Gravel driveways in Colchester and Essex
Gravel held in a cellular grid over a weed membrane, so it stays level, stays off the road and drains properly, with a written 5-year guarantee.
What are you looking to have done?
Two quick questions and you'll see a guide price.
Which surface for your driveway?
Not sure? Pick the closest; Tom talks through the options on the survey.
Block paving: roughly what size?
A typical two-car drive is 40 to 50 m². A guess is fine; the free survey measures it properly.
Guide price
Pick a surface
Guide range. Larger areas come in lower per m²; the free survey fixes the price in writing.
Our typical rates per square metre
- Block paving: around £130
- Tumbled paving: around £150
- Resin bound: around £200
- Tarmac: around £130
- Imprinted concrete: around £130
- Gravel: priced on the phone
- Indian sandstone: around £180
- Porcelain: around £200
We lay gravel driveways across Colchester and Essex, and we lay them in a grid. The gravel sits in a GRAVI-GUARD cellular grid (or similar) over a weed membrane, so it doesn't rut under the car, doesn't wash or get kicked onto the road, and rain drains straight through.
You choose the stone, from pea gravel to slate chips or Cotswold stone, and the edging that holds it in: timber, metal, brick or granite. A gravel drive is quick to lay, crunches underfoot when someone arrives, and suits older houses and long drives.
We're a family-run firm based in Colchester, working across the Essex towns around it, including Chelmsford, Braintree and Harlow. Tom comes out to measure up and talk through stone and edging, the price goes in writing, and every gravel drive carries a written 5-year workmanship guarantee.
What goes into a gravel drive
The four choices that make a gravel drive last.
The grid
A GRAVI-GUARD cellular grid (or similar) locks the gravel in place, so it stays level and doesn't rut.
The membrane
A weed membrane under the grid keeps weeds down and stops the stone sinking into the ground.
The stone
Pea gravel for a soft, rounded look, slate chips for a dark finish, or Cotswold stone for a warm one.
The edging
Timber, metal, brick or granite edging holds the gravel in and keeps it off the lawn and the pavement.
A paved threshold
A strip of block paving at the pavement or the front door stops stones being carried out.
Drainage
Gravel lets rain soak straight through, so a front drive stays within the planning rules.
Why we lay gravel in a grid
Loose gravel on a bit of hardcore looks fine for a month. Then the tyres push it into ruts, it migrates to the edges and onto the road, and weeds come through. A grid stops all of that.
The ground is dug out and a compacted sub-base goes in, with a weed membrane over it. The cellular grid sits on top and is filled with your chosen stone, so every stone is held in its own cell. The edging holds the whole thing in.
If you'd rather have a solid surface that still drains, look at resin bound; for patterns and borders, see block paving.
How a gravel drive goes in
Six steps from the survey to the finished drive.
Step 01 / 06
Free survey
Tom measures up, checks levels and drainage, and talks through stone and edging.
Step 02 / 06
Written quote
Stone, grid and edging named, guarantee stated, price in writing.
Step 03 / 06
Dig out
The old surface comes up and the ground is dug out for the sub-base.
Step 04 / 06
Sub-base and edging
A compacted sub-base, then the edging set along every side to hold the gravel in.
Step 05 / 06
Membrane and grid
Weed membrane down, then the GRAVI-GUARD grid (or similar) laid on top.
Step 06 / 06
Fill and hand over
The grid filled with your stone, the site swept and the written guarantee handed over.
Loose gravel, or gravel in a grid?
Most of the gravel problems people search for come from the first one.
Loose gravel
- Ruts form where the car turns and parks
- Stones spread to the edges and onto the road
- Weeds come up through it
- Needs raking and topping up often
Cheaper on the day, but it rarely stays looking right.
Gravel in a grid (what we lay)
- Each stone held in its own cell
- Stays level under the car
- Weed membrane underneath
- Edging all round to keep it in
A written 5-year workmanship guarantee on every gravel drive.
Book a free surveyWhat customers say about their new drives
Verbatim from Google. Names as they appear on the review.
4.9 from 30 Google reviews5.0 from 90 on Yell5.0 from 16 on Facebook
Glyn Evans
July 2019 · Driveway
Tom and his team did a brilliant job. Competitively priced, turned up when they said they would, tailored the drive to our requirements, gave great advice and we are really happy with the end result. Always polite and friendly and I would recommend Tom to anybody.
Jake Talbot
March 2024 · Driveway
Tom came to quote for a new driveway, found him very friendly and approachable. We went ahead and the end result was superb. Hard working guys. Fully recommend.
