Which Driveway Is Best? Block Paving, Resin, Gravel and Concrete Compared

What are the main driveway options?

Four surfaces cover almost every driveway: block paving, resin-bound gravel, loose gravel and concrete. Block paving is the most popular for its looks and the fact a damaged section can be lifted and relaid, resin for a clean seamless finish, gravel for value and drainage, and concrete for a hard-wearing, no-frills surface.

Which driveway lasts the longest?

Any of them will last for many years if, and only if, the groundwork is right. On a properly dug-out and compacted base, block paving and concrete are the most hard-wearing, resin is long-lived as long as the base stays sound, and gravel lasts indefinitely because you simply top it up.

Lifespan is decided underneath, not on top. We have seen dearer surfaces fail in a few years because they went onto soft or poorly drained ground, and plain ones last decades because the base was done properly. That is why we spend most of a driveway job on the part you never see.

Which driveway needs the least maintenance?

Resin and concrete ask the least of you day to day: no weeding joints, no topping up, just the occasional clean. Block paving wants a little attention to the joints and the odd weed, and gravel needs raking level, topping up now and then, and an edge to keep it where it belongs.

None of them is truly zero-maintenance, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. The honest comparison is low versus a little, not nothing versus something, so it is worth being realistic about how much tidying you will actually do.

Do I need planning permission or drainage for a driveway?

Usually not, as long as the water has somewhere to go. You can lay a driveway of any size without planning permission if it uses a permeable surface like gravel or permeable block paving, or if the rainwater drains to a lawn or border rather than onto the road. A traditional surface over five square metres that drains to the road does need permission.

Gravel and resin-bound surfaces are naturally permeable, and block paving can be laid permeably, which is one reason most of the driveways we build need no planning permission at all. We cover the full detail, including the separate dropped-kerb application, in our guide to garden planning permission.

How long does a new driveway take?

Most domestic driveways are a matter of days, not weeks, but the honest answer is that it depends far more on the groundwork than the surface. Digging out, carting away the spoil, sorting the drainage and compacting the base is the bulk of the time; laying the surface on top is comparatively quick.

Access, the weather and what turns up when we dig all move the timescale, which is why we look at the site before we put a time or a price to it. A sloping plot, a lot of spoil to remove or tight access all add time, and we would rather tell you that up front than halfway through.

So which driveway should I choose?

Pick on looks and upkeep, then let us get the base right. If you want traditional looks and easy repairs, block paving; a clean modern finish with little upkeep, resin; the best value and natural drainage, gravel; a tough, plain, functional surface, concrete. Any of them makes a good driveway if it is built on a good base.

That is the part we would steer you on hardest: the surface is the half you see, the groundwork is the half that decides how long it lasts. You can see our driveways and block paving work, or send us photos and we will tell you honestly what suits your house and give you a fixed price.