New drive, gravel or block pavers

[JulietteHasAGun]

Obviously if money was no issue then block pavers would be better. But there’s a significant price difference of a few thousand.

is gravel ok or am I going to regret not paying the extra? Will have a thick membrane underneath, block paved edges to help contain the gravel as well and compacted down

i think anything will be an improvement on our broken up patchwork of concrete and gravel patches

Gravel needs a water permeable lining.
Gravel will grow weeds & grass so needs upkeep if you like a cared for look.
Gravel needs to be of a certain size so it doesn’t spew everywhere. Avoid pea gravel. Retaining edge is a good idea.
Block paving is ok but needs pressure washing if it gets algae and slippery in winter.
Block paving can end up with weeds seeding between blocks.
Block paving needs sweeping if you like it tidy looking.
Im sure Mr Google can come up with some images to help you choose.
I have gravel & blocks so I’m aware of pitfalls.

We have a large drive and paving is just too expensive for us, every quote came in upwards of £150/m2.
My friend thought we are crazy for considering paving, as she says having gravel is extra security. She did have a point in the end, as we had a spate of car break-ins and vandalism last autumn and the only ones in our street to escape was us, one neighbour with gravel and another house with paving.

Also, weeds are easy to deal with i just let them grow big enough to pull
out easily and if you don’t let it go to seed it’s fine. If you drive over the same bit repeatedly you may need to rake level again at some point, i do this maybe once every three or four months and it takes 10mins.

We have gravel and i like it. Its easier to pull out weeds than the block paving we have round the house. We also get a lot of things self-seeding in it like hollyhocks which i leave round the edges and it looks really natural.

We had a gravel drive at our old house, it looked lovely to start with. It was constant maintenance to keep the weeds at bay and the local cats used it as a giant litter tray. I agree with the security part, you knew someone was on the drive from the noise of the gravel under foot.

A neighbour has recently had a resin driveway with block paved edging, it looks stunning. If I had the money I’d go for this, or tarmac. I personally don’t like block driveways, everyone who has one on our road has started to look tatty after a few years, some are now uneven due to the weight of the cars, probably not enough whackered hardcore underneath 🤗

what about just paving the track and having gravel & planting in between?

The drive isn’t that big, it’s literally the size of two parked cars and you squeeze between them. We live in quite a busy road and never seen a cat out the front so hopefully it won’t become a giant litter tray. The drive person said resin drives aren’t good. That they all get cracked after a bit no matter what they say. And they can be slippy. I get he might be saying that because he doesn’t do them 🤷‍♀️

My front drive is gravel, neighbour is block paved.

We chose gravel because the membrane it sits on allows rain through which is better for the trees (there are many around us) and the environment generally. . Agree with comments recommending a small border to retain and large enough gravel not to scatter easily.

Gravel does need weeding in the Summer - but so does neighbour’s block paving. Its relatively easy to pull weeds from the gravel, neighbour has to pay for jet washing to remove weeds wedged between blocks. Horses for courses really.

Now I’m alone I like the fact that I can hear anyone approaching the house without them needing to be in range of the doorbell camera.

Oh and I’ve never had a problem with cats using the gravel as a litter tray.

I have block paving and would never, ever have it again. It's an all year round battle against weeds in the cracks.
My DS has gravel, just enough in front for two cars. It's a nightmare because it creeps out constantly onto the pavement and road. It has an edge but it's not enough to contain the gravel when cars are constantly going in and out.
I think the best compromise would be a wide paved or concrete area along the pavement and gravel inside that.

I had block paving - would'nt choose it again. Big job to keep having to weed it out, power wash and then replace the sand. I did solve some of the problems by putting down a sealant, which kept the weeds at bay for around 18 months. I did get the odd weed - but no where near as much as previously. My neighbours had one of those resin drives put in - now they are pretty maintenance free but and expensive option!

Gravel is actually sounding the better option as well as being cheaper. True about the amount of block paved drives with sunken areas I see

I would never go with gravel. Yes it is cheaper. But the gravel goes everywhere. They stick in my shoes and I have to stop and pull them out. They get in the car. They get in the house. And I have to sweep instead of hoovering as they damage the hoover. Hate the stuff. Block owning all the way.

You can use gravel grids to help keep the gravel in.

It would add another £600 onto the quote. I’m not sure they make that much difference 🤷🏻‍♀️

Take a look at printed concrete. This would be weed free. Some of the designs
look good.

consideration if you have people with mobility aids or even pushchairs in your life: gravel is not a good idea

Ok just asked the latest person round for a quote about this. Slippery he reckons. He’s mentioned tar and chip which looks nice. He’s having this done at his house.

How about resin bound or resin bonded gravel? https://resinmill.co.uk/blogs/news/resin-bound-vs-resin-bonded#:~:text=Resin%20bound%20produces%20a%20smooth,less%20strength%20and%20drainage%20capability.

A normal resin drive is too expensive. Not sure if these would be cheaper. But to be honest the finished product sounds similar to the tar and chips he mentioned. Solid but with a slight crunch underfoot?

This is a good point especially as my main reason for wanting it done is worrying about the current uneven drive as we get older

Outdoor paving has a slip rating. You can look it up.

A neighbour had her driveway done with the painted concrete, she had a "beware slippery surface" sign put up, hers was on quite a slope but still all that cost and her driveway was useless.

I have both gravel and block paver driveways (different houses) the gravel needs weeding I spray with a potion of white vinegar, washing up liquid and salt. I also pull the bigger weeds. Mine doesn't wander too badly, few stones here and there. Its walked on more than driven on though, maybe that makes a difference.

My paver driveway came with the house, we've had it lifted and redone, over time tree roots had caused problems, the sand gets washed away with rain, weeds are an issue again I spray to control them, turning cars around on the pavers moves them over time also.

We got more pavers from a friend who wanted rid, ebay have them as well. We needed old ones to match our existing ones.

I've bought a jetwasher with a patio cleaner attachment to be able to weed and also wash the pavers, not used it yet too much rain when I had time.

Resin was out for our house, we have too many drains, water and gas pipes across the driveway, if we needed access the resin would need digging up and then it would look patchy/ugly.

My guy who does our paving said that dirt gets on the resin then weeds start growing so really it needs washing and brushing to keep it looking good. Plus our house is old and resin just looks too modern.

This.

Plus gravel ruins the heels of high heeled shoes and gets stuck in the grooves of sturdier soled shoes.

There's disadvantages of both options. I had gravel at my old house and have now got a place with block pavers. Personally I prefer the look of gravel - block pavers just have a real corporate car park look that I find hugely depressing. The weeding is worse with the block pavers I think - the weeds are in all the cracks and it's a constant job to keep on top of them because if they grow in block paving you go from corporate car park to derelict corporate car park very quickly!
You definitely still get weeds in gravel, but because the finish is a bit more loose and natural looking anyway, they aren't so immediately offensive, and are easier to pull up. However, gravel definitely travels. I had a metre of cobbles at the edge of my gravel drive to try and stop seepage into the road, but it didn't work. And I always had stones in the car where they'd come in on shoes etc. Gravel's also a bit of a bugger if you have leaves on it in autumn because you can't just sweep up like you can with hard surfaces.
Neither is perfect by a long shot, so I would start by picking the one you like the look of best.