wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
Hi, I`m intending to have some work done on my house, and I`m
wondering what effect the following things would have on the property
value.
Firstly, off-road parking is going to make a difference of some
degree, but what I`d like to know is how do the various options
compare, i.e. block paving, concrete, tarmac or gravel. Someone has
told me that "only block paving ads value", someone else has said "it
dosn`t make a difference as long as there`s off-road parking".

Gravels normally a pita, primarily because its usually badly laid. To
make a better gravel drive:

1. Put cement powder down before the gravel.
2. Put larger hardcore down before gravel
3. Compact the gravel with a whacker.

Failure to do these results in the typical slumping weedy muddy patchy
thing one often sees.

BTW block paving is not maintenance free.

I put gravel down and am very happy with t, although I had problems to
start.
My tips a-

Use gravel+10mm - smaller stuff is picked up on your shoes when wet, and
cats
use it as cat litter.

Put down a geotextile membrane to stop weeds coming through.

At least put a little bit of hardcore down the areas the tyres will cover to
prevent slumping.

Make sure the gravel is constrained on all sides: if you have a drive that
slopes downwards
to your gate, and there is no ridge to prevent its escape, it will migrate
onto the pavement.

Finally, a little binder might be necessary in certain cases to 'solidify'
the gravel. I used
rounded large-size pea shingle, but found it was easier to walk on and less
liable to
reveal the geotextile if I added some clay subsoil to the mix.

Clay/brick pavers can look good, but add a surbuban feel to a house, whereas
gravel
(particularly attractive stuff ) lends a sort of bucolic charm IMO.

Andy.