Landscaping services
Monoblocking is what we do more than anything else. Over three decades working across Edinburgh and the Lothians, we have laid monoblock driveways, patios, paths and courtyards on everything from tenement back greens in Leith to detached family homes in Corstorphine, and we have relaid a fair number of other people’s failed jobs along the way.
The appeal of monoblock is straightforward. A properly laid monoblock surface handles Scottish weather better than concrete or tarmac. It flexes rather than cracks when the ground moves underneath it. Individual blocks can be lifted and put back when a service pipe needs accessing, so a trench across a monoblock driveway leaves no scar. And when it is done well it looks better after five years of settling than it did on the day it went down.
Done badly it sinks at the edges, weeds come through the joints, and it holds standing water after every downpour. The difference between the two outcomes is almost entirely in the groundwork that nobody ever sees.
01
Full driveway installation from excavation through to final compaction and jointing. We handle dropped kerb applications where a driveway is being created rather than replaced, and we build in the falls and drainage needed to satisfy the rules on surface water runoff. Most Edinburgh driveways we lay are between 30 and 80 square metres, though we take on larger.
Patio areas built to the level, orientation and size that works for how the space actually gets used, with drainage running away from the property rather than back toward the wall. On Edinburgh’s older housing stock we pay particular attention to keeping the finished surface well below the damp proof course, which is one of the most common faults we find on patios laid by others.
Side access, garden paths, bin store runs and boundary paths. Where a path will take a car, even occasionally, we build it to driveway specification rather than path specification.
The edge restraint is what stops a monoblock surface spreading sideways and sinking at the perimeter. It is also the single most commonly skipped step on cheap jobs. We install concrete haunched edgings on every open edge, on every job, without exception.
Where an existing surface has sunk, weeded, or lost its jointing sand, we can often lift the original blocks, correct the sub-base, and relay them. That is usually a good deal cheaper than full replacement and it keeps a matched appearance where only part of the area has failed.
Existing monoblock that has gone green or lost its joints can often be brought back with a proper clean, fresh kiln-dried sand and resealing rather than replacement.
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The finished surface is only ever as good as what is underneath it. This is our standard build-up on a domestic driveway.
That last stage is where a lot of jobs get rushed. Sand-filled joints are what lock the blocks into each other and stop windblown seed from establishing. We return to top up the jointing sand once the surface has bedded in, which is included rather than charged as an extra.
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The block you choose changes the price more than almost any other variable, and the cheapest option is not always the false economy people assume.
We are an approved installer for Tobermore, one of the UK’s main paving manufacturers. That means access to their full range, correct specification advice for whatever is being laid, and manufacturer-backed guarantees on the materials sitting alongside our own guarantee on the workmanship.
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Two things catch people out on Edinburgh driveways.
The first is the damp proof course. Any hard surface laid against a building needs to finish at least 150mm below the DPC, and on older properties where ground levels have crept up over the years there is often not much room to play with. Sometimes the answer is a drainage channel along the house wall. Sometimes it is dropping the whole surface level. Either way it needs deciding before excavation, not after.
The second is surface water. If a driveway drains onto the public road, permission is required. If it drains to a permeable area within the property, or if the surface itself is permeable, it generally is not. We work this out at quotation stage and tell you which category your job falls into rather than leaving you to find out later.
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Monoblocking is priced on area, ground conditions, access and the block chosen. A straightforward driveway on good ground with vehicle access for a tipper and a dumper sits at the lower end of the range. A sloping site, poor ground needing deeper excavation, restricted access requiring everything to be barrowed, or a premium block all push it up.
We provide free written quotations, itemised, with no hidden costs, valid for 30 days. We do not take deposits. Part payment is only requested once work has started and materials are on site, with the balance due on completion. All work is fully guaranteed and we carry comprehensive public liability insurance.
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We lay monoblocking across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Our yard is on Duddingston Park South, which puts us within a few minutes of Portobello, Joppa, Craigmillar, Newington and the whole east side of the city, and we work across a 50-mile radius from there.
If you want the local picture, our landscaper in Portobello page covers the work we do in that part of the city. For the full range of what we offer, see our landscaping services in Edinburgh, or browse completed projects in our gallery.
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