Porcelain pavers at the front
Discussion
Just thinking out loud really, I touched on block paving my front a few weeks ago and I learned that it needs some kind of drainage/soakaway anyway just like other forms of driveway do. Coupled with the fact that I've never done block paving before so I would have to get help from someone else to do it, I've been asking a couple of people in the trade to sort it for me for two years now and I'm still getting side-lined (its one of the reasons I don't do favours for anyone else nowadays). So I was thinking of an alternative that I can just do myself fairly easilly.
I laid a porcelain patio in the rear garden myself 18 months ago, its totally flat, drains well to the aco, hasn't moved, survived the winter and withstood a couple of cars and vans being jacked up on it and all flags are still stuck down and level so I think I've done it the right way, but is there a scenario where porcelain could look right at the front of the house, as in your drive way doesn't look like a patio at the front.
My front garden is totally open aspect, so no fences at the front boundary or the neighbours boundary. Its just grass at the minute with a tarmac drive at the side. I wanted to make a section of the grass an additional driveway for a 2nd car, probably half of it.
Red is my boundary and blue is roughly the area I want to pave.
I laid a porcelain patio in the rear garden myself 18 months ago, its totally flat, drains well to the aco, hasn't moved, survived the winter and withstood a couple of cars and vans being jacked up on it and all flags are still stuck down and level so I think I've done it the right way, but is there a scenario where porcelain could look right at the front of the house, as in your drive way doesn't look like a patio at the front.
My front garden is totally open aspect, so no fences at the front boundary or the neighbours boundary. Its just grass at the minute with a tarmac drive at the side. I wanted to make a section of the grass an additional driveway for a 2nd car, probably half of it.
Red is my boundary and blue is roughly the area I want to pave.
We're in exactly the same boat. I laid our patio two years ago (Porcelain) and have currently specced the front - also open aspect but only foot traffic.
Our plan was to do as you have described and continue the same patio theme to the front but are now going a different route.
As you say, the big risk is that it looks like a patio at the front of your house - or something you might find outside a posh office. The impact of this depends on the style of slab to a certain degree but it occurred to us that you rarely see this at the front of properties so there must be a reason for this.
For us the front area has a bit of a crown to it rather than basic slope so trying to accommodate this with 600 x 900 slabs would not have been easy.
We're going for multi-size sandstone and edging.
One observation I'd make is that whatever you do, I can't help thinking that it might look off not doing the existing driveway bit. You'll end up with three different 'stripes' at the front of the house. If It were me (and not my money and time!
), I'd redo the drive at the same time to match the new bit.
Our plan was to do as you have described and continue the same patio theme to the front but are now going a different route.
As you say, the big risk is that it looks like a patio at the front of your house - or something you might find outside a posh office. The impact of this depends on the style of slab to a certain degree but it occurred to us that you rarely see this at the front of properties so there must be a reason for this.
For us the front area has a bit of a crown to it rather than basic slope so trying to accommodate this with 600 x 900 slabs would not have been easy.
We're going for multi-size sandstone and edging.
One observation I'd make is that whatever you do, I can't help thinking that it might look off not doing the existing driveway bit. You'll end up with three different 'stripes' at the front of the house. If It were me (and not my money and time!
), I'd redo the drive at the same time to match the new bit.Porcelain in icy weather could be an issue for both you and the car.
Tbh I’d be more tempted to either concrete that area or gravel it.
To soften the concreted area maybe have a narrow flowerbed to differentiate from the existing drive.
If you go gravel then don’t go any smaller than 20mm.
Tbh I’d be more tempted to either concrete that area or gravel it.
To soften the concreted area maybe have a narrow flowerbed to differentiate from the existing drive.
If you go gravel then don’t go any smaller than 20mm.
I only say porcelain as I can do it myself, something like this looks ok to me.
But my garden is on a bit of a slope and I don't want the postman breaking his neck. In reality how hard is block paving to DIY. I'm capable of digging out, laying the hard core and whacking it all down, its getting the sand and then the blocks ultra flat that I think I'd struggle with not doing it before, the last thing you want it two wheel ruts in it after a few months.
But my garden is on a bit of a slope and I don't want the postman breaking his neck. In reality how hard is block paving to DIY. I'm capable of digging out, laying the hard core and whacking it all down, its getting the sand and then the blocks ultra flat that I think I'd struggle with not doing it before, the last thing you want it two wheel ruts in it after a few months.
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