recreating the look of anything from flagstones to cobble setts laid in complex patterns. It’s not permeable, so a drainage solution will be required.
This PIC project by Readypave (www. readypave.com) features steel mesh reinforcement to prevent cracking. The Royal Ashlar pattern in Bideford buff replicates Indian stone, and is finished with a non-slip acrylic sealant. A similar design would cost around £95 per m2 fully installed.
Grass paving offers the opportunity to add extra parking area while retaining an element of green space, and is naturally permeable. It can be achieved in a number of ways, from laying standard block paving with wider gaps for planting, through to the more widely-used cellular systems. Grassguard from Marshalls (www.marshalls.co.uk), priced at around £54 per m2 plus installation, is designed for occasional parking as an adjunct to a standard block paved driveway.
Block paving is an attractive and highly durable option, with a huge range of colours, styles and textures to suit your project. Most block paving is permeable and Sudscompliant, which means it can be installed without formal planning permission. Shown here is Stonemaster from Bradstone (www.bradstone.com), which is available in three grey shades as either a mixed pack of four sizes or in an ultra-contemporary 300mm x 100mm format, and is priced from £50 per m2 plus installation.
Granite setts are small blocks of dressed natural stone, generally ranging from 100mm x 100mm up to 200mm x 250mm in size. Setts’ durability and rugged texture make them a wow-factor choice for driveways, patios and paths – whether traditional or modern. They’re impermeable, so you’ll need a drainage solution, and tend to cost slightly more to install than block paving. Granite setts from Stonemarket (www.stonemarket.co.uk), £POA, are available in three colours, with the widest choice of sizes in the silver option.
Resin bound driveways combine either natural aggregate, marble or recycled materials with a clear resin – giving the textured look of gravel in a smooth, durable and permeable surface. They’re also available in a wide selection of colours. This 186m2 installation by Sureset (www.sureset.co.uk) features 10mm Barley Beach aggregate at a 24mm depth, and was completed for £55.60 per m2 – with lower costs accessible by using a smaller aggregate size.
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