Driveway -cobble, block or gravel? Help!

[HoneyBee1973]

Has anyone had their driveway redone with stone, blocks, gravel or pattern impressed concrete? It would be great to hear your opinion on the various types.

Originally I was going to go for gravel, purely to save ££, but I think its too high maintenance. I'm not going to be out there raking it too often. We have a big magnolia tree which sheds every year. All those flowers and leaves would be a pain to pick up. Plus, gravel scatters out onto the pavement and we live next to a school - I dont want kids falling off their scooters etc.

I really love the look of cobble stone but I think its the most expensive option. Has anyone had this done?

The driveway currently has red block pavers which look terrible, it was laid badly by previous owners, its buckled in places and the whole driveway is on a slant. There is proper drainage gullys in place so I dont know why they didnt level it. Its quite grim really.

The house is a victorian semi, painted white, so I'd like to choose something thats in keeping with the house. There is room for 2 cars to park and some grass too. Think of a square with a line down the middle - its half grass and half block pavers. I want to change the layout to make it a bit more interesting but the big question is what type of surface to go with?

Any advice or opinions would be much appreciated! Thank you.x

[mousesma]

I've got red and grey blocks, used to have gravel but got sick of having to sweep it back onto the drive all the time.

Blocks are great because when layed properly they give a nice even surface and you can get porous ones to help wth drainage.

Downside is you get lots of weeds growing up in the gaps between blocks but thats easily dealt with by putting down weedkiller twice a year.

[Gonzo33]

I'd go with block paving too

[Pendeen]

You might find this useful:

Planning - Paving Guide