Gravel driveways
The right look for a stone cottage or a country approach, without the gravel ending up in the lawn, in the road and in the hallway.
The problem, and the fix
Loose gravel over a membrane is the cheapest driveway there is, and it behaves like it. It ruts where the cars sit, it migrates downhill, it walks into the house on the dog, and within two years there are bald patches over the membrane.
Cellular stabilisation grids solve all of that. The gravel sits in honeycomb cells that stop it moving sideways under a tyre. You get the same look, the same crunch and the same permeability, but a surface you can push a wheelbarrow across.
It costs more than tipping stone on a membrane and considerably less than resin. For a lot of village properties around Milton Keynes it is the most appropriate surface there is.
Everything below is included in a gravel driveway
The traditional look, without the gravel ending up on the pavement, in the lawn or in the hallway.
- A free design so you can see it before you commit
- A home visit with real samples, at a time that suits you
- Your old surface taken up and taken away
- Rock, concrete and old bases broken out at no extra charge
- One price, agreed up front, with nothing added afterwards
- A tidy site every evening and no skip left on your road
- A five year guarantee, in writing, that transfers if you sell
Grids are laid on a blinded and levelled sub-base, not straight onto dug ground. If the surface below the grid is uneven, the grid will telegraph it and you will see it in the gravel.
The gravel itself
Angular stone locks together and stays put. Rounded pea shingle rolls, and in a grid it will still work loose at the edges. For a drive we specify angular 15 to 20mm as a default.
Colour is worth thinking about against the house. Golden and buff gravels sit naturally against limestone and ironstone; silver and grey work against render and modern brick. We will bring samples and put them down wet, because everything looks different in the rain.
- Angular 15-20mm as standard, not rounded shingle
- Edge restraints so the gravel has something to stop against
- Topping up included in the first year if any settlement shows
- Fully permeable, so surface water stays on your land
- Works well combined with a block or sett apron at the entrance
Things people ask us
Will gravel still get walked into the house?
Can I use a gravel drive on a slope?
Do weeds grow through?
How much topping up does it need?
Free design, free visit, free samples
We measure up, talk it through and send a written proposal with the build-up, the programme and one whole price. No pressure and no follow-up sales calls.