When our newest customer moved to the area, they quickly realised their existing driveway wasn’t quite up to the task. With two electric vehicles to park, they needed an extra three metres of space. Sounds simple enough. Well, not when the existing block paving had been down for around 30 years! Finding a match that blended seamlessly with the weathered bricks would be challenging.

 

The first hurdle was sourcing block paving that wouldn’t stand out like a sore thumb with decades of wear and exposure to the elements, the original blocks had developed a character of their own. After a fair bit of legwork and a few trips to suppliers, we found a near-perfect match. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth the effort to keep the extension looking like it had always been there.

 

Once the materials were sorted, it was time to get digging. The extension area measured 5.2 metres by 3 metres, just over 16 square metres when factoring in the blended edge. We dug down 250mm from the final driveway level and removed the old brick edging. A non-woven membrane was laid down, followed by 150mm of compacted Type 1 MOT subbase to ensure a solid foundation.

 

With the base prepped, we moved on to the detailing. A new brick border was laid on a sharp sand mortar mix, tying neatly into the existing edging. This was haunched for added strength. We then laid and compacted a sharp sand bed, screeded to 50mm below the finished height to create a smooth, even surface for the block paving.

Laying the new block paving was the next step. Sticking to the existing herringbone pattern, we carefully followed the old layout to ensure the extension blended seamlessly. The trickiest part? The outer cuts took up the bulk of the time, but precision here makes all the difference. Once all the blocks were in place, kiln-dried sand was swept into the joints, and the entire surface was compacted using a whacker plate with a rubber cover to protect the new pavers.

 

With the paving complete, we turned our attention to the edges. A few bags of (frozen!) topsoil helped blend the driveway extension back into the surrounding planting areas. A final site tidy-up, and the job was done.

The customer was delighted with the result, especially considering how much effort went into finding a suitable match for the old block paving.  They were so pleased that we’ll be back later in the year to tackle the drainage and foundations for their rear extension.

A big shoutout to Travis Perkins Cranbrook for their spot-on deliveries. Their ability to get lorries into tight spaces and place materials with pinpoint accuracy saved us a ton of time and effort.