The Vale Company
The Vale Stronghold Company Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company no. 17431358.
01296 914375
Our guarantee, in full
Ten years on the sub-base, ten years on the surface, plus the manufacturer's warranty on the paving itself.
Why we put a number on both
Almost every driveway failure is a base failure. Sinking, rutting, rocking blocks and water standing in the middle are what happens when the ground underneath was dug shallow or compacted badly. That is the part nobody else will put a number on, because it is the part that costs money to build properly — so we put ten years on it.
Most installers give the surface a short term because wear is hard to argue about. Wear isn't a defect, so we don't dock the years — we exclude the wear and put ten on our workmanship: the laying course, the bond, the cutting, the jointing and the falls. Staining, fading, fretting and the natural character of stone are the surface getting older, not us getting it wrong, and the list further down says exactly which is which.
Separately, most of the paving we lay carries a manufacturer's warranty of around ten years against manufacturing defects. We'll tell you exactly what the product you choose comes with, in writing, before you commit. That warranty covers the paving. It does not cover a driveway that sinks — ours does.
Both terms run from practical completion, both are written into your quote, and both apply to new installations where we build the base ourselves.
Ten years — the sub-base
The excavation depth, the geotextile membrane, the MOT Type 1 laid and compacted in layers, the falls and the edge restraints haunched in concrete. The build record photographs show all of it going in, so a claim is checkable rather than arguable.
Covered — sub-base
- Settlement and sinking of the compacted sub-base
- Rutting under normal domestic vehicle loads
- Failure of the compacted build-up — excavation depth, membrane, Type 1 layers
- Edge restraint movement where the haunching is ours
- Drainage falls not performing as specified
What voids it
- Tree root heave
- Excavation by third parties (utilities, other contractors)
- Vehicle loads beyond normal domestic use — skips, plant, HGVs
- Alterations to the build-up or the drainage by anyone else
- Ground we did not open up and rebuild ourselves
Ten years — the surface
Our workmanship on whatever goes on top: the laying course, the cutting, the jointing, the bond and the finished levels.
Covered — surface
- Blocks lifting or rocking from installation causes
- Workmanship on jointing, cutting and laying course
- Tarmac and concrete surfaces debonding from a base we built
- Slabs and pavers loosening from the bedding we laid
What voids it
- Oil, fuel and chemical staining
- Efflorescence (a natural, temporary lime bloom on new concrete products)
- Pressure washing that strips jointing sand or sealer
- Fair wear, fading and loss of sheen — resealing is a running cost, not a defect
- Surface fretting and loss of aggregate on tarmac from age
- Colour variation, spotting and greening of natural stone
- Manufacturing defects in the paving itself, which sit with the manufacturer's warranty
Material by material
Ten on the sub-base and ten on the surface applies to every paved surface we install — block paving, porcelain, sandstone, tarmac and imprinted concrete alike. What changes between them is what counts as wear rather than a defect, and whether the term has a condition attached. Here is the whole picture, material by material, including the things we don't cover.
| Surface | Sub-base | Surface workmanship | In plain English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block paving | 10 years | 10 years | Individual blocks can be lifted and relaid, so we can stand behind the surface for the full ten. |
| Porcelain patio | 10 years | 10 years | Laid on a full mortar bed with a primer. If it lifts, that's us, and it's covered. |
| Sandstone patio | 10 years | 10 years | Natural stone varies in colour and can spot, stain or green over in shade — that's the stone, not the laying, and it isn't covered. Loosening, rocking, joint failure and falls are. |
| Tarmac | 10 years | 10 years | A flexible wearing course. Fuel and oil damage, hot-tyre scuffing, edge damage from overrunning, and surface fretting and loss of aggregate from age are wear, not defects, and are not covered. Debonding from a base we built, and laying faults, are. |
| Imprinted concrete | 10 years | 10 years, conditional on resealing | We reseal it ourselves at year three and again at year six, both included. The year-nine reseal is yours to arrange and we'll quote for it; skip it and the surface term lapses from that point. Hairline cracking is inherent to concrete and is not a defect. |
| Gravel | 10 years on the base, edgings and grid | — | Loose gravel is a consumable. It migrates and needs topping up. We guarantee what holds it, not the stone itself. |
| Fencing | Own terms | Own terms | Timber is not a sub-base. Fencing carries its own written workmanship terms. |
| Turfing | — | Aftercare boundary | A lawn is alive, so it carries an aftercare boundary rather than a term in years. The full terms are below. |
| Artificial grass | No company guarantee | Manufacturer's warranty only | We give no company guarantee on artificial grass. It carries the manufacturer's warranty on the product, and we tell you in writing what the one you choose comes with. |
Imprinted concrete — we reseal it at year three and year six, both included
Imprinted concrete has to be resealed every few years or it fades and stains, and the sealer is what keeps the ten-year surface term alive. Rather than making that a condition you have to remember, we do the first two ourselves: year three and year six, both included in the price you were quoted. You don't book them and you don't pay for them — we come. The year-nine reseal is yours to arrange; we'll quote for it, and if it's skipped the surface term lapses from that point. Hairline cracking is inherent to concrete and is not a defect.
Where the two terms don't apply
- Repairs and lift-and-relay. The ten-year sub-base term covers bases we build, not bases we inherit. Where we take an area back to a sound formation and rebuild it, both terms apply to what we laid. Where you ask us to relay over ground we haven't opened up, we say in writing what we can stand behind before we start. Repairs →
- Artificial grass. We give no company guarantee on artificial grass — not on the grass and not on the base under it. It carries the manufacturer's warranty on the product only, and we tell you in writing what the one you choose comes with before you commit. Artificial grass →
- Fencing. Timber is not a sub-base. Fencing carries its own written terms on our workmanship, alongside whatever the timber or concrete comes with. Fencing →
- Turfing. A lawn is alive and is judged on aftercare rather than a term in years — set out below.
Turf is different
A lawn is alive, and the first fortnight after we leave decides whether it takes. So turf carries its own, shorter carve-out rather than sitting inside either paving term. If a new lawn fails in its first month we'll come and look, free — one visit — and if it's down to how we prepared or laid it, we replace it at our cost. That depends on the written aftercare sheet having been followed.
Covered — turfing
- Ground preparation and clearance
- Topsoil to the specified depth
- Levels and firming
- Turf laid fresh-cut on the day of delivery
- Joints laid tight in broken bond
Not covered — turfing
- Turf that has not been watered as instructed
- Use before it has rooted, including pets and children in the first three weeks
- Drought, waterlogging or frost after handover
- Mowing too short or before it has rooted
We hand over written aftercare instructions on the day the turf is laid, and we'd rather you rang us on day three unsure than day thirty with a brown lawn. How we lay a lawn →
Both terms run from practical completion — the day the job is signed off: ten years on the sub-base, ten years on the surface. They transfer to the next owner of the property.
The build record transfers with it. Together they're a small file showing what's under the surface and who stands behind it — worth having when the house is on the market, and it costs you nothing to keep.
How to claim
Ring us on 01296 914375 or send us a message through the contact page — tell us what's happened and send a photograph if you can. We'll arrange to come and look at it ourselves rather than asking you to prove anything first.
If it's covered, we put it right at our cost. If we think it isn't, we'll tell you why in writing rather than going quiet.