After discussing the look he wanted, as well as the functionality of the space, we suggested three different sizes of Tegula blocks in an Autumn Gold colour. These blocks, and the designs we came up with, are ideal if you don’t want a very traditional, formal style of block paving but fancy something a bit different.

We think the end result looks great, and so does the client. Here’s his feedback:

“My existing driveway was looking really tired – it was old tarmac, full of divets and cracks. I own and run a chain of sales and letting agencies, and the driveway of my own home didn’t match the professional image I give other people’s houses!

“I asked the S Church Groundworks and Surfacing team to design and lay a new, smart, great-looking drive. They took up all 100m2 of existing tarmac and took it all away before prepping the area and laying block paving – a lovely product called Tegula.

“As a business-owner and someone who is involved in property, I know exactly how important it is to be able to trust tradespeople. All of Sam’s staff were really approachable, professional and friendly.

“They turned up in uniform, did exactly what they said they do, worked hard and left the site in a good state every day. The final product – as the pictures show – is of high quality. In fact, I’ve had at least 8 people ask me who designed and laid the drive. That’s how good it looks. It’s made my house look much better than the old drive did and I still enjoy seeing the new drive as I come home every day.”

Block paving case study Tilehurst is a post from the Berkshire Driveway Expert blog

Herringbone
Choose herringbone, with its interlocking design, for any surface which will support turning vehicles. Driveways, domestic parking areas and in-and-out drives would all benefit from the strength of a herringbone block paving design, which can be laid at 45* or 90*. Because the blocks are interlocked, they remain strong even when they’re under pressure. In fact, they get even stronger when they’re forced together. We’d always recommend a 60mm block for any surface which is going to be driven over. The extra 10mm gives that all-important extra strength.

Basket weave
Basket weave isn’t as strong as herringbone, due to the way the blocks are laid. The blocks don’t interlock, so we’d recommend basket weave is used for surfaces intended for light use, such as domestic pathways.

Cutting in and motifs
There are all sorts of motifs which can be placed within other block paving designs or as standalone decorative designs in gardens, patios or driveways. They’re a great way to make block paving prettier, complementing garden designs and hard landscaping. Motifs add interest and can draw the eye to particular areas of your garden (or away from other bits!) Cutting in will usually incorporate different sizes, shapes and colours of block for eye-catching effect and it’s really important to get a professional finish to ensure there are no gaps which could encourage weed-growth.

Stretcher board
A plain design of paving, where the blocks are laid side-by-side, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring. It’s ideal for making space look wider or narrower; a great choice for long, narrow paths or walkways.

Colours, patterns and borders
Use of contrasting colours can make block paving more eye-catching, incorporating a design to all or some of the surfaced area. Coloured blocks can be used to place a pattern (like a diamond) in the middle of the blocked area, or can be used to edge the blocked area with a contrasting border. It’s only limited by your imagination! We’re certainly happy to advise on all designs and have the capability to lay them all to the highest professional standard.

What kind of block paving do you prefer?

Sam, Berkshire’s Driveway (and block paving!) expert

Why use different designs of block paving is a post from the Berkshire Driveway Expert blog.

The why is the easy bit: if you don’t seal your driveway surface properly, water can enter small cracks and holes in the material. Then, when it freezes, the water expands, creating larger cracks or even potholes. These are annoying at best and dangerous at worst, posing a risk to your vehicles and yourself as you arrive home.

There are various types of sealants we’d recommend to give a professional, safe and durable finish. Resiblock is the one of the best, and it’s great on a natural stone.

To seal your driveway or pathways well, we always recommend cleaning the surface thoroughly (with a jetwash if possible) and then waiting for the surface to dry completely. Try to pick a fine, sunny day for this! If your drive or path is block paved, the washing might dislodge some of the material between the blocks. Make sure you get remedial repairs carried out before carrying on with the sealing.

Finally, apply the sealant in consistent layers so the finish gives an even coverage which looks good and performs well right through Autumn and Winter. If your sealant is applied professionally, you shouldn’t need to redo it for several years…unless we’re unfortunate enough to have real extremes of weather!

Stay tuned for more tips on how to keep your groundworks and surfacing safe and looking good as we head into Winter….

