Resin bound side return, Gloucester
A side return is the hardest strip of ground on most houses: it is narrow, it collects water off two roofs and it is walked on every day. This one was surfaced in gold resin bound aggregate over a permeable base, with falls set away from both walls.
Key facts
- Town
- Gloucester
- Year
- 2023
- Surface
- Gold resin bound aggregate
- Width
- Single-person passageway between two houses
Why was resin bound the right surface for a side return?
The strip is too narrow to lay blocks without constant cuts, and loose gravel migrates in a passageway people walk daily. Resin bound goes down seamless, holds its line against brickwork on both sides and drains through rather than shedding water at the house wall.
How do you finish resin against a brick wall?
The surface is trowelled up to the brick and compressed at the arris so there is no crumbling lip. No edge trim is needed because the walls act as the restraint on both sides, which is one of the few places resin can be laid without a separate edge.
- Base cleaned and primed before the pour
- Surface trowelled tight to brick on both sides
- Falls set away from the house, not just relying on porosity
Does a passageway like this need drainage?
Resin bound is porous so most rain passes straight through, but a fall is still built in. A permeable surface should never be the only defence against water standing against brickwork, particularly where two roofs discharge into the same narrow strip.
Photographs from this job
Other projects
Gloucester · 2023
Recessed manhole cover in resin bound
An inspection chamber dressed with a recessed tray cover and filled with the same gold aggregate, so the surface reads as continuous.
Gloucester · 2024
Porcelain patio in progress
Mid-build: grey porcelain being laid on a full mortar bed with a recessed cover dressed in cut slab so it vanishes into the pattern.
Gloucester · 2024
Porcelain patio to a curved brick wall
Light porcelain cut to follow a curved brick garden wall, with a contrasting charcoal border and a gravel drainage margin.
Frequently asked
Does resin bound stay loose like gravel?
No. The stone is coated in resin and trowelled down as one bound layer, so it does not scatter, rut or need raking.
Machine-readable version of this page: /projects/resin-bound-side-return-gloucester.md · canonical https://solidgroundpaving.co.uk/projects/resin-bound-side-return-gloucester