Case Study: Driveway Enhancement With Gravel Grids

Overview

A private customer contacted Start Safety, looking to improve access to their driveway. The original driveway was designed in the 60’s when vehicles were a lot smaller, making access difficult.

The Challenge

As a private residence, the customer required a cost-effective product. They also expressed the need for it to be easy to self-install. The area was relatively small and needed to be able to take the weight of modern vehicles, including EVs, as they enter and exit the driveway. 

The Solution

After searching online, the customer found the Start Safety website and quickly found a product that seemed to fit their needs. After a quick call to our sales team and a couple of exchanged images through email, a solution was settled on.

“Speaking to the team, it was obvious that they knew what they were talking about. I was actually looking at the wrong version initially, which would have been way too overkill for my driveway. They advised I could choose a lighter-duty driveway grid and still meet the performance requirements I needed,” the customer stated.

The customer settled on the E40 ecogrid paving system, due to its easy-to-manage small tile size, exceptional load-bearing capacity and ease of installation. The customer advised that they had some leftover weed membrane from another job they had recently done, meaning all they required in addition to the grid was sand for levelling under the grid and gravel to infill it. 

The Outcome

The customer placed the order on Thursday morning and had their delivery safely on site the next day, ready for installation over the weekend. The E40 tiles were delivered in pre-assembled 4 tile x 3 tile sections, making laying the grid a breeze. 

“The grids were very easy to get into position and interlock very well, you can tell they are quality, once I had got my foundation for them flat, it took minutes to get them into place”, the customer added. 

Once a flat foundation was created using sand, the anti-weed membrane was used to prevent anything from growing up through the grids. The grids were then laid on top of this and filled with gravel. The driveway is now much easier to turn into than it was before, as it is almost twice as wide at the entrance. 

Customer Experience

At Start Safety, we take the time to learn about the products we sell, enabling us to advise customers on the best fit and provide installation tips. The customer shared their experience with us.

“I had a couple of questions about how to deal with the unusual shape of the area, as it is not a square area. The team at Start Safety quickly advised that the grids can be cut using a hand saw or circular saw with ease. Once I got started, I found that they were right, and it took only a few moments to trim the grids to fit the unusual shape of the area using a hand saw”

The customer has already stated they will be back for more for a later project for a greenhouse and shed foundation. 

“The neighbours have commented on how good the area looks and how quick it went down. I started at 8am and was done by lunch time”. 

Looking for Affordable and Permeable Driveway Solutions

Whether you are a homeowner looking to increase your parking or a busy retail park in need of additional parking space, our grid systems are cost-effective and even provide sustainable drainage by allowing water to flow through them freely. They are cheap to install, can be filled with your choice of gravel and even grass, allowing a multitude of aesthetics to be achieved.