Paving & Driveways

I used Empire paving last year to get block paving done on my front driveway and overall it was a disappointing experience one that I will remember and warn others about when dealing with so called good contractors. The persons name was Michael, he appeared very professional and came with a nice big catalogue of different brick/paving options however dont be fooled! First thing I noticed which I thought was dodgy is all communication and 'invoices' were sent via Whatapp. No official quotation or official invoices for the works, they were screenshots with some wording and no quote nos or invoice nos for formal traceability. After he had secured the job with us he went quiet for a long period, we asked to see multiple examples of his work by visiting some of the addresses he has worked at and that proved to be quite challenging, he was never really straight and giving us addresses and it felt like he was messing us about. He said he would return so we could go through the options and make a final decision on the type of block paving but he never came until the start date. He arrived on that day with like 4 different types of bricks saying that we needed to choose from them, when I asked where is big folder was he said he didnt bring it, anyway luckily one of the blocks we shortlisted was with him and work commenced. We had the job completed and he asked me to check if all was good but me being a newbie at block paving practices didnt realise how bad the job actually was. The ground under the old paving wasnt dug up enough so the new paving it a level high then the pavement. The so called 'membrane' he put under the block paving is non existent since weeds have been coming up from the first few months onwards, he didnt seal the gaps between the blocks with enough sand and didnt seal the gaps with paving sealant and I have to finish the job off! The last big problem is they used cement between the end of my driveway and the tarmac pavement which will not last and doesn’t look good at all. I called him in February to arrange to get these issues fixed and he wasn’t helpful or remorseful instead he was making false claims and arguing back he said for me to call him in a month for us to progress. I called him and he claimed his father is in hospital so he isn’t going to work, not sure how true this is but it isn’t professional to bring personal matters into your business and felt like it was a tactic to get me to back off. In the end I decided I wasn’t going to put up with him and will move forward to get the rework done with a reputable company on checkatrade which is what I should have done in the beginning. I would suggest anyone seeing this review, avoid Michael and Empire paving for all your jobs the job they did was terrible and didn’t even make any effort to fix it. You will also notice the landline numbers on the so called ‘invoices’ don’t work. This is very likely one of those dodgy companies that work off the books and cheating the system.

Removing old garden slabs replacing with New.excellent service...delighted with quality of finish,respectful team workers on and around my property cleanand tidy area after completion

I initially contacted Michael in Mar-21 to obtain a quote for the garden (Indian sandstone paving throughout, new fence panels, posts and gravel boards), and also a quote for a new tegula block paved driveway. Naturally, I contacted several other local companies for comparative quotes, however, some of the quotes were simply too expensive. While carrying out an extensive house renovation project which commenced Jul-21, I contacted Michael again around end Sep-21 as at that point I was in a position to instruct the right company to carry out the work. Michael visited us again and we managed to agree on a competitive quote for both the garden and driveway to be completed simultaneously in Nov-21 (which was a reasonable lead time). Michael and his team turned up on the agreed date and completed all work agreed to my satisfaction within just over two weeks (which given the weather and the time of year is remarkable). An extra special mention goes to the skilled workers who put up the fencing, laid the Indian sandstone paving, and tegula block paving with great care and attention to detail. The pride they took in completing their work to a high standard is to be admired. Thanks to Michael and the entire team for helping us to reach our goal of a complete house renovation before the end of 2021. The garden is now ready for some finishing touches like a new shed, bench and potted plants, and our posh new driveway can comfortably accommodate up to four cars which fits our family's needs. Empire Paving will naturally pick up other business from our showpiece driveway, and I sincerely hope they do, and I wouldn't think twice about using them again and recommending them to friends and family.

Very pleased with end result. Friendly and efficient staff. Would certainly recommend them.