Extending block paving driveway

[Tim Cognito]

We had a raised bed here which I took out and would like to extend the parking area.

I was going to just do gravel (on top of a proper sub base) for ease but I'm reluctantly accepting I should probably do it properly as gravel will be a pain and forever going everywhere.

Do you think I should bother trying to match the existing pavers? Our neighbour tried to do that and it looks pretty rubbish because they obviously don't match. I don't know if it would look better to pick something obviously different and make it more of a feature? I was also thinking of keeping the existing soldier course rather than removing it and trying to blend in, as again I think it will look better to just accept it is a new section.

All suggestions welcome!

[princeperch]

I think this depends if a car is going to be parked in this bit or whether the car remains on the old bit and the new bit is a path. If it's a path then definitely make it different to differentiate the two zones. If it's where the car is going to be parked then id probably continue the existing pattern and type of drive. It'll soon weather.

[TA14]

Move the soldier course and the cut blocks then extend the pattern with Brindle blocks; they soon fade. I looks like you had red and two other colours originally but blocks end up that colour anyway.

[TA14]

princeperch said:

I think this depends if a car is going to be parked in this bit or whether the car remains on the old bit and the new bit is a path. If it's a path then definitely make it different to differentiate the two zones. If it's where the car is going to be parked then id probably continue the existing pattern and type of drive. It'll soon weather.

Good point about the path aspect.

[Tim Cognito]

princeperch said:

I think this depends if a car is going to be parked in this bit or whether the car remains on the old bit and the new bit is a path. If it's a path then definitely make it different to differentiate the two zones. If it's where the car is going to be parked then id probably continue the existing pattern and type of drive. It'll soon weather.

Good question, it does need to be able to take a car. Being able to park closer to the fence will make it easier to reverse on to the drive and may even mean I can get another car on the drive.

[8-P]

Make it distinctly different, grey maybe. That way you avoid it looking like you tried to match it badly. If you do it will never look the same in a million years.

[Simon_GH]

We had this width of grass between the house and drive. I dug it out a good foot, replace ed with type 1, walker plate and then a decorative stone for the top couple of inches. We can park on it but we tend to use it as a path which drains rather than becomes a muddy bog.

[paulwirral]

Take a look on your local Facebook marketplace site , you’ll more than likely get a half decent match .

[Tim Cognito]

Simon_GH said:

We had this width of grass between the house and drive. I dug it out a good foot, replace ed with type 1, walker plate and then a decorative stone for the top couple of inches. We can park on it but we tend to use it as a path which drains rather than becomes a muddy bog.

This was my original plan but the driveway is quite sloped and I think it will migrate downwards towards the road.

[Huzzah]

Tim Cognito said:

Simon_GH said:

We had this width of grass between the house and drive. I dug it out a good foot, replace ed with type 1, walker plate and then a decorative stone for the top couple of inches. We can park on it but we tend to use it as a path which drains rather than becomes a muddy bog.

This was my original plan but the driveway is quite sloped and I think it will migrate downwards towards the road.

Gravel grids.

Trying to match the paving will be an exercise in futility, plus gravel edges will make the drive look less utilitarian.

[sherman]

Weed membrane
Compacted Mot 1
Gravel grids
Decoritive angular gravel
Job done

Theres no need to cut and move blocks gravel grids once filled with gravel will more than support whatever you park on it.

[Chumley.mouse]

When i built a bit on an extension on our house I removed the block paving, stuck it on ebay just to get rid of it and save on skip space. Just like you some chap was extending his drive a bit and it was exactly what he was looking for.

[Simon_GH]

sherman said:

Weed membrane
Compacted Mot 1
Gravel grids
Decoritive angular gravel
Job done

Theres no need to cut and move blocks gravel grids once filled with gravel will more than support whatever you park on it.

Just to add in the angular gravel may well be the same as interlocking gravel but it does work from what I’ve seen.