Sam, Berkshire’s Driveway Expert

It’s getting chilly and Summer is definitely on its way out. With Autumn comes falling leaves, damp conditions and less sunlight: all things likely to make your patio, pathway and drive look a bit tatty. Take some time to tidy up and look after your surfaces as we head towards Winter. Here’s how:

- look out for surfaces slippery from rain, mud or leaf fall. Spend some time sweeping the surface with a stiff brush and using a cleaning solution like Jeyes if necessary

- if you want to give your block paving a bit of a facelift, you can pressure wash it, but bear in mind that this will blast out the sand between the blocks. So you’ll need to rekiln the blocks once they’ve dried (and then you could reseal it all, too). We recently rekilned and resealed a drive in Tilehurst which we first laid 7 years ago. It looks as good as new again now!

- it’s not too late to apply solutions (like woodstain to decking) but remember you’ll need a good period of warm sunlight to dry it off

- have a look at your gravel: is it looking patchy? Now’s a good time to get hold of some extra shingle and rake it in

- look for dips in your tarmac: if they fill with water, the puddles will turn to ice when the temperatures drop. Get them leveled off now for a safe surface

- if any sections of your block paving have dropped, consider getting remedial repairs carried out before the cold weather causes damage between the blocks. Individual sections can be lifted and leveled out.

- and, the big one: look at your tarmaced surfaces, block paving and brickwork now to spot any small cracks or gaps. The first bit of icy weather we have will spell disaster unless you sort these little holes out now. Water will get in and, when it freezes, expand – and that’s how you get big cracks and potholes

I hope that gives you some useful ideas for maintaining your domestic surfacing over Autumn.

Sam, Berkshire’s Driveway Expert

Top Tips for Autumn driveways, patios, paths is a post from the Berkshire’s Driveway Expert blog.

Car numbers are up and parking spaces are down. For lots of people, it makes sense to turn at least some of the front garden into extra parking space. But the heavy rains we’ve had recently have made it obvious that the job needs to be done correctly (otherwise the run-off can put strain on drainage systems, leading to backlog or flooding). So what do you need to think about when getting your garden paved over for parking space?

Here are our top tips:

Do I need planning consent to pave over my garden?
Extra regulations were introduced in 2008 which mean changing your garden for more parking space is subject to certain controls. Unless your home is listed or in a conservation area, you won’t need planning consent – as long as the parking area is going to be covered in porous material, or the rainwater is going to be redirected to somewhere which drains naturally. More than 5m2 is subject to planning permission.

What are the benefits of gravel or shingle as a driveway?
Gravel or shingle are naturally porous and easy to use for a driveway or parking space. It needs to be laid on a sub-base which has been compacted to take the load. It needs enough granularity to drain well but enough retention to slow the flow of heavy rainfall – otherwise you might as well not have a driveway at all.

Consider your sub-base material wisely. The gravel or shingle should be chosen mainly for its appearance.

Don’t forget to have some sort of hard paving installed where the driveway transitions to the road, and where it meets the house.

Can I use hard paving for a driveway?
Hard paving like concrete, clay blocks or porous asphalt can be used for a drive or parking spaces as long as the surface allows free drainage of storm water. The sub-base needs to incorporate layers, with finer material towards the top – this will slow water transition and also filter contaminants.

Hard finishes either need to be laid with a suitable fall away from the house or with the water drained to a soakaway. Be careful that this doesn’t conflict with your house’s existing soakaways.

Can I use wheelways instead of paving?
Wheelways are an option if you want a simple solution to parking space and don’t need much manouverability. A pair of wheelways can be laid with hardcore and a permeable finish.

There’s plenty more we can tell you about paving your garden to create parking spaces or a driveway. We can help with the design and advise on the best materials. Let us know if you need a hand.

Sam (Berkshire’s Driveway Expert)

How to pave over your front garden is a post from the Berkshire Driveway Expert blog

How can I stop grass growing in my path/drive/block paving?
Ideally, the surface will have been laid over a membrane which prevents weeds from being able to make any headway, so you won’t have to deal with this problem. However, if this step of the process was missed out, I’d advise using a weed killer. You can try a homemade solution of bleach and water, too. But it’s far better to be on the offensive and get a weed membrane down when the blocks are laid!

Does widening the driveway/block paving the drive add value?
Absolutely. Research shows that a really nice drive can add £7000 to a home’s value, which is significant in this climate. It makes sense when you think about it. One of the first things potential buyers will see if your driveway. First impressions count!

How do I deal with scraped surface on my tarmac?
This is another one which is far easier to prevent than cure. Tarmac does heat up in really hot weather (like we had a month or so ago) and, in those circumstances, becomes prone to scrapes and gouges. You can do two things. Firstly, run your hose over the surface to cool it down. And secondly, drive dead straight whilst you’re on the tarmac. Don’t turn your wheels as this will mark the surface.

