What we lay
We work with concrete blocks in a wide range of colours and textures, from crisp charcoal and silver to tumbled brindle blends that look aged from day one. On period houses around West Park and the Headland, clay pavers often look better because their colour runs right through and sits well beside old brick.
Herringbone is the strongest pattern for cars, because the blocks lock together and resist turning tyres. Basketweave, stretcher bond and random three-size layouts all work too, usually with a contrasting border.
How it goes down
- We dig out the old surface and enough soil to make room for the sub-base.
- A geotextile membrane goes down where the ground is soft or clay.
- Crushed stone sub-base is laid and compacted in layers.
- Edge courses are set on a concrete bed and haunched.
- Blocks are laid on screeded sharp sand, cut in, then vibrated with kiln-dried jointing sand.
Permeable block paving
Standard block paving sheds most water off its surface. For a front garden over five square metres, that means it has to drain to a soakaway, a channel or a lawn within your own boundary. Permeable blocks have wider joints filled with fine grit and sit on an open-graded stone base, so rain soaks straight through. Either way we plan the falls so water runs away from the house and off the pavement.
Looking after it
Brush it now and then, top up the jointing sand if it washes out and pull out any weeds before they root deeply. A sealer is optional; some people like the deeper colour it gives, others prefer the natural look.
