Park up safely with your own drive
If you’re fed up with the hassle of on-street parking, consider converting your own front patch into off-street parking instead
Convert your space out front into a private driveway, or spruce up the one you have to boost kerb appeal
When buyers search for a new property, private parking is usually a big draw and, if you are lucky enough to own a building with its own spot, it might fetch up to 13 per cent more than similar properties without, according to property valuers Petty Son and Prestwich. Having your own personal parking space brings many benefits – it’s quicker, more secure, less distance to carry your groceries and easier to clean the car on a Saturday morning. So, if your home doesn’t currently have a driveway, here’s how to turn a front terrace into a practical parking spot.
PLANNING PERMISSION
Whether or not you need planning permission will depend on a few things, mostly whether the material you want to use is permeable or nonpermeable. If using non-permeables such as slate then you will need permission, as well as when installing a hardstanding of more than five square metres and if there is no area for water to run off and soak away. As well as contributing to the risk of flooding, non-permeable materials damage the environment necessary for wildlife to flourish, so it’s not a very ecofriendly option. However, if you are using a permeable or semi-permeable surface then water is able to drain through so you would not need planning permission – think gravel, permeable block paving, porous concrete and asphalt. You will definitely need permission if the parking space involves dropping the kerb.
2 CONSIDER THE COSTS
If you want to turn your garden into a driveway, then when budgeting you’ll need to factor in the material you choose, the cost of labour, the size of the new drive, whether or not you need to drop the kerb, the condition of the foundations under the garden as well as the design you have in mind. There are plenty of specialist companies who can advise and offer an initial idea of cost. Some permeable materials, such as resin, are quick and easy to install, reducing costs. It can also be laid over older asphalt or concrete drives. Resin is made from recycled, natural materials, so it’s a sustainable choice. Paving blocks allow you to create patterns, while gravel is the cheapest option (which has the handy security bonus of being noisy when driven and walked on).
3 REVAMP AN EXISTING DRIVE
When you already have a parking spot but it just needs a bit of an uplift, there are plenty of inexpensive ways to give it a new lease of life. First, start by sweeping away any debris then give it a pressure wash. Next, repair or replace any broken, cracked or loose paving blocks or slabs and reseal the driveway. Consider adding a stain to change its colour and add an attractive border. Add a brick, paved or wooden border and think about planting up some colourful flowers or shrubs.
You could also include some lighting along the sides for security as well as illuminating the path, and take a look at the front of your property in general. By sprucing up other areas such as the front door and windows, you can easily create some lovely kerb appeal.
4 DROP THE KERB
When you’re starting from scratch, you may need to drop the kerb in order to drive cars in and out safely. You will need to request planning permission from your local highways department, and the results will vary depending on where you live and your council’s policy. According to myjobquote. co.uk, a non-refundable application fee is around £70-£100 and in most cases, you will need to use a council-approved contractor to carry out the work, with an average cost of around £800-£1,200.
There will probably also be an inspection by the council before any work can start, which costs an additional £180-£220. Extra costs will incur if there is anything beneath the ground that needs protecting such as water pipes or any obstructions that need removing.
5 ADD A GATE
For the perfect finish to a new driveway, a smart gate offers both privacy and security. As well as providing protection, a gate and perimeter fence will boost your home’s desirability while potentially adding value at the same time.
Consider wooden or timber designs and soften the look with carefully selected planting and landscaping. While ornamental metal options suit period properties, timber is more traditional and works with all styles. Think about whether you want a solid or slatted design, something that is easy maintenance and perhaps even an automated gate. These are convenient and secure, and give you full control over who has access. If choosing this option, it should be installed by a registered engineer to ensure it complies with all standards.
6 CHOOSE LIGHTING
Outdoor lighting is a practical and stylish addition to your driveway, and you can choose to have it hardwired to a switch indoors, or to have it turn on automatically as the sun goes down. There are many different styles, materials, colours, fitting types and features available. The easiest is ground spike lighting, which you can wedge into the lawn or flowerbeds to illuminate the outer edges of the drive and the path to the front door. They blend into their surroundings and help create a track for cars to follow when entering the drive.
Solar-powered designs are more ecofriendly while ground bollard lights add a bit of wow factor. There are also pagoda styles that you can install in the grass, as well as lights on poles or pillars and those that can be built into the paving itself.
Two years ago, when Jess Ford and Matthew Vokes first appeared in Your Home, they had just completed the transformation of a tired old bungalow into a modern family home. For their latest project, they went a stage further, going for complete demolition of another run-down bungalow and building a new home from scratch.
Matthew, who specialises in property development, says of this latest venture: ‘the original 1940s property was in a worse state of disrepair than any building I’ve dealt with before, so it just wasn’t worth salvaging, unfortunately.’
Apart from drawing up plans for a new chalet bungalow and applying to the council for permission, the couple admit the first thing they did was to rip out a pair of gate posts, as the existing entrance was too narrow for Matthew’s car. ‘I guess cars were much smaller when this place was built and there were fewer of them, so the existing driveway wasn’t designed for today’s two-car households,’ he says. On the plus side however, there was a large garden at the front of the property, which would eventually be transformed into a more suitable modern driveway for the couple to both use.
Matthew and his team managed to complete the new-build in around six months, creating a four-bedroom, threebathroom contemporary chalet bungalow.
For the new driveway, the couple, who had been living with Jess’s parents until they were ready to move in, chose a stone resin finish instead of block paving, which they felt would be cheaper, longer-lasting and weed-resistant, too. ‘We went for the resin-bound type, which is where resin and stone are mixed together before laying,’ explains Matthew, ‘in a silver grey shade that contrasts nicely with the red brick of the house.’ As the drive is nonpermeable, essential drainage channels were laid in front of the house to prevent run-off, which can lead to flooding.
Now settled in their new home, the couple are happy with the lowmaintenance surface they chose and have no regrets about losing their front garden. However, the importance of planting hasn’t been entirely ignored and there’s now a dense evergreen laurel hedge creating year-round screening in front of the new perimeter wall.