Built for a coastal town
Hartlepool gets the full force of the weather coming off the North Sea. Salt spray, sea frets and hard winter frosts all test a driveway. Weak sub-bases sink, poorly bedded blocks rock loose and cheap surfaces lose their colour quickly. That is why we put most of our effort into the parts you never see: digging out to the right depth, laying and compacting crushed stone in layers, and setting the edges in concrete so nothing creeps.
Near the seafront at Seaton Carew and on the Headland the ground is often sandy. Further inland around Elwick, Hart and Dalton Piercy it tends to be heavy clay that holds water. The sub-base and drainage change with the ground, and we plan for that from the start.
Pick the right surface
Each material suits a different house and budget. Block paving is the long-standing favourite on Hartlepool streets and is easy to lift and repair. Resin-bound gives a smooth, porous finish that suits newer homes. Tarmac is tough and practical for bigger drives. Gravel looks right in front of village cottages. Imprinted concrete gives a patterned surface in one piece.
If the kerb outside needs lowering, we can also help with your dropped kerb application.
The rules matter
Paving over a front garden is not a free-for-all. Since 2008, a new hard surface over five square metres in a front garden needs planning permission unless it lets water through or drains onto your own garden. Several parts of town, including the Headland, Seaton Carew and the Grange and Park areas, are conservation areas with extra controls. Our front garden parking rules guide explains it all in plain English.
Housing across the town
Hartlepool has a bit of everything. Victorian terraces with short front yards, Edwardian villas around West Park, 1930s semis, large post-war estates in Owton Manor and Rossmere, and newer estates at Middle Warren, Clavering and Wynyard. A drive that works for one rarely suits another, so we start with the house and the street rather than a standard design.