Driveways, patios and external works
Block paving, resin, flagging, drainage, fencing and boundary walls across Leeds and West Yorkshire, built on a proper sub-base with drainage that complies.
Almost every failed driveway failed underneath. The surface is what people choose and the sub-base is what decides whether it is still flat in ten years — along with drainage, which since 2008 has been a legal requirement rather than a preference.
We build driveways, patios, paths, boundary walls and drainage across Leeds and West Yorkshire, on excavation and sub-base built to take the load rather than to make the price look good.
How it runs
Stage by stage
Every job follows the same sequence, so you always know what has happened and what comes next.
Survey and levels
Falls, existing drainage, where the water currently goes and where it should go, and what is under the existing surface.
Written quotation
Stating the excavation depth and sub-base construction, so you can compare like with like against other quotations.
Excavation and disposal
Dug out to the designed depth and the arisings taken away under a waste carrier's licence.
Sub-base and drainage
Sub-base laid and compacted in layers, with drainage installed to deal with surface water on your own land.
Edging and surface
Edge restraints haunched, then block, flag or resin laid to the specified falls.
Finishing
Jointing, compaction, and the site left clean.
Scope
What is included, and what is not
Stated up front rather than discovered later. Your written quotation says the same thing, itemised for your job.
Included as standard
- Excavation to the designed depth and disposal under waste carrier licence
- Sub-base laid and compacted in layers
- Surface water drainage to comply with current regulations
- Haunched edge restraints
- Block paving, flagging or resin as specified
- Boundary walls, steps and retaining structures where scoped
- Jointing, sealing and final compaction
Not included unless specified
- Dropped kerb applications to the local authority, which we can arrange but which are charged and approved by them
- Connection to a public sewer for surface water, which requires water authority consent
- Planting and turfing beyond making good, unless in the scope
- Gates and automation, unless specified
Timescales
A typical driveway is 1 to 2 weeks and a patio 3 to 7 days. Resin needs dry conditions and a cured base, so it is programmed with the weather in mind rather than squeezed in. Retaining walls add time because they need foundations and curing before backfilling.
No prices appear on this site. Construction quotations depend on the property, the ground and the specification, and a figure published without seeing any of those is a guess. What we will do is come out, look at it, and put a written quotation in front of you.
What drives the cost
- Excavation depth and how much has to be taken away, which is driven by the ground and the load
- Whether the driveway takes vehicles, and how heavy
- Drainage — soakaway, linear drainage or permeable surfacing
- Surface material, which is the visible difference but rarely the biggest one
- Levels and retaining, since sloping sites need structure not just surfacing
- Access for machinery and muck away
Common questions
Questions we get asked
Do I need planning permission for a driveway?
Not usually, provided surface water drains within your own boundary — either through a permeable surface or into a soakaway. If you lay an impermeable surface over 5 square metres and let the water run onto the highway, that does need permission. Our quotations state which approach is being used.
Why is your quotation more than the one I have from someone else?
Nine times out of ten it is the excavation depth and the sub-base, which you cannot see once the job is finished. Ask every quotation to state the dig depth, the sub-base thickness and how surface water is being dealt with. If those three numbers are missing, you are not comparing the same job.
How long before I can drive on it?
Block paving is usually ready the day after jointing and final compaction. Resin needs to cure and is typically 24 to 48 hours depending on conditions. Concrete needs longer, and we will tell you exactly when at handover rather than leaving you guessing.
Related
Other maintenance & external works services
- Social housing & planned maintenance Planned programmes and occupied-property works for housing associations and local authorities.
- Planned & reactive maintenance Scheduled maintenance and call-out response across a single property or a whole portfolio.
- Public sector & framework contracts Framework and direct-award work, with pre-qualification documentation available on request.
Start a conversation about your project
Tell us what you are planning. We will come out, look at it properly, and put a written quotation in front of you.