Driveways: 10 of the best

Truly attractive off-street parking

Wonderful options to consider if you\'re creating a driveway - just click through our inspiring gallery to discover them...

The `Porsche Garden\'

Driveways don\'t have to be ordinary! The ‘Porsche Garden\', designed by Sim Flemons features s a hydraulic lift. This means that two cars can be parked in one space - one on top of the other.

Think flowers

Top designer Ian Dexter created this driveway for the Chelsea Flower Show. The tracks are made of broken stone with planting inbetween. The wall is extensively planted to soften the appearance and create a feeling of security.  

Cobble lookalikes

Concrete blocks are still the most popular way of paving driveways. These blocks, by Marshalls, are designed to look like traditional stone sets (cobbles). 

Concrete ideas

Concrete blocks can be positioned to create visual excitement. But don\'t forget that large areas of paving, such as this, usually require planning permission and ways of dealing with water run-off.

Sticky stone

With resin bonded drives, small stones are coated in resin. These stick to the surface of the driveway so that you get a stone drive which is longer lasting than a gravel surface.

Colour options

With resin bound drives stones are put into a resin, which is spread onto the drive creating a smooth surface with stones that won\'t come loose. Resin-bound drives come in a wide range of colours.

Just like stone

Special mats can be laid on top of setting concrete to produce the texture of stones. This is known as Pattern Imprinted Concrete. Special colours can be added to the concrete to make it more attractive.

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Cheap option

Pattern Imprinted Concrete is a cheap alternative to stone block paving and can look highly attractive. However it won\'t be water permeable and you usually require planning permission to use it.

Permeable paving

An increasing number of manufacturers are making Concrete Block Permeable Paving, which looks like block paving, but allows water run-off and doesn\'t need planning permission.

Traditional troubles

Traditional materials, such as York stone (pictured) or slate, look great but are not as strong as modern concrete - they need to be laid on a base at least six inches thick to take the weight of a vehicle.

Look here too...

See our Dream driveways: off-street parking special

Homely hallways on a budget

Sofie Allsopp: how to sell your home, fast