Block paving driveways in Aylesbury
Concrete or clay blocks laid on compacted sharp sand over a full sub-base, restrained at every edge. It's the right choice if you want a drive that can be lifted and relaid rather than patched, and the widest choice of colour, pattern and border detail.
Block paving driveway
£95–£140 / m²
Permeable blocks and clay pavers sit at the upper end. Excavation, cart-away, membrane, 150mm sub-base and haunched edges are all included.
See how the price is built up →
If you're working to a budget
Block paving is at the upper end of the range. If the number is more than you want to spend, tarmac or gravel on exactly the same 150mm sub-base will cost less per square metre and still be a properly built drive — and reducing the area is usually a better saving than reducing the spec.
When block paving is right — and when it isn't
When it's the right choice
- You want to be able to lift and relay sections later — for a service trench, a new gate post, or a settled patch.
- The shape is complicated: curves, a bay window to follow, an awkward taper. Blocks cut to almost anything.
- You want a defined border, a contrasting soldier course, or a pattern that ties into brickwork on the house.
- You need permeable drainage without a soakaway — permeable block paving handles it in the build-up.
When it isn't — say so and pick something else
- You want a completely smooth surface for wheelchairs, prams or a scooter. Blocks have joints and a slight texture; resin bound is the better answer.
- The area is very large and plain. Tarmac will cover it properly for less money and blocks won't add much over that size.
- You won't sweep it, ever. Blocks stay looking good with occasional maintenance; neglected, moss in the joints will show sooner than on resin or tarmac.
- There's a steep slope with heavy surface water running down it. It can be done, but the drainage design matters more than the surface and we'd want to look at it first.
How we lay a block drive
Excavate to 250–300mm, membrane down, MOT Type 1 compacted in layers to 150mm. Edge restraints set on and haunched with concrete before anything else is laid — that's the part that stops the field spreading.
Screeded sharp sand laying course, blocks laid off a string line, cuts done with a disc cutter against a marked line rather than eyeballed. Then kiln-dried sand brushed in and the whole surface vibrated with a plate compactor on a rubber mat, twice, with a second sanding in between.
Manhole covers get a recessed tray infilled with the same blocks wherever the cover allows it. The full build sequence is here →
Block paving we've built
One clarification on the photographs above: the brindle block job with the circular beds is a courtyard, not a driveway. It's here for the cutting and the circle work, not as a vehicle surface.
Five-year workmanship guarantee, sub-base included
Most guarantees quietly stop at the surface. Ours covers the part you can't see: the excavation depth, the membrane, the compacted sub-base, the falls and the edge restraints. If the ground work moves, we come back and put it right.
A fixed price before anyone starts digging
We measure, agree the build-up in writing and give you one price. It doesn't move unless you change what you've asked for, or unless we open the ground and find something nobody could have known was there — in which case we stop, show you, and agree the cost with you before we carry on.
Common questions about block paving
Why does block paving sink?
Almost never because of the blocks. It sinks because the sub-base was too shallow, wasn't compacted in layers, or the edges weren't haunched so the whole field crept outwards and the joints opened. Fix the base and the same blocks will sit flat for twenty years.
What is a soldier course and do I need one?
It's a row of blocks laid end-on around the perimeter, usually in a contrasting colour. Structurally it's part of the edge detail; visually it's what makes a drive look finished rather than just covered. It can be cut and curved to follow a bay window or a curved border.
Will weeds grow through it?
Weeds don't grow up through a properly laid drive — they germinate in the top of the joint from windblown seed and dirt. Kiln-dried sand brushed in properly, or a polymeric jointing sand, plus an occasional sweep, keeps it to almost nothing.
Can block paving be repaired?
Better than any other surface. If a service has to be dug up, or a small area settles, we lift the blocks, correct the base and relay the same blocks. There's no patch line. We recommend keeping a small stock of spare blocks from your batch.
Is it permeable?
Standard block paving on a standard base isn't. Permeable block paving — wider joints, angular jointing grit and an open-graded sub-base — is, and it removes the planning question about draining onto the highway entirely. It costs a bit more and is often worth it.
Does it need sealing?
No, it's optional. Sealing can deepen the colour and make cleaning easier, but it has to be reapplied and a badly-applied seal looks worse than no seal at all. We'd rather you spent the money on getting the base right.
Towns we cover
We're based in Aylesbury and work about ten miles around it.
- Aylesbury
- Bierton
- Stoke Mandeville
- Weston Turville
- Aston Clinton
- Wendover
- Waddesdon
- Wingrave
- Whitchurch
- Quainton
- Wing
- Haddenham