How can I look after tarmac surfaces in hot weather?
As above – turn your garden hose on and hose the surface down so it cools enough to harden up a bit. And be aware that hot tarmac is soft tarmac, and soft tarmac marks.

How can I care for and maintain block paving? (And what’s the strongest block paving fluid?)
Make sure your block paving is treated with a sealant when it’s laid. That will help protect the blocks and maintain their colour over time. It’s always a nice idea to clean block paving from time to time, and we recommend good old Jeyes fluid for the job.

How do I go about dropping or lowering my kerb?
See this blog post for a full explanation, but the short answer is that you don’t have to get someone from the council to come out and arrange to drop your kerb. You can use any contractor on the council’s approved list (we’re one of them). This option gives you a bit more control over the proceedings (and the cost!)

Should I put a sub base down for block paving?
If you’re laying the block paving for the first time (and it’s going on an existing surface such as grass) then, yes, absolutely. But if there’s a sub base already there then don’t bother breaking it out just to lay it again.

Should I returf my lawn or lay the driveway first?
Good question! It really does depend on the layout of your house and garden, whether the lawn is at the back or front, where the drive is in relation to the grass, etc. Always work from the back of the house out to the front – that way, your workmen and their machinery won’t need to go over your lovely new surface (or through your house!) as they work.

To answer your specific question, I’d probably lay the drive first and turf the lawn afterwards. This is because mud is far easier to get off tarmac than diesel (from rolling) is to get off your nice new grass!

My tip here is to plan everything before you do a single bit of work. It’s really important, and something which often gets missed out of the groundworks and surfacing process.

Hope that helps! I’m always really happy to advise on any residential groundworks or surfacing project. It’s important to get it right first time. Give me a call or leave a comment if you’ve got a question for me.

Sam, Berkshire’s Driveway Expert

My first bit of advice would be to get a rumblestrip laid as part of the driveway construction. I always think granite sets look nice for this – they look like cobblestones.

The rumblestrip creates a small upstand above the height of the gravel on your driveway, preventing the shingle from jumping out and onto the pavement or road, even when you’re moving your car off the driveway.

If your drive has a natural bowmouth to it, you could incorporate this into the design and get the rumblestrip put in a little way back from the end of the driveway. Depending on the length of the drive, you might have anything from 0.5metre left after the rumblestrip, which could be tarmaced or block-paved rather than gravel. Along with the rumblestrip, this would work to keep your shingle where it’s meant to be!

Along with installing and maintaining driveways, block-paving and other domestic groundworks and surfacing jobs, we also love to get involved at the design stage. I’ll always advise clients about the best layout, materials and finish to achieve the look but also the functionality they want.

Sam, Berkshire’s Driveway Expert

Needless to say, that’s not the way we work. We are a professional groundworks and surfacing company, used by private customers, development companies and even local councils.

I thought it might be useful to post some advice for anyone unsure of a company’s credibility or wondering about the quality of work charged for.

Here are some actions you can take and questions you can ask (as well as the answers you should expect to hear!)

You can ask:
What depth of sub-base will you be using on my drive?
Answer: any professional groundworks company should use 150mm for a normal driveway. Of course, the best answer would be “I need to assess your driveway first, but for normal drives, we use 150mm”.

You can ask:
How often will you compact the materials as you lay my drive?
Answer: We always compact the driveways we lay every 70mm. This ensures that the surface is more stable and secure.

You can ask:
How can I stop weeds from growing under my block-paving?
Answer: We’ve laid a weed-control membrane under the blocks, so this won’t be a problem. Some groundworks companies – us included – will give a guarantee against weeds for the lifetime of the driveway or block-paving.

You can ask:
How can I prevent debris from falling into my block-paving and causing a problem?
Answer: We’ll seal the block-paving after laying it, so anything which falls on it (like seeds or bird droppings) won’t be able to work its way between the blocks and set up home there.

Getting a quote for groundworks
No decent groundworks and surfacing company will put pressure on you to book a job once they’ve quoted you for it. As an example, here’s how our process works for any domestic block-paving job:
- I’ll give you a quote there and then (after all, prices for block paving are standard – £55 per m2)
- I’ll send you the same quote by email so you have an official copy
- And that’s it. The rest is up to you. If I’ve not heard from you after a few weeks, I will probably drop you another email just to see if you’ve got any queries. But the decision to book the work or not is yours.