Wayne Parker
December 2025 · Driveway and patio
Great job on my new driveway A great bunch of guys wouldn't hesitate to recommend Installed a new driveway and patio will have them around next time to do my pathway couldn't recommend them enough
Why people pick First4Driveways for gravel
What customers mention in their reviews, and what we put in writing.
5 years, in writing
A written workmanship guarantee on every gravel drive, handed over with the job.
A grid, not loose stone
GRAVI-GUARD (or similar) over a weed membrane, so the gravel stays where it's laid.
Tom quotes in person
He measures up and talks through stone and edging himself. Nine Google reviewers mention him by name.
Insured, tidy, on time
Public liability cover on every job. Reviewers mention sites cleared away and work done when promised.
Gravel driveways questions
Straight answers to what people ask us most.
How deep should a gravel driveway be?
As a rule of thumb for a drive that takes cars: a compacted sub-base of around 150mm, the membrane and grid on top, and enough stone to fill the grid and just cover it. Ground and use vary, so Tom confirms the depths for your drive on the survey.
Should I use 10mm or 20mm gravel for my driveway?
On loose gravel, 20mm angular stone moves less under tyres than small round pea gravel. In a grid the cells hold the stone either way, so the choice comes down to the look you want.
How do you stop gravel spreading everywhere?
A cellular grid holds each stone in place, edging keeps it off the lawn and pavement, and a paved strip at the entrance stops stones being carried out on tyres and shoes.
Do I need planning permission for a gravel drive?
Not usually. Gravel is permeable, so rain soaks through rather than running onto the road, which is what the front-garden planning rules are about.
Is a gravel driveway hard to maintain?
In a grid, very little: an occasional rake and a top-up of stone now and then. Loose gravel needs much more, which is why we lay it in a grid.
How much does a gravel driveway cost?
Gravel drives are priced on the free survey, because the dig-out, edging and stone vary so much. Call 07427 694766 or send the form and Tom will come and measure up.
Other jobs we do
One team for the drive, the patio and the garden. Every job starts with a free survey and a written quote.
Block paving
10-year written guarantee
Herringbone, basketweave or stretcher bond on a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, with concrete-haunched edges and a soldier-course border. Standard or tumbled blocks.
Block paving
Resin driveways
10-year written guarantee
Resin bound only, never bonded. UV-stable resin and natural aggregate hand-trowelled to 18mm over a solid base. Walk on it after 24 hours, park on it after 48.
Resin driveways
Tarmac driveways
5-year written guarantee
Hot-mix asphalt laid as a binder course then a wearing course over MOT Type 1, with drainage falls and a block paving border if you want one. Usually done in one to two days.
Tarmac driveways
Landscaping
Project guarantee
Paths, walls, steps, drainage, turf, artificial grass, sleeper raised beds, planting, fencing and decking. One team from clearance to the finished garden.
Landscaping
Gravel driveways across Colchester and Essex
Based in Colchester. We lay gravel drives across Essex; the towns below have their own pages.
Colchester
Our base. Every service, across the town and the villages around it.
Our base
Chelmsford
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across Chelmsford. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Chelmsford
Braintree
About 16 miles from our Colchester base. Driveways, patios and landscaping with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Braintree
Harlow
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across Harlow and Old Harlow. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Harlow
Hertford
Driveways, patios and landscaping across Hertford, Ware and the Hertfordshire villages around them.
Driveways in Hertford
St Albans
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across St Albans, Harpenden and the villages. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in St Albans
Bishop's Stortford
About 36 miles from our Colchester base along the A120. Driveways, patios and landscaping with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Bishop's Stortford
Southend
Block paving, resin driveways and patios from Leigh-on-Sea to Shoeburyness. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Southend
Brentwood
About 37 miles down the A12. Driveways and patios across Brentwood, Shenfield, Hutton and Ingatestone.
Driveways in Brentwood
Stevenage
Block paving, resin driveways and patios from the Old Town to Great Ashby. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Stevenage
Cambridge
Driveways, patios and landscaping across Cambridge and its villages, with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Cambridge
Also covering: Witham, Clacton-on-Sea, Maldon, Halstead, Basildon, Billericay, Wickford, Rayleigh, Saffron Walden, Burnham-on-Crouch and the villages between. Not listed? Call and ask.
Get a free quote
Let's talk about your drive or patio
First4Driveways is a family-run business based in Colchester. Tom comes out to quote every job in person, talks through the options and materials, and puts the price in writing before anything is dug up. Block paving, resin and patios carry a written 10-year workmanship guarantee; tarmac and gravel carry five years.
- Free survey and a written quote
- Written guarantee on every job
- Fully insured, public liability cover
- Family-run, based in Colchester
Need to talk now?
Call Tom directly
Start your free quote
Tell us about the drive or garden and we'll arrange a free survey.