Driveways...imprint cement? Block? Asphalt? Gravel? Photo included

[MissCherryCakeyBun]

New house needs a driveway.....
We want to have a driveway over around 70% of the front with a border with shrubs on the rest ( yes we will get a new set of gates and a front step)
I have a disability that means I have a weakness on my left side and fall/slip over quite easily.
With this in mind can those that have Imprint concrete, block, gravel and asphalt drives give me the pros and cons. I've heard that the imprint can be slippery when it's wet and obviously when wet but it seems one of the most attractive v Cost effective way ahead OH doesn't like the idea of gravel as he thinks that it will transfer off the drive and that I may find it more difficult to walk on.....asphalt just looks a bit grim.....it's all so difficult
The bit I've coloured green is going to be a shrub bed the rest will be drive......any suggestions? instagram.com/p/Bk76ywSD3e0/

Your local council will have regulations about driveways, so check with them.
Solid concrete or tarmac is frowned upon. Surfaces must be permeable to let rain through.

No driveway restrictions here. It’s not universal in the countryside.

Standard Gravel can be slippery because it moves. You could try bonded gravel. I think this could be permeable - not sure. We have tarmac and it’s not slippery. We also have sections of York stone and they can be slippery so avoid. Consider drainage - how is surface water to be removed?

I dislike concrete. Just looks a bit cheap. You can always check to see if the planning department has preferred drive surfaces.

Gravel is good, for grip, environmentally speaking and I find it quite good for my balance, even for my sticks.

You can get an interlocking grid system that goes down on top of the permeable membrane and helps keep the gravel evenly spread.

Gravel is cheaper but it shifts about and carries into the house on the soles of cleated boots.

Concrete is slippery when wet (neighbour has it).

The gravel set in resin looks lovely, but is not cheap and not sure how hardwearing.

Brick pavers can shift and sink (mine have - but it can be rectified).

Another neighbour has used tarmac but with a brick edging in a curved shape and it looks really lovely and is also practical.

We have gravel and it doesn't get stuck in shoes / boots. I think slightly bigger stones are better in that respect.

Avoid gravel on that slope, it'll end up on the pavement. I'm interested in peoples views of the other options though!

gravel kicks about and walks into the house on your shoes

my neighbour has loose cobbles and they are awkward for people with poor mobility

Tarmac and paving bricks will both accomoodate a bit of movement without cracking. Concrete slab will crack unless it has a really good base (maybe 300mm of MoT crushed stone, rollered or plated down firm). Most domestic drives are not built to the same standard as a road and there will often be settlement or movement.

I don't agree that concrete is slippery when wet.

Have a look at www.pavingexpert.com/, really good.

Avoid itinerant or door-knocking contractors and look for an established local firm. If you drive around in summer, look for contractors at work, photograph the house they're working at and ask for a card. Call back a month or two later and see if you can engage the homeowner in conversation.

A contractor with just a mobile phone no, and no local address, who isn't in the phone back, can disappear like morning dew.

p.s.

for appearance, I think a border of flush paving bricks sets off a drive well. It's a special hard brick to resist frost, but you can probably get one to match or contrast with your house and/or garden wall. It can restrain the edges of flexible paving and prevent it spreading. It does need a concrete strip foundation though, not just slapped on the ground with a bit of mortar.

drives will, sooner or later, get oil stains on them, so avoid light coloured concrete that will look unsightly once stained. Paving bricks and gravel can be taken up and relaid if you need pipes or cables dug up. Concrete and tarmac will show the patches where dug and repaired. I like rolled hoggin, which is a bound mix that looks like gravel. Loose pea-shingle is cheap but awful. It slides downhill, goes into ruts, kicks about, and blocks drains.

I have cellular grid paving. It's more environmentally friendly than a solid surface and no drainage issues

Epoxy resin drive way sounds good for you imo

Just on my way out and I've seen all these brilliant suggestions. Thank you all so much I might have a look at mixtures of drive materials and see what that looks like. Thanks pigletJohn for the detailed info on depth of base materials etc as a detail person I find this bit of info invaluable.

Resin bonded looks good, but can be expensive if done properly.

and the surface round the house has to be dug out to the depth of your new base and drive, so that the finished level remain a couple of bricks below the DPC, and slopes away from the house to keep water away. This is to prevent damp in the house.

The bonded gravel looks really nice and is slightly flexible so resists cracking, but unless you have a deep strong base, it may compress into ruts under the weight of vehicles. It's made of stones mixed with glue.

I have a block paving driveway, it was done about 20 years ago. We clean it every spring with a pressure washer and re grout it every few years. My neighbours had an imprinted concrete drive done about 5 years ago. It IS slippery when wet...I’ve seen them slip. It has cracked in places and the colour (black) has worn away where they usually park and get out of the car. They are currently seeking quotes for block paving.....

We're going through this process. Drainage will be covered off by the contractor (theyll incorporate a grid if you have the imprinted concrete). They all have pros and cons. Our drive is a bit smaller than yours and prices so far (ex VAT) have been about £3500 for imprinted concrete, £4000 for tarmac with a border, £4200 for gravel, £5900 for block paving and £7200 for resin. It's not cheap.

@namechangedtoday15 can I ask what area you are in? We are in Somerset/Dorset border. Will give me an idea of pricing. Thank you so so much

In that case, tarmac is a fairly good bet. Ours is edged with granite sets and I have gravel gardens around the drive to keep weeds suppressed.

You need a strong sub base for ALL drives. Even gravel - which should be way cheaper than tarmac. They will all sink and crack if they are not laid with sufficient foundations.

Gravel isn’t suitable for a slope but pavers, tarmac, bonded gravel and slabs are fine.

We're in Cheshire so prices quite high.

@bubbles - we've had 3 separate companies come to quote and tarmac has been cheaper than gravel in every case.