Driveway

DRIVEWAY

Do not lay concrete if frost is likely. If you are caught unawares and concrete has been laid and you find frost is possible overnight, cover the concrete with a polythene sheet and put sand on the sheet. This will keep it secured and reduce the chance of frost getting in to the surface of the concrete.

If the driveway you are making or repairing is close to the wall of your house, the driveway surface should be six to nine inches below the damp course of the house wall to prevent rainwater splashing over it. If this is impractical, make a gap at least two feet wide between the drive and the wall and fill it with gravel to drain rainwater away.

If the driveway slopes downwards towards your house, a gully will be needed to drain water away. If the driveway is level, then a 2% gradient is needed to make water drain off, i.e. two inches height for every hundred inches of length.

Lean unused flagstones and slabs upright on their ends against a wall, with blocks of wood underneath their lower edge to keep the ends off the ground. This reduces the chances of accidents, cracking of the slabs and keeps all the edges as clean as possible prior to laying.

The best pattern for laying blocks for a drive is herringbone, i.e. bricks to make L-shapes, to best spread the weight of vehicles as the weight pushes the blocks against each other in the way that is least likely to crack them.