Block paving driveways designed around your home, across Bristol, Bath & Somerset
Block paving driveways built around you, with lasting results
No other surface offers the design freedom of block paving. Herringbone for strength under turning wheels. Contrasting borders that trace the shape of the plot. Tumbled setts that sit naturally against period stone in Bath, or clean large-format blocks for a modern build in Keynsham.
And when it is laid properly, on the right sub-base, with a true screeded bed and compacted joints, a block paved driveway keeps its looks for 20 to 30 years. Individual blocks can even be lifted and relaid if services ever need access, something no seamless surface can offer.
What factors affect the cost?
- Condition of the existing base, or the need for a new one
- Driveway size, shape, curves, and slopes
- Block type, pattern, and the cutting each one involves
- Edging, borders, and soldier course detailing
- Access for deliveries, cutting, and spoil removal
How much does a block paving driveway cost?
Block paving sits in the upper-middle of driveway pricing, with the final figure shaped by the block you choose, the pattern, and the groundworks your plot needs. Every driveway is priced individually after a free survey, with a fixed written quote and no deposit to pay.
Surface | Value for money | Lifespan | Low upkeep | Kerb appeal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tarmac | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
Resin-bound | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
Block paving | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ |
Gravel | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
- Block choice: clay, concrete, tumbled, or permeable
- Pattern complexity, borders, and feature detailing
- Excavation and sub-base your ground needs
- Driveway size, shape, and access
- Drainage design or permeable construction
Prefer to see it first? Try patterns and colours on a photo of your own home with our free driveway visualiser.
Why choose Driveways Plus for your block paving?
Block paving fails at the joints and the base, never at the block. Our driveways are built on properly excavated ground and a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, laid to true falls on a screeded bed, vibrated flat, and jointed with kiln-dried sand. That is why our herringbone stays herringbone, without ruts, rocking blocks, or sunken tracks.
What we do:
- Full block paving driveway design and installation
- Herringbone, basketweave, stretcher bond, and bespoke patterns
- Permeable block paving for planning-free drainage
- Contrasting borders, circles, and feature detailing
- Relays, repairs, and extensions to existing paving
Design-led, not template-led
Strength where it matters
Repairable for life
20 to 30 year lifespan
How we install block paving that stays flat
Over 500 driveways across the South West have taught us that block paving lives or dies by its preparation. Here is the sequence we never shortcut.
1. Free survey and design
We measure, assess drainage and levels, and design the pattern, border, and colour scheme around your property. You get a drawn design and a fixed written quote, with no deposit to pay.
2. Excavation and groundworks
Old surfaces out, ground excavated to the correct depth, and falls set so water moves away from the house and garage, never towards them.
3. Compacted sub-base
MOT Type 1 stone compacted in layers into a rigid platform. This is what keeps a block driveway flat under two tonnes of turning car.
4. Screeded bed and laying
A precisely screeded sharp sand bed, then each block laid to the design, cut tight to edges and features, and vibrated into place.
5. Jointing and handover
Kiln-dried sand vibrated into every joint locks the surface together. We finish with a full tidy and walk the driveway with you at handover.
Full regulatory compliance included:
- Permeable paving options that meet drainage rules without soakaways
- Planning and permitted development guidance for front gardens
- Fully insured teams and professional accreditations
- Waste carried and disposed of responsibly
An Edwardian frontage set in herringbone
Block paving case study: Henleaze, Bristol
The Challenge:
An Edwardian bay-fronted house in Henleaze, Bristol with a sunken, rutted drive where the blocks had spread and the edges had given way.
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The original drive had been laid on too little sub-base, so wheel tracks had dropped and the pattern had drifted out of line. Weeds had colonised the open joints. The owners wanted a driveway that framed the house properly, held its shape under two cars, and complemented the brick without trying to match it.
Our Solution:
A full relay in brindle block paving, set in a 45 degree herringbone with a charcoal soldier course border to lock the edges.
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We dug out to a proper depth, laid and compacted a fresh sub-base, then screeded a sharp sand bed to a consistent thickness. Herringbone was chosen deliberately: the interlocking pattern spreads vehicle loads far better than a stack bond, which is what stops rutting. Edge restraints were haunched in concrete so the border cannot creep, then the surface was vibrated and kiln-dried sand brushed into the joints.
