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With a focus on greener, more sustainable homes, homeowners are looking for ways that they can add greenery and nature to their patios, paving and driveways.

The salting and gritting used to make paving and driveways navigable in the winter can leave residue which needs clearing, and spring is the best time for it.

Winter has arrived and with it comes some of the biggest tests for paving materials that you will see all year, with consequences that can be costly in the New Year if they are not adequately protected. The biggest danger to paving slabs and stones is cracking, which typically occurs when water gets into the stones through small holes, and stretches those holes out through the freeze-thaw cycle causing the water to expand. As well as this, moss, dirt, mud, snow and frost can also cause damage to the surface and make the stones more treacherous to traverse, something that can lead to a much harder spring clean and can make the condition of the stones worse. The best way to take care of paving stones is to stay on top of garden maintenance over the winter. Use plastic shovels to scoop snow away and sprinkle sand rather than salt onto the patio to give yourself a better grip. Salt can cause damage to certain types of stone. Sweeping the patio can help shake away mould, moss and fungi, which in turn can make your life easier in the spring when it is time to bring the patio and garden back to life. As well as this, make sure that your paving stones are suitably sealed. Typically they need to be resealed every three years, but if you have a particularly busy garden or the weather has been especially awful, it might need to be done sooner than you initially thought. Finally, many people opt to use a pressure washer or jet washer to clean their patio, and whilst that is a way to make the job easier, make sure to keep the nozzle at least a foot away to ensure that it is not inadvertently causing erosion damage to the stone flags or concrete.

Homeowners who are getting a new driveway installed before winter sets in should consider a gravel driveway, as this is the best material against snow and ice.

If anything could act as a good reminder of the need for patio sealing in Shrewsbury, the recent floods across Shropshire have shown why you need waterproofing.

Over the past few years, there have been a lot of new paving surfaces that have taken the spotlight and have made the driveway a great expression of what matters to a homeowner. From beautiful block paving with Indian stone to gravel, resin-bound surfaces and ribbon drives, each different paving job says something about the person who commissions it, as well as the expert contractors who bring it to life. With that in mind, what does the use of hoggin say about the people who use it for driveways and footpaths? A mix of clay, gravel and sand, hoggin is an interesting composite surface as whilst it retains the naturally organised chaos that gravel does, the fact it binds so compactly means that outside of weeding work, it needs astonishingly little maintenance. Unlike gravel, the surface that it is most compared to, it does not need regular raking to maintain the look or the integrity of the surface, and the surface is versatile enough to fit around modern properties and older buildings alike. Hoggin is commonly used to manage footpaths to properties owned and cared for by the National Trust, particularly those with parks or botanical gardens where a lot of people want to walk around these natural areas but a more conventional footpath style such as tarmac or concrete would be inappropriate. It has gained popularity in recent years because it is considered to be a sustainable drainage surface. With a suitable sub-base, it is very capable of absorbing water, reducing the risk of standing water, puddles and surface runoff, all of which can be damaging to the paving around a property in the long run. The only issue with its use for driveways is that heavier cars and light trucks can cause damage to the surface over a long time, so it tends to be used for paths and patios instead.

Block paving driveways in Telford can come in many colours and styles. So how can you choose the right one for your property? There is much to consider.

Having a robust, high-quality driveway is important to protect your car, but if you own an electric vehicle, simply not having a driveway can cost you money.

The best time of year to fit block paving driveways in Shrewsbury is definitely summer, so now is the time to get us on the job of transforming your driveway.