Advice Before Getting Block Paving Done

[Mr Sparkle]

I want to get my drive paved and I want to know what the common pitfalls are that result in a bad job or defects down the line? And what needs to be done to avoid this?

Currently, my outdoor area slopes downwards towards the house..

There is a french drain towards the house which I would like to keep

Are there any preferable patterns that have more strength than others

I don't need an expensive drive, just something in grey and modern looking would suffice

Where is is the best place to find reputable tradesmen? None of my friends or family have any recommendations

 

[EddieM]

It's all in the prep. Proper sub grade, sub base, capping, bedding is critical to the end result. What constitutes proper though really depends on your ground.

 

[Nige F]

marshalls have acredited installers on their website

 

[Mr Sparkle]

marshalls have acredited installers on their website

Genuine question

Does being a marshalls accredited installer mean that they will do the job right?

I am a newbie when it comes to block paving.. All i know is that a good job would mean

1. Proper prep (like @EddieM suggested
2. The finish of the block paving would ideally be at the same or similar height of the existing floor height, to prevent the possibility of internal damp issues

 

[Ian H]

They should be because Marshall’s give a 10 year guarantee.

We chose a local guy, had him round, viewed his other work, told him how we wanted it, were really confident.

On the day a load of Gypos turned up, after they had dug the old one up into a pile ready for the grab they told me the original guy was ill in hospital, that he had under measured and under quoted by £5000. I should have told them to **** off right then but I was away working, missus was at work and kids were home schooling themselves.

I ended up agreeing to pay £500 extra and 8 months on there are ruts where I run my van up the drive. Worst decision I ever made.

There was a Marshall’s guy that quoted a bit more but his wait was 6 months and the others 6 weeks.