The Outcome:
A flat, patterned entrance that frames the house rather than just parking cars, built to hold its line for 20 to 30 years.
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The brindle tones sit comfortably against the red brick without matching it exactly, and the darker border gives the frontage a clean line. Because the edges are properly restrained and the sub-base is right, the pattern stays where it was laid. If a block is ever damaged it lifts out and is replaced on its own, with no patch to see.
Not sure if block paving is the right surface for your home? That is exactly why the site visit is free and carries no obligation. We will look at your ground, your access, and how the drive gets used, then tell you honestly what we would lay and why.
Is block paving right for your home?
Block paving is the strongest choice when the look matters as much as the surface: driveways that are seen from the kitchen window, entrances that set up a period property, or plots with curves and levels that deserve a designed response. Tumbled and clay-style blocks flatter older homes from Clifton to Bradford-on-Avon, while large-format silver-greys suit modern builds beautifully.
Worth knowing: standard block paving needs its drainage designed in, or you can choose permeable blocks that let rain soak through and keep planning simple. For pattern inspiration, our guide to the UK’s top block paving designs is one of the most-read paving guides in the country, and the SuDS guide covers the drainage rules in plain English.
- Design-led frontages where looks carry real weight
- Period homes suited to tumbled and clay-style blocks
- Plots with curves, levels, and features to work around
- Owners who value invisible, block-by-block repairs
It may be less suitable for very long or rural driveways, where the area makes tarmac or gravel the smarter spend; if that is your situation we will recommend accordingly.
Block paving installers across Bristol, Bath & Somerset
We design and lay block paving driveways from our base in Paulton, roughly 20 minutes from both Bristol and Bath, so most of our work sits within a short drive and we can get to you quickly for a survey.
Areas we cover include:
- •Bath
- •Bristol
- •Clifton
- •Leigh Woods
- •Chew Magna
- •Saltford
- •Marksbury
- •Chilcompton
- •Bradford-on-Avon
- •Frome
- •Keynsham
- •High Littleton
- •Wells
- •Farrington Gurney
- •Clutton
- •Temple Cloud
- •Timsbury
- •Peasedown St John
- •Midsomer Norton
- •Radstock
- •Paulton
Pattern, border, and colour are set against your home’s brick and stone, so the drive frames the house instead of competing with it. If your home is in the city, see our page on block paving driveways in Bristol, or browse driveways across Bristol.
Block paving FAQs
Which block paving pattern is best for a driveway?
Herringbone, laid at 45 or 90 degrees, is the strongest pattern for driveways because the interlock spreads the load of turning wheels. Basketweave and stretcher bond suit paths and lighter use, and contrasting borders work with any of them.
How long does a block paved driveway last?
20 to 30 years when laid on a properly compacted sub-base with quality blocks. The blocks themselves rarely fail; poor foundations are what cause sinking and rutting, which is why our groundworks are never shortcut.
Why do block paved driveways sink, and can it be fixed?
Sinking means the sub-base beneath was inadequate or poorly compacted. The repair is to lift the affected blocks, rebuild the base correctly, and relay the same blocks, one of block paving’s best features, since repairs blend invisibly.
How do I stop weeds in block paving?
Weeds grow in the jointing sand, not up through the driveway. Topping up kiln-dried sand as needed, an occasional sweep, and a yearly clean keep joints tight. Jointing stabilisers or sealing can reduce maintenance further; we will advise what suits your blocks.
Does block paving need sealing?
It is optional. Sealing deepens colour, slows weed growth, and makes stains easier to lift, but a quality block driveway performs perfectly well unsealed. If you want the low-upkeep route we can seal once the paving has fully settled.
Does a block paved driveway need planning permission?
Rarely. Choose permeable blocks and rain drains through naturally, meeting front garden rules outright. With standard blocks we design drainage to a border, lawn, or soakaway as part of the build, following the government’s front garden surfacing guidance, so permission is almost never required.
Ready to upgrade your driveway?
Contact Driveways Plus today to arrange your free block paving design survey anywhere in Bristol, Bath, or Somerset. We will bring pattern and colour samples, design around your property, and leave you with a fixed written quote and no deposit to pay.