Block Paving
Block paving is the most repairable driveway surface there is — individual blocks lift and relay, so a service trench or an oil spill is a local fix rather than a full replacement. It is also the least forgiving of a poor laying course.
Key facts
- Service
- Block Paving
- Area covered
- Somerset, North Somerset & Bristol
- Typical cost
- £60–£100 per m² — Indicative only. A written price follows a site survey.
- Typical duration
- 4–7 days
- Expected lifespan
- 25 years plus
How much does a block paving driveway cost?
Block paving typically costs £60–£100 per square metre installed. Concrete blocks sit at the lower end, clay pavers and permeable systems at the upper. Cutting-heavy layouts such as herringbone against a curved edge add labour. Indicative only. A written price follows a site survey.
What laying pattern is strongest for a driveway?
45-degree or 90-degree herringbone. The interlocking pattern resists the twisting force of turning wheels far better than stretcher bond or basketweave, which are better suited to patios and footpaths. We lay herringbone as standard on any surface a car drives on.
What goes underneath block paving?
Compacted sub-grade, geotextile membrane, 150mm of compacted Type 1 MOT sub-base, then a 30mm screeded sharp sand laying course. Blocks are laid on the screed, vibrated in, and jointed with kiln-dried sand brushed and vibrated until the joints are full.
- Sub-base
- 150mm Type 1 MOT
- Laying course
- 30mm sharp sand, screeded
- Blocks
- 50mm concrete or 50mm clay
- Jointing
- Kiln-dried silica sand
- Edge
- Concrete-haunched edging course
Does block paving need permeable drainage?
If surface water would otherwise run onto the highway, yes. Permeable block paving uses wider joints filled with 2–6mm grit over a clean angular sub-base, letting water through into the ground. It removes the planning question entirely and is what we recommend on most front driveways.
What is actually under your driveway
Most of the cost and almost all of the lifespan sits below the surface. Select a layer to see its depth, material and why it matters.
AC6 surface course
20mm
The wearing layer. Fine graded, rolled hot, and the only part anyone ever sees.
Where do you carry out block paving?
Across Somerset, North Somerset and Bristol, within roughly 40 miles of our base. There is no travel charge and no postcode pricing.
- Weston-super-Mare
- Clevedon
- Portishead
- Nailsea
- Backwell
- Congresbury
- Yatton
- Banwell
- Winscombe
- Cheddar
- Wells
- Burnham-on-Sea
- Bridgwater
- Bristol
- Long Ashton
Other services
Driveways
Domestic driveway construction across Somerset and Bristol — excavation, sub-base, edge restraint and surfacing, built to the depths the ground actually needs.
£40–£120 per m²
Tarmac Driveways
Machine and hand-laid tarmac driveways with a properly compacted Type 1 sub-base, AC20 binder course and AC6 surface course.
£40–£70 per m²
Resin Bound Driveways
UV-stable resin bound aggregate over a sound bound base — seamless, permeable and smooth underfoot.
£70–£120 per m²
Commercial Surfacing
Car parks, access roads, yards and playgrounds surfaced with machine-laid tarmac, phased to keep sites operational.
£45–£90 per m²
Groundworks
Excavation, foundations, footings, drainage and hard landscaping — the work that happens before anything visible does.
priced by scope per m²
Frequently asked
Why does block paving sink in places?
Nearly always a laying course that was not screeded to a consistent depth, or a sub-base compacted in one thick layer instead of two. Both are correctable, but only by lifting the affected area back to the base.
How do I stop weeds in the joints?
Keep the joints full. Weeds root in the debris that collects in an empty joint, not in the sand itself. Topping up kiln-dried sand every couple of years does more than any weedkiller.
Can you match blocks on an existing driveway?
Often, though weathered blocks never match new ones exactly. Where we extend an existing driveway we usually blend lifted originals into the visible area and put new blocks where they are least noticeable.
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