As a homeowner, you are surely aware that nothing lasts forever, which applies to everything in your house – from the appliances to the driveway. While some of these things are easy to replace, others require a more thorough process, such as renovating the driveway.
Before you undertake a driveway renovation, there are some important considerations that you need to keep in mind. Here are some of them.
1. Ease of Access
As you know, there’s no set minimum width for a drive. Therefore, the design of your driveway must be practical so that it can accommodate different types of vehicles. Consider the number of cars parked next to each other and make sure that you can easily pass through the doors.
It’s also essential to ensure that the driveway design will allow you to easily access your driveway from the highway and that it is wide enough to allow you to reverse into your drive coming from the road. You can use driveway edging stones as a means to separate your driveway from the pathway.
2. Getting Planning Permission and potentially Neighbour’s Permission
When renovating your home, you are required to get planning permission. But when it comes to renovating a driveway, you do not necessarily need planning permission if you plan to build the driveway from porous materials that will allow water to easily drain through. Examples of these are permeable concrete block paving, gravel, or porous asphalt. You also do not need to get permission if the driveway is designed to allow the rainwater to be drained naturally towards a lawn.
And while you may not need to get planning permission, you might have to ask permission from your neighbours, especially if you share the driveway with them. Your neighbours may have concerns about your plans to renovate your driveway, so address these issues first before starting the renovation to avoid any legal disputes.
3. What the Impacts of Different Materials Are
The materials to use for your driveway renovation are also important considerations. Some of the most common materials are gravel, asphalt, crumb rubber, concrete, and interlocking pavers. Choose the material according to the type of driveway that you have. For instance, if your driveway is made of tarmac, make sure you apply the best sealer to keep the water from seeping into the cracks. A good sealant is capable of keeping your driveway protected from cracking and corrosion, as well as the formation of algae and moulds. It’s worth getting the local tarmac driveway specialists to work on your drive as they will know how to get the cheapest material and generally do a better job than random trade.
4. Run Your Plans Past a Quantity Surveyor
Once you have everything sorted, run your plans with a quantity surveyor before getting started with renovating your driveway. Make sure the plans are sound and that the costs and materials are correct. Going out and recruiting a quantity surveyor can help estimate the costs of your driveway renovation, including the quantities and project timelines. You may also need to work with several other teams to help keep the renovation project on track. The quantity surveyor may also be responsible for assigning the renovation work to subcontractors.
