Enhancing grey flagged driveway

[KanUdigIt]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone has any suggestions on the following :

We have a driveway / hardstanding in front of our garage which is approx 6m wide and 8m long and is currently covered in standard 3x2 grey flags. As these are no longer looking their best, being well weathered and uneven, I have decided to take them up. Unfortunately i cant really afford to re-do the whole drive in block paving as I'd like, so my question is : can anyone suggest any designs / ideas that would incorporate both some new blocks and also some of the old flags? Any suggestions as to blocks that blend well with grey flags? For reference the house is made of buff brickwork so I guess that is also a consideration.

Any suggestions much appreciated

Cheers

[lutonlagerlout]

i have seen patios done where every other flag is removed and block paviors are laid in the gap,but TBH it wont be a proper job
you cant get a decent looking drive for little money it just doesnt add up
cheers LLL

[Tony McC]

I can't see the point in taking up a tatty looking ddrive and doing half a job by re-laying the salvaged flags, augmented with a few blocks pavers, but not adressing the sub-structure. For me, if you're going to do a job, do it properly, which means ensuring a decent base or sub-base.

Then, if you accept that a base/sub-base is essential, the cost diff between re-laying the salvaged flags and laying all new block paving is around 10 quid per square metre, ie. 500 quid or so for your project. Of course, you could re-lay all those hefty 3x2s, but it's a fairly safe bet that, once it's done, you'll be sat there wondering why you didn't splash out the extra half-a-grand for an all-new look.

However, if you really want to re-use those old flags, here's a pettern I used to like using for re-construction jobs...

[KanUdigIt]

Thanks for your replies chaps. You both make valid points as regards whether it makes economic sense to reuse the old flags. I didn't make clear in my initial post that I was actually intending to re-do the base / sub-base and so, given the effort and costs involved, it would be stupid to spoil it for the sake of a few hundred quid.

Anyway, many thanks for you advice. Much appreciated. Great site btw

Cheers

[lutonlagerlout]

yeah remember that the paving is only 10-30 % of the cost of a drive/patio,the rest is unseen
(by the human eye anyway)
lol
LLL

[Dave_L]

Well said LLL - the same goes for painting & decorating - and plumbing!