A Driveway Built for Everyday Use
A new driveway has a simple job, but it has to do it every single day. It needs room to park one or two cars, space to open the doors and get out, a clear path to the front door, and a way to cope with heavy rain. Richard Pack Landscaping lays new driveways for homes in Hampshire and Berkshire. Each one is planned around how your household actually uses the front of the house, from the school run to the weekly shop.
Layout First, Then the Surface
Before anyone talks about colours or stone, we look at the shape of the plot. Where will the car stop? Is there room to turn, or will you reverse out onto the road? Does the drive need to meet a path, a side gate or a patio? We also check the existing ground levels, so the finished drive falls gently away from the house and sits neatly against walls, steps and borders.
Choosing a Driveway Surface
We lay several kinds of drive, and each one suits a different home:
- Block paving, which comes in a choice of patterns and can be lifted and relaid if a pipe below ever needs work
- Porcelain paving, for a crisp modern look that can match a porcelain patio
- Permeable surfaces, which let rain soak through rather than run off
- A drive and patio laid together, so the two look like one plan
- Edging that joins the drive to lawns and borders
- Resin driveways and patios, which have a page of their own
We talk you through the choices on site, so you can pick the surface that suits the house and how much upkeep you want.
What Goes Under a New Driveway
The part you never see does most of the work. Before the top surface goes down, every new drive gets:
- Digging out the old lawn, gravel or slabs down to firm ground
- A sub-base that is compacted until it is firm enough to carry a car
- Falls that carry rainwater away from the house and its walls
- Careful setting out, so the lines run straight and the heights are true
- Firm edges that hold the surface in place and stop it spreading
Getting this stage right is what keeps a drive from sinking, rocking or holding puddles years later.
Rules for a Front Garden Drive
In England you can pave a front garden of any size without planning permission if the surface is permeable, or if the rain drains onto a lawn or border inside your boundary. Cover more than five square metres in a surface that water cannot pass through, with the rain running off to the road, and you will need permission. Flats, maisonettes, listed buildings and some protected areas have their own rules, so check first.
If the car has to cross a pavement or verge to reach the drive, the kerb will need lowering. The council, as highway authority, must approve a new or wider dropped kerb before anyone works on the footway, and we plan the drive around where it will go.
What a New Driveway Gives You
A well built drive makes daily life easier:
- Parking off the street, right outside your door
- A firm, level walk from the car to the house
- Rainwater that drains away instead of sitting in puddles
- Less upkeep than a worn lawn or loose gravel at the front
- A clear line between the garden and where the cars go
A new drive can be laid at the same time as a patio or porcelain patio, with garden irrigation and outdoor lighting put in too. Doing it together keeps the levels and edges in step, and lights along the drive help you see your way after dark.
Run by Richard From Start to Finish
Richard spent years leading landscaping teams as a foreman before going back to working directly with clients. He plans each driveway job himself, keeps an eye on every stage and keeps you up to date as it goes. That way the work stays to the agreed plan and you always know who to speak to.
Refreshing an Older Drive & Related Work
Not every home needs a brand new drive. As well as new driveway installation, Richard can advise on related work such as patio re-pointing, patio cleaning and resealing, and landscaping around an existing drive. Sometimes that is enough to bring a tired front back to life without starting again. Any advice is plain and based on what we see on site.
Clear Quotes & Long-Term Guarantee
Every driveway is priced in a clear written quote, with no pressure sales and no hidden costs. The specification, materials and timescale are agreed with you before the first spade goes in. Our workmanship is backed by a minimum five-year guarantee, so you can book with confidence.
New Driveways Across Hampshire & Berkshire
We are based in Tadley, on the border between Hampshire and Berkshire, and lay new driveways in Newbury, Basingstoke, Winchester, Reading and Hook. Each town has its own page with more about the work we do there.
The ground changes a good deal across the area. Chalk drains freely, while heavier clay holds water after rain, so the falls and the choice of surface are set for the soil on your plot. Many older homes were built before most families had two cars, and some front gardens are small, so each drive is planned for the space it has. Whichever town you live in, you deal with Richard directly from the first visit to the finished drive.