Shingle & Gravel DrivewaysProperly Edged, Properly Bedded
A modern gravel driveway with the sub-base of a resin drive, installed with concreted edging, geotextile membrane and the right stone depth so it stays in place, drains freely, and doesn't migrate into your lawn or the road. Free quote in 24–48 hours.
Rated 4.8★ on Google · £1M insured · Up to 10-year workmanship guarantee
Everything you need to know before you commit
A shingle/gravel driveway is a loose-aggregate surface laid on a compacted sub-base with a geotextile membrane between the two, edged with concreted timber, sleepers, blocks or aco channels. Done properly, it's a stunning, permeable, cost-effective surface. Done badly, it's a lifetime of raking the gravel back out of the lawn.
Homeowners who want a country-cottage or contemporary crushed-stone look, need a permeable finish for planning reasons, or want the most cost-effective way to transform a tired drive across Hampshire.
When you have an unbonded surface (mud, old chippings, patchy tarmac) and want to lift the property look without the cost of resin or block. Also ideal for large driveways where budget matters and for rural properties where gravel suits the setting.
Gravel that migrates, goes muddy in winter or grows weeds every spring is a base and edging problem. We install a geotextile membrane over MOT Type 1, concrete the edging in, and specify the right stone size (usually 14–20mm angular) so it locks together underfoot.
What happens if you delay, or hire the wrong crew
Most gravel drives are laid on top of what was there before, with no edging and no membrane. They look great in month one and start disintegrating by month six, gravel in the lawn, gravel in the road, potholes forming in the wheel tracks, weeds through the middle.
Risks of putting it off
- Gravel migrating into flower beds, lawns and the public road
- Ruts and potholes forming in the wheel tracks over a soft base
- Winter mud pushing up through the stone when there's no membrane
- Weeds and moss colonising the surface with nothing to suppress them
- The wrong stone size that never locks and constantly rolls underfoot
Common mistakes homeowners make
- Skipping the geotextile membrane to save £2/m²
- Using pea gravel instead of angular 14–20mm, pea shingle never locks
- Not concreting the edging so it walks in the first year
- Laying too thick a stone layer, which makes the drive feel like a beach
- No sub-base excavation, laying gravel over existing soft ground
Owner-led, from first visit to final sweep
- 01
Site visit and stone selection
Charlie visits, measures, and brings a range of stone samples, buffs, greys, blacks, self-binding gravels, so you can pick the right size and colour in daylight.
- 02
Fixed written quote
24–48 hours after the visit, you get a detailed quote covering excavation, sub-base spec, membrane, edging, stone type and depth, drainage and cleanup.
- 03
Excavation and sub-base
We excavate to the correct depth, remove all spoil, and lay a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, typically 100–150mm depending on ground conditions and traffic.
- 04
Membrane and edging
A heavy-duty geotextile membrane is laid over the sub-base to stop stone migration and suppress weeds. Edge restraints, concreted timber, sleepers, blocks or aco channels, are set in place.
- 05
Stone laying and dressing
Angular 14–20mm decorative aggregate is spread and raked to a consistent 40–50mm depth, deep enough to look right, shallow enough to walk and drive on comfortably.
- 06
Sign-off and guarantee
We walk the drive with you, hand over topping-up advice, and issue your written 10-year workmanship guarantee on the base and edging.
The measurable benefits you get
Cost-effective transformation
Gravel is the most affordable way to lift a tired drive without compromising on base quality, you still get MOT Type 1 and edging as standard.
Permeable and SUDS-friendly
Rain drains straight through with no runoff issues, so no planning permission applies for drives over 5m².
Security benefit
The unmistakable crunch of angular gravel underfoot is a genuine deterrent, many rural homeowners fit it partly for that reason.
Weed-suppressed
A quality geotextile membrane underneath keeps 95%+ of weeds out permanently, the remaining few pull straight out.
Flexible design
Wide range of stone colours and sizes, combined with any edging style, timber, sleepers, block or metal, to suit period cottages or contemporary homes.
Fast installation
A gravel drive typically takes 2–4 days from excavation to hand-back. The fastest of our three driveway options.
Materials, methods and specification
The gravel is the visible part. The membrane, sub-base and edging are what make it a driveway you'll still love in five years.
Stone options
20mm Cotswold Buff, 20mm Golden Flint, 20mm Silver Granite, 14–20mm Black Basalt, plus contemporary blends like 'Black Ice' for a modern look. Angular stones lock together underfoot, pea shingle does not, and we don't recommend it for drives.
Depth
40–50mm of decorative stone over a properly built base. Deeper than 60mm and the drive feels like a beach and stone migrates into your car. Shallower than 30mm and the membrane starts showing.
Sub-base
100–150mm compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base as standard. Over soft ground or made-up areas, we increase depth and may add a geo-grid layer.
Membrane
Heavy-duty non-woven geotextile, 100gsm minimum, laid across the sub-base to stop stone migrating downwards and to suppress weed growth. The single most important layer people skip.
Edging
Options include concreted timber sleepers, block edging, tanalised gravel boards, brick soldier courses, or metal aco channels. Whatever the style, the edging is concreted in, not just pinned into soil.
Drainage and levels
Falls set to shed water away from the property and towards planted borders or aco channels where required. Because the finish is permeable, most drives don't need additional drainage, but where they do, we build it in.
Real Hampshire projects, real finishes
Answers to the questions we hear most
Related services
Permeable, SUDS-compliant resin-bound driveways with a smooth, low-maintenance finish.
Marshalls, Brett, Bradstone and Tobermore ranges laid to exacting industry standards.
Full excavation, MOT Type 1 sub-base, edging and drainage, done properly, every time.
Get a fixed, no-pressure quote for your Hampshire project, in 24–48 hours.
Free site visit. Owner-led from day one. Written quotes with no gimmicks and no chasing.