Block paving repair in Woburn Sands: patch, relay or replace your drive?

Yes, most block paving can be repaired, as long as the problem is in one area and the base under it is sound. If the base has failed across most of the drive, patching won't fix it, and relaying or replacing is the honest answer. I'm Terry, and I look at block drives around Woburn Sands most weeks. This is how I make that call on a site visit, so you know what to expect before I turn up.

Can my block paving be repaired, or does it need replacing?

It depends on what's under the blocks, not on the blocks themselves. Block paving is built in layers. There's a compacted sub-base of crushed stone, then a thin bed of sharp sand, then the blocks, held in by a firm edging. When a drive sinks, rocks or ruts, one of those layers has usually given way.

If it's one dip where a car wheel sits, or a patch over an old trench, I can lift that area, put the base right and relay the same blocks. If the drive is dipping in several places, the edges are spreading and water sits all over it, the base has gone across the whole drive. Patching it is money spent twice.

Why drives sink is a separate question, with causes ranging from a thin sub-base to water getting in. Here I'm only dealing with what to do once it has happened.

How can I tell if my block paving needs relaying?

You can't be sure from the surface, but these signs tell you the problem goes deeper than a few loose blocks:

• Dips or ruts in more than one place, especially in the wheel tracks.
• Blocks rocking when you step on them, across a wide area.
• Edge blocks pushing outwards, or the edging kerb loose or cracked.
• Puddles that stay for hours after rain in spots that used to drain.
• Gaps opening between blocks and the jointing sand washing out.

Weeds in the joints on their own are usually a jointing and cleaning job, not a relay. If that's all you have, a clean and re-sand may be all it needs.

What do you look at on a site visit?

When I come out to a drive in Woburn Sands, I don't quote from the pavement. I'll lift a few blocks in the worst spot and in a good spot, and check:

• The sand bed. Is it the right depth, or has it washed out or gone to mud?
• The sub-base. Is there a proper layer of compacted stone, and how deep is it? Some older drives were laid on very little.
• Edging and haunching. The concrete behind the edge kerbs holds everything in. If it's cracked or was never there, the drive spreads.
• How far the damage runs. One area, or the whole drive?
• Where the water goes. The falls, any gullies or channel drains, and whether a downpipe is emptying straight onto the blocks.
• The blocks. Are they sound enough to lift and lay again, or cracked and spalled?

I'll also note any manhole covers, stopcocks and inspection chambers. If a dip sits over a service run or a drain, that starts with a call to the water company, gas network or the council before anyone digs. A sinking patch over a drain can mean the drain itself has a problem, and that has to be sorted first.

What are the options: patch, relay or replace?

Patch repair

For a small, local problem with a sound base around it. We lift the blocks in that area, dig out and rebuild the sub-base, re-lay the sand bed, put the same blocks back, compact and re-sand the joints. Done well, you'll struggle to see where we've been, because it's your own blocks going back down.

Relay a section or the whole drive

For a drive where the blocks are fine but the base isn't. We lift the blocks and stack them, dig out the failed base, put in a proper compacted sub-base, fix the edging and the falls, then lay the same blocks again. You keep the look of your drive and get a base that should hold.

Full replacement

For a drive where the base has failed and the blocks are cracked, worn or not worth saving, or where you want a different look. This is new blocks on a new base. It's also the right time to think about a permeable build, where water drains through the joints and into a specially built sub-base instead of running off. Interpave, the concrete paving trade body, explains how permeable paving works, and it can make the planning question below simpler.

The honest bit about patching

Here's something you won't read on many sales pages. A patch on a drive whose base has failed will sink again, usually within a few winters. And faded old blocks never match new ones, so patching with new blocks leaves a patchwork that shows from the road.

That cuts both ways. A few sunken blocks by the gate are not a reason to rip out the whole drive, and I'll tell you if a patch is all you need. But if your drive is sinking in several places, I'd rather say so than patch it now and patch it again later. That's why I lift blocks before I quote.

What goes into a block paving repair quote?

I don't give prices before I've seen the drive, because two drives that look alike from the road can be very different underneath. What changes a repair quote is:

• Area and access. How much has to come up, and whether we can get a machine and a skip or grab lorry close.
• How deep the base fault goes. Topping up a sand bed is a different job from digging out and rebuilding the sub-base.
• How many blocks survive lifting. Older blocks sometimes crack coming up, and any shortfall has to be made up.
• Matching blocks. If new blocks are needed, finding a close colour and size for an older drive takes time, and sometimes I'll suggest using them where they show least.
• Edging and haunching. Whether the edges can stay or need resetting in fresh concrete.
• Muck-away. Removing the old sub-base and soil.
• Jointing and finishing. Kiln-dried sand brushed in and compacted.

Some things I quote separately so you can see them clearly, such as new drainage, moving a downpipe, or a dropped kerb. A dropped kerb is applied for through Milton Keynes City Council, which covers Woburn Sands. Nobody should touch the kerb or footpath without the council's say-so.

Do I need planning permission to relay or replace my drive?

Repairing or relaying the drive you already have doesn't normally raise a planning question. Replacing a front drive can. The Planning Portal says you don't need permission for a new or replacement front drive if it uses permeable materials, or if rainwater runs off onto a lawn or border to soak away. If you lay more than five square metres of hard surface that lets water run onto the road, you will need permission.

The government's guidance on permeable surfacing of front gardens sets out the options. If your house is listed or in a conservation area, check with Milton Keynes City Council planning before any replacement work, as the rules can be tighter.

How do I get my drive looked at in Woburn Sands?

Ring me on 07444 589896 or send a few photos. I'll come out, lift some blocks and tell you straight whether it's a patch, a relay or a replacement. There's more on our driveway repairs page and the work we do around Woburn Sands. When you're ready, book your free site visit here.

Sources

• Planning Portal, paving your front garden
• GOV.UK, guidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens
• Interpave, permeable paving
• Milton Keynes City Council, planning and building
• Milton Keynes City Council, apply for a dropped kerb / vehicle crossing