Block Paving in Watford

Block Paving in Watford, Tailored to Your Property

Choosing block paving for your Watford driveway isn't just about picking a colour and a pattern - you've got to think about all sorts of other considerations too. We'll need to take into account where the property sits in terms of level, how water will drain off, how much parking room you need, how you want to get in and out, and whether that frontage is part of one of Watford's conservation areas.

And then there's the issue of drainage. Watford's got a real problem with surface water causing flooding - especially in the Lower High Street, Water Lane, Bushey Mill and parts of Oxhey areas. When we do a driveway survey, we not only check the natural slope of the ground but also make sure the finished paving isn't going to direct water straight towards the house, a neighbouring property or the pavement.

Depending on the type of frontage you've got, we might come up with solutions like permeable block paving, discreet drainage channels or finding clever ways to get the rainwater to soak into the lawn or a planted area. Any front garden paving over five square metres is going to need to be permeable or drain into a permeable area, or you'll be looking at needing planning permission.

Watford's got a real mixed bag of character when it comes to residential streets - think tightly-packed Victorian streets in Nascot alongside bigger detached and semi-detached properties, or compact plots, traditional brick buildings and uneven ground levels in Oxhey. That means the colour of the blocks, the border, the laying pattern - even the treatment of any existing walls - all need to complement the house as well as provide some decent parking.

And if you own a property in Nascot, Oxhey, Watford Heath, Estcourt or any of the other conservation areas, you're going to need to be careful. Before you change your frontage, you should check if there are any conservation-area controls or Article 4 directions that might affect the property. We can design the driveway to fit in with the street and spot any potential issues that might need to be checked with Watford Borough Council.

We also need to plan your parking area before we even start laying the driveway. So if you need a new or widened dropped kerb, we'll need to think about that early on. Hertfordshire County Council has rules we've got to follow, including making sure that parking space is deep enough and wide enough, and meeting certain standards for gradients, visibility and being close to a junction.

By thinking all this through at the survey stage, we can create a driveway that doesn't just look great but also does its job properly - managing the water, providing some decent parking and fitting right in with the street.

What Jimmy Cash (our owner) looks for when doing a driveway survey in Watford

• The existing levels of your driveway and where the water will naturally drain
• Whether you need permeable paving or some extra drainage help
• The parking depth you need and where the dropped kerb is
• How we're going to get the diggers in and the waste out
• The position of manhole covers, utility equipment, any trees and their root systems
• Any existing walls, steps or property thresholds that need to be taken into account
• The right colours and borders for the style of your house
• Any conservation-area or Article 4 considerations that might come into play