Block Paving Driveways in Manchester

Manchester Resin Drives lays block paving driveways for homes across Manchester. The block paving we lay is made from small concrete or clay blocks, set tight together in a pattern over a firm stone base. We also lay resin bound driveways and tarmac driveways, so we can talk you through all three before you choose.

What goes under a block paving drive

The blocks are only the top layer. What holds them up is the sub-base. Government guidance describes a sub-base as a layer of packed-down gravel that spreads the weight of the wheels so the soil below is not overloaded.

The same guidance says that on a permeable drive, about 150mm of sub-base goes down over a geotextile and is packed down before the surface is laid. A geotextile is a plastic fabric that lets water through but holds the soil in place. The guidance says it helps stop the sub-base sinking into the soil and helps keep weeds down.

We dig out the old ground, lay and pack the base, then lay the blocks on top. We write the depth of each layer on your quote.

Standard or permeable blocks

We lay two kinds of block paving, and the choice decides where the rain goes.

Permeable block paving has open gaps around the edges of the blocks that let water soak in, government guidance says, and it sits on a sub-base that water can pass through. You will not need planning permission for a permeable front drive of any size.

With standard block paving, the water runs off the top. If it covers more than 5 square metres of a front garden and the water has nowhere to soak away, you need planning permission. One way round that, the guidance says, is to let the blocks drain into a rain garden. That is a planted dip in the garden that catches the rain from the drive and lets it soak away slowly.

When we visit, we tell you which one suits your drive and why. For more on drives that let water through, see our permeable driveways page.

Pros and cons of permeable block paving

Government guidance lists the good and bad points of hard permeable surfaces like these blocks. On the plus side, it says they are hard wearing with a very long life if they are built right, need the least looking after of all the options, and come in a wide range of shapes and colours.

The downside, it says, is that they can cost more than other options and need a contractor who knows how to build them properly.

Cutting blocks safely

We cut some blocks to fit the edges on most drives. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the body that looks after safety at work, says cutting paving or blocks with a cut-off saw can make very high levels of silica dust. It says one way to limit that is a lower-energy tool like a block splitter. Where we can, we use a block splitter, a tool that snaps a block along a line instead of sawing it. When a saw is needed, the HSE says to use one with a water attachment to keep the dust down.

What to get in writing

Ask for these in writing, whoever you hire:

• Whether the blocks are permeable or standard, and where the rain goes.
• The depth of the sub-base, and what stone it is made of.
• The colour and pattern of the blocks.
• Who makes the dropped kerb application to the council, if you also need a dropped kerb.

Questions about block paving driveways in Manchester

Get a quote for block paving

Send us the quote form with your postcode and the rough size of the drive, and we'll come out, measure up, show you some block colours and give you a written quote. To see the other drives we lay, go to the Manchester Resin Drives home page.