Sinking driveways, rocking slabs, puddles outside the front door and weeds in every joint: the cause almost never lies in the stone itself, but in what sits underneath it. Gala Bau Kurt carries out paving and pathway construction (Pflasterarbeiten und Wegebau) for private households, homeowners' associations (Eigentümergemeinschaften) and commercial clients in Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Schwelm, Ennepetal, Meerbusch, Cologne and throughout North Rhine-Westphalia.
After the free on-site visit you receive a fixed-price quote covering excavation, sub-base, kerbs, the paving itself, jointing and disposal. One named contact plans the material and the laying pattern with you and looks after the site through to handover, so you deal with a single landscaper from the first spade to the last joint – with advice in English as well as German and Turkish.
What we do with paving and paths
From a garden path to a driveway that carries vehicles – built to match the way you use it.
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Paving driveways and parking spaces
A trafficked build-up with a 30–40 cm sub-base and blocks at least 8 cm thick – no rutting, even under a van or a motorhome.
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Garden paths and front entrances
Paths in concrete block paving, clay pavers, natural stone or slabs – straight or curving, with a clean junction to lawn and beds.
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Courtyards and communal yards
Larger surfaces for blocks of flats and businesses, including drainage channels and connections to the existing gullies.
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Kerbs and edge restraints
Flush and upstand kerbs, lawn edgings and palisades bedded in concrete with haunching – the lateral support without which any paved surface spreads apart.
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Laying natural stone setts
Granite, basalt or sandstone as small or large setts, laid in courses, arcs or segmental fans.
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Permeable paving
Grass grid pavers, drainage blocks and eco paving with open joints, letting rainwater soak away on site instead of running into the sewer.
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Relaying and refurbishing paving
Lifting sunken areas, recompacting the sub-base and relaying; cleaning and re-jointing with jointing sand or permeable jointing mortar.
How we build paving that lasts
Paving is only ever as good as its build-up. We work to the recognised codes of practice (DIN 18318, ZTV Wegebau) and dig down to load-bearing ground. Next comes the formation level with the later fall already built in, then a frost-proof sub-base of crushed stone in a 0/32 or 0/45 grading, compacted layer by layer with the plate compactor: 15–20 cm for footpaths and patios, 30–40 cm for driveways that carry vehicles – and rather more on the clay soils of the Bergisches Land.
On top of that goes a 3–5 cm bedding layer of grit 2/5 or crushed sand, then the blocks themselves, laid with a fall of at least 2 % away from the building. Every edge is restrained with kerbs or edgings set in concrete with haunching, so that the bond stays stable even under load. Finally the joints are washed in with jointing grit and the surface is vibrated down through a rubber mat – or, if you prefer, finished with a permeable jointing mortar that keeps weeds out.
- Concrete block paving: inexpensive, available in many formats, at least 8 cm thick for trafficked areas
- Clay pavers: colourfast and extremely hard-wearing, a classic for front gardens and driveways
- Natural stone (granite, basalt, greywacke): long-lived, ideal for period properties and prestigious approaches
Paving in Wuppertal, Düsseldorf, Cologne & NRW
In Wuppertal, Schwelm and Ennepetal we are often paving on a slope: that calls for steps or retaining edges, drainage channels and a heavier sub-base, because the dense clay and shale soils take up hardly any water under 1,100–1,200 mm of annual rainfall. In Düsseldorf, Meerbusch and Cologne, by contrast, we usually find level plots on the loamy sands of the Rhine terrace, where rainwater soaks away well – ideal for permeable paving. Close to the Rhine (Kaiserswerth, Meerbusch-Nierst, Rodenkirchen) we also allow for the high water table.
Many towns and cities, Düsseldorf, Wuppertal and Cologne among them, charge a separate rainwater drainage fee (getrennte Niederschlagswassergebühr) based on your sealed surface area; eco paving and grass grid pavers are frequently placed in a cheaper band. Within the crown area of protected trees – covered by the local tree protection bylaw (Baumschutzsatzung), from 80 cm trunk circumference in Düsseldorf and Cologne and from 100 cm in Wuppertal – we work in a root-friendly way with a reduced excavation depth.
