Driveway Repairs in Kents Hill

Because the original blocks on Kents Hill are usually still sound, block paving driveway repairs here focus on what is underneath. We lift the blocks from the sunken area, stack them carefully, dig out the failed bed and sub-base, then rebuild it with properly compacted stone before relaying the same blocks.

Using your own blocks has two advantages. It saves the cost of new material, and it keeps the colour consistent across the drive. Blocks that have been in place for decades have faded evenly, and new ones of the same type can stand out for a year or two before they mellow.

Where the open edge has spread, we fit a proper restraint along the lawn side, bedded so it cannot move. Around inspection covers, we can reset the frame to the correct level and rebuild the surrounding base so the blocks sit flush again.

To judge whether a repair will last, we check:

• How firm the ground is around the sunken area
• Whether the dips follow a pattern that points to one cause
• How much of the drive is affected compared with how much is sound
• Whether surface water is reaching the base and softening it

Timing matters too. A dip relaid in spring has the summer to bed in under daily use, so any small adjustment can be made before the wet months. Leaving a rut to deepen through a rainy season tends to soften more of the base around it, which widens the area that eventually has to be lifted.

The cost depends mostly on the area to be lifted and how deep the base has failed, plus any edging, cover resetting or drainage work. If ruts and spreading have reached most of the drive, relaying the whole lot may be the better value, and our page on renewing a Kents Hill driveway explains that route. We visit, measure and give you a free written quote either way.