BLOCK PAVING DRIVEWAYS IN SEDGLEY
Sedgley sits high up, and plenty of roads around Gospel End, Cotwall End and the Gornals run up or down a hill. A block paved driveway on a slope needs more thought than one on the flat, mostly around levels and where the water goes.
We plan the falls on the site visit, build a compacted base and set the edges in concrete so nothing creeps downhill. It is free to have us look, and the price comes in writing.
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BLOCK PAVING ON SEDGLEY'S HILLS
On a steep drive the edges do a lot of work, which is why we haunch them in concrete rather than relying on the blocks alone. A drainage channel at the bottom, by the garage or the house, is often worth adding too.
Herringbone is the pattern we usually suggest on a slope, because the blocks lock in every direction and are less likely to shift when cars brake and pull away.
BLOCK PAVING ON HIGH GROUND IN SEDGLEY
Sedgley sits on some of the highest ground in the Black Country, around the Beacon, and that brings two things a driveway has to cope with: slopes and weather. Frost and ice can hang around longer on higher ground, so a drive that slopes towards the road needs a block with good grip and joints that stay full, and we choose with that in mind.
In Upper Gornal and Woodsetton many drives are short and steep, running straight up from the pavement to the house or a garage. On those we often set a level landing at the top, so the car is not parked on a slope and the garage door does not catch water. A channel drain across the bottom of the landing keeps the house side dry.
Around Cotwall End and Gospel End there are more detached homes with bigger fronts, where a block paved drive can be laid in sections at different levels with steps or a low wall between them. It takes a bit more planning on the visit, but it makes a sloping front much easier to use day to day.
HOW WE LAY BLOCK PAVING DRIVEWAYS IN SEDGLEY
- Dig out the old surface and any soft ground underneath.
- Build and compact a proper MOT type 1 sub-base.
- Set the edge restraints in concrete.
- Lay, cut and compact the blocks, then brush in kiln dried sand.
DROPPED KERBS AND PLANNING IN SEDGLEY
If your kerb is not already dropped, you need permission from Dudley Council before you can drive across the pavement in Sedgley. It is worth applying early, because approval is not instant. We measure up with the kerb in mind so the driveway lines up with it.
Paving more than five square metres of a front garden needs planning permission from Dudley Council, unless the rainwater drains into a border, a soakaway or a permeable surface on your own property. We plan the drainage on the site visit so your driveway meets the rule.
On Sedgley's hillside plots we look first at where the water goes in heavy rain, because a new hard surface can change where it runs, and the house should never be at the bottom of it.
WHERE WE WORK AROUND SEDGLEY
We cover all of Sedgley, including Upper Gornal, Lower Gornal, Woodsetton, Cotwall End and Gospel End. Sedgley is about four miles south of Wolverhampton, so we are never far away. If you are not sure whether we cover your street, call us and we will tell you straight away.
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