Permission, dropped kerbs and the tax rebate
Paving on your own land is normally free of any planning requirement. If the driveway crosses the public footway for the first time, though, or is being widened, a dropped kerb (Bordsteinabsenkung) has to be applied for at the municipal civil engineering department (Tiefbauamt) or the city works – we help prepare the paperwork. In addition, § 8 of the state building code (Bauordnung NRW) requires the unbuilt parts of a plot to be kept water-absorbent as far as possible – one more reason to plan infiltration in from the outset.
For private clients, paving work at an existing home counts as a tradesperson's service under the German Income Tax Act (§ 35a EStG): 20 % of the labour, travel and machine costs, up to a maximum of €1,200 per year, are deducted directly from your income tax. We show the labour costs separately on the invoice.
How your paving job runs
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Site visit and measuring up
We measure the area and check the ground, the falls, machine access and the existing gullies – free of charge and with no obligation.
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Material and fixed price
You choose the stone, the format and the laying pattern; we price up the sub-base, kerbs, jointing and disposal as one fixed price.
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Excavation and sub-base
With a mini digger and plate compactor we form the formation level, the frost-proof crushed-stone sub-base and the edge restraint.
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Laying, jointing, compacting
Screeding the bedding layer, laying the blocks in the chosen bond, filling the joints and vibrating down – handed over swept clean.
What does paving cost?
The price depends above all on the area, the material, the use (foot traffic or vehicles) and how well machines can reach the site. Non-binding guide figures, incl. VAT:
| Scope of work | Costs & Prices |
|---|---|
| Laying only (materials supplied by the client) | approx. €20–40 per m² |
| Sub-base: excavation, base layer, bedding | approx. €35–80 per m² |
| Concrete block paving, complete incl. sub-base | approx. €80–160 per m² |
| Clay pavers, complete incl. sub-base | approx. €110–170 per m² |
| Natural stone setts, complete incl. sub-base | approx. €150–240 per m² |
| Driveway of 40–50 m², concrete block paving for vehicles | approx. €3,700–6,100 |
Disposal of the excavated material and travel within our core service area are included in the fixed price. Dropped kerbs, channels and steps are priced once we have measured up.
All figures are non-binding guide prices incl. VAT. The final price depends on area, access, materials and effort. You will receive a binding fixed-price quote after a free on-site visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does paving cost per m²?
Laying alone costs roughly €20–40 per m². Complete with excavation, sub-base, kerbs and materials you are usually looking at €80–160 per m² for concrete block paving, €110–170 for clay pavers and €150–240 per m² for natural stone. The sub-base often accounts for a third to a half of the total cost.
What does it cost to have a driveway paved?
For a typical driveway of 40–50 m² in concrete block paving, built up to carry vehicles, we reckon on around €3,700–6,100 incl. VAT. Clay pavers, natural stone, a dropped kerb or a drainage channel push the price up. After the free on-site visit we give you a binding fixed price.
What sub-base does a driveway that carries vehicles need?
For car driveways we build a 30–40 cm frost-proof crushed-stone sub-base (0/32 or 0/45), compacted in layers, then a 3–5 cm grit bedding layer and blocks at least 8 cm thick. On the clay soils of the Bergisches Land we plan for the upper end of that range; on sandy ground along the Rhine the lower end is usually enough.
Concrete, clay pavers or natural stone – which paving is right for me?
Concrete block paving is the cheapest option and comes in a wide choice of formats, though it can fade over the years. Clay pavers stay colourfast and are extremely hard-wearing. Natural stone such as granite or basalt is the most durable answer – ideal if the surface has to suit a period house or last for decades.
How do I get rid of weeds in the paving joints for good?
We remove the growth mechanically or with hot water, clean the surface and re-joint it – with polymeric jointing sand or a permeable jointing mortar that seeds can no longer get into. Chemical weedkillers are not permitted on paved and sealed surfaces in Germany.
How long does paving work take and when could you start?
A driveway or garden path of up to about 50 m² normally takes two to five working days, larger courtyards one to two weeks. We usually reply within 24 hours; waiting times are longer in spring and often shorter in autumn and during frost-free weeks in winter.