Checking the quality of groundworks
If you want to check the work as it goes along, you can dip the material with a stick or rod. It should sink 150mm (or whatever depth the groundworks company have said they’ve laid). Whenever we’re doing a job for the council, they will periodically test the depth of whatever we’re laying. Did you know that, if it’s even 5mm out, they will instruct us to rip it out and start again? That’s why we’re meticulous about the depth of the materials we lay.

We’d like to think that any groundworks or surfacing company you use will do and say these things automatically, but it never hurts you – as the paying customer – to have enough knowledge to assess the quality of work you’ve been quoted for.

Sam (Berkshire’s driveway expert)

Whilst Andy Murray is sweating it out on Wimbledon’s Centre Court against Jarkko Nieminen, we thought it would be a good idea to blog about tennis – specifically, how you can have a tennis court in your own garden.

If you or your family like playing tennis, there’s no better treat than having your own court at home. If you’re looking to add value, and a USP, to your house, it can be money really well spent. Most houses can have a nice garden, a lovely patio or a smart drive but very few come with their own tennis court!

My company S Church Groundworks and Surfacing Ltd design, build and maintain tennis courts (and other sports surfaces) for sports and social clubs as well as private customers. We can advise you on the latest materials, the most suitable design and of course can source the best trade prices for you.

How much room do I need for a tennis court?

Not as much as you might think! Standard dimensions for a tennis court are 78 feet long by 27 feet (or 36 feet for doubles) wide. You’ll need extra space around the court, meaning a total of 120 feet long and 60 feet wide.

What colour can my tennis court be?

Black is always an option, but you can also have red or green if you want a different look.

What material will you use for my tennis court?

Because a tennis court needs to be flat, we use a porous material (tarmac, for instance, isn’t porous) which also gives a good combination of grip and cushioning for your feet and for the ball.

We use trusted partners who are experts in their particular skill to source and install thermaplastic lining, nets, fencing and posts. We can also resurface existing tennis courts or help you to maintain or overhaul an old, outdated tennis court surface.

The only thing we don’t do is bring the strawberries and cream

Give me a call if you’d like to discuss installing a tennis court (or any other sports surface) at your home.

Enjoy the sun! Sam – Berkshire’s Driveway (and tennis court) surfacing expert!

Driveway with block paving and shingle

Q: Wow Sam, thanks for my lovely new block paving. I’m a bit worried though – are weeds going to come up through it?
A: If block paving has been correctly laid, with a weed-control membrane underneath, and correctly filled with a good sealant, then no, weeds will never blight your block paving. Needless to say, this is exactly how we approach every block paving job we do. We guarantee you won’t have any problem with weeds. However, if one or more of these things haven’t been done by whoever laid your block paving then, sorry, you might have a problem on your hands. It’s worth noting that, whenever you see block paving with weeds poking through, you’ll know the job wasn’t done correctly.

By the way – just a thought for a Thursday – why is the word “weed” used to describe a weak person? Weeds are one of the strongest things around! They’ll certainly push block paving apart. Not very “weedy” if you ask me….

Q: Smashing driveway Sam, thanks. But what guarantee do you give?
A: We give a life-long guarantee (that’s the drive’s life, not mine or yours!) against normal use. Normal use being one or two cars being driven up and down the drive in a reasonable manner (no crazy wheel spins or handbrake turns!) every day, with the odd day when there’ll be lots of cars, or delivery vehicles. Our drives are made to last and we guarantee that they will.

Q: I love my new tarmaced dropped kerb. How can I keep it looking good?
A: The first thing I’d say is watch the weather. If it’s a really hot day, the sun will reheat the tarmac and make it susceptible to permanent damage. So, if it’s a sunny day, drive straight whilst you’re on the tarmac. Don’t turn your car’s wheels. You could also put the garden hose over it quickly, just to cool the bitumen down. Remember that, if you do gouge the surface (easily done), it’s difficult to rectify. Far better to drive in a straight line til you’re out on the road, and not face the problem of scraping the tarmac.

Q: I’ve got a bit of money to play with and I want to improve the outside of my house. What’s the best thing to do?
A: There are a few things you could consider:
- What’s the first thing people (including potential buyers) see when they approach your house? It’s the drive. Smarten the drive (resurface it, put in block paving or widen it) and it really will make the world of difference to your house.
- Give your garden (front or back) a bit of a facelift. This is a great time of year for returfing, and we work with a really good landscape gardener who can do hard or soft landscaping.
- One of the quickest and easiest things you can do is to put shingle down. It gives an instant visual effect and it’s also good for security.

Hope you’re enjoying the sun! Sam (Berkshire’s driveway expert)