Concrete & block driveway

[cgl]

I am not sure if I have posted this in the right area, but this is my problem.

We have an old concrete driveway on one side and have started to dig up the other side to convert the whole area to a drive. My husband wants concrete, he says that blocks will not last. He does not like the patterned concrete as a friend has this and they find it slippery in the wet. What can I suggest to make the concrete look less bland.

The main problem is that where the drive meets the path to the side of the house, the path will have to be brought up to the same level as the drive. Between the 2 houses there is a wall which has started to "pull away" over the years (built in 1968). Anyway one of the contractors who came to give us a quote has said that we cannot level as the weight will cause the wall to fall. He suggested decking, but this is not an option.

Sorry if it is garbled but does anyone have any ideas, from all accounts the wall belongs to our neighbour and it probably could not be pinned.

[Tony McC]

Blocks, be they clays or concrete, are very likely to outlast poured in-situ concrete as they won't crack and can be repaired any number of times. Concrete, whetehr patterned or not, cannot be invisibly repaired.

However, if you want to give the concrete a different, smarter look, consider using a decorative edge course or edging kerb as a boundary, or even use a coloured concrete. Inset panels, diamonds or circles of contrasting paving into the concrete. Use an exposed concrete or use a simple texture roller to give it a more distinctive styling.