Block paving in Esher

Esher sits at the edge of the Surrey clay belt, and ground conditions across the area vary considerably between the heavier London Clay found in lower-lying areas and the more mixed, sometimes sandy soils on the rising ground towards Claygate and the greensand. On clay-bearing ground, seasonal shrinkage and swelling puts particular stress on a driveway sub-base if it is not deep enough or if a geotextile membrane has not been laid to prevent fine clay particles migrating up into the stone over time. We check the ground conditions on every site visit and write the sub-base specification to match.

Edge restraints are the single detail that fails most often on block paving in this area. Without a properly haunched concrete edge, the surface spreads outward under vehicle loads and freeze-thaw cycles, the perimeter blocks tip and crack, and the whole drive starts to look and function poorly within a few years. Every drive we lay has edging set and haunched in concrete before the blocks go down — it is not an optional extra and we do not quote without it.

Standard block paving on a closed sub-base sheds water from the surface rather than absorbing it. For any new or replacement driveway over 5m², that water needs to be managed on your own land. In Esher and Hinchley Wood the typical solutions are a fall to a planted border, a drainage channel directing water to a soakaway pit, or a permeable strip along one edge. We design this into the quote rather than leaving it for the homeowner to figure out afterwards.

Where permeability is the priority — for planning compliance or where the garden genuinely cannot handle a soakaway — we can lay permeable block paving with wider joints over an open-graded sub-base, which drains vertically through the surface rather than running off. The blocks look identical to standard paving but the build underneath is different. We will advise which approach suits your plot at the site visit.