Hanging the gates
The herringbone drive goes in first, then the gates are hung at the top of it.
Block paving
Herringbone drives with a darker border, and failed drives relaid on a new base.
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What people ask for
A path to match
Herringbone with a border works for paths too, here between lawn and fence.
Before and after
A front garden of crazy paving, broken out and laid again as a block-paved drive.
A drive way that was installed very poorly the sub base had failed and the edging cement was very poorPro Build, job notes, 24 July 2026
Materials and options
This was the second project completed by Kane. A new 38sqm patio, and all I can say it was completed in good time and looks fantastic. As always with Kane, he (and his team) worked quickly and efficiently. Great comms and time keeping. I can wholeheartedly 100% recommend Kane and his company and I will use him for all future jobs.
What moves the price
Most of the cost goes in before the first block: digging out, the sub base, sand and a concrete edge. Herringbone means a cut at every edge.
How we price a job, in full
Block paving is priced from the ground up, and most of the cost goes in before the first block is laid. The old surface has to come out, whether that is crazy paving, cracked concrete or a lawn, and the ground under a drive is dug down far enough to take a compacted sub base of crushed stone, then a bed of sharp sand, then the blocks. The edges are set in concrete so the field of blocks has something solid to push against, and that edge decides whether a drive stays flat for years or spreads within one, as the July drive in our job notes shows. The pattern changes the labour: herringbone with a border means a cut block at every edge, where a straight bond needs far fewer. Size counts, though less than people expect, because the digging, the skips and the hire of a digger and a plate compactor cost much the same for a small drive as for a slightly bigger one. Drainage is the last part. A drive that sheds water onto the pavement can need a channel drain or a permeable build, and a new dropped kerb is a separate application to the council. A photo and a rough size are enough to start the conversation.
Questions
Why do driveways need to be permeable?
One paved garden may not seem to matter, but government guidance says many gardens paved in the same street or area can add to the risk of flooding. Hard surfaces also collect oil, petrol and brake dust, which gets washed into the drains.
Source: Guidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (GOV.UK)
Can I use a soakaway for my driveway on clay soil?
Water from a solid driveway can go to a soakaway along its edge or in the garden. On clay soils it may be necessary to connect to the drain that takes the roof water instead. The guidance also says not to direct water into soakaways close to buildings.
Source: Guidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (GOV.UK)
More about block paving
We lay block paving drives, paths and borders, and relay block drives that have sunk or spread: herringbone with a darker border set in concrete, on a dug-out and compacted base, with falls away from the house. Where a drive has failed, the blocks can often be lifted and laid back on a new base. Send the form with a photo and a rough size.
