Most Portsmouth properties sit on reclaimed, low-lying ground across Portsea Island, varying street by street, so Resin Bonded Surfacing here comes down to aggregate broadcast and rolled onto a resin adhesive layer, giving a textured, gravel-like finish. Portsmouth’s own driveways are shaped by very high on-street parking pressure typical of an island city, making dropped-kerb front-garden conversions the most common job, and the flood-risk and drainage consideration that comes with Portsea Island’s reclaimed, low-lying ground. It is best suited to larger areas and verges being resurfaced over an already sound, level base, though it keeps more texture underfoot than resin bound, which suits some frontages better than others.
About Resin Bonded Surfacing
Resin bonded surfacing works differently to resin bound: a resin adhesive is spread over the prepared base and the aggregate is then broadcast and rolled onto that wet layer, so only the underside of each stone is bonded and the top surface keeps its natural, textured, gravel-like appearance and grip. It is generally laid in a single layer rather than the full-depth mix used for resin bound, which makes it a economical option for covering larger areas, verges, and pathways where the fully smooth resin-bound look isn’t essential. The finish is more textured underfoot than resin bound and, because it is a thinner system, it is usually specified over a genuinely sound and level existing base rather than as a full standalone rebuild.
Best suited to: larger areas, verges, and pathways being resurfaced over an already sound, level base
Less suited to: a fully smooth barefoot-friendly finish, or sites needing a full structural rebuild rather than a resurface
Ground & property in Portsmouth
Portsmouth itself is built almost entirely on the reclaimed, low-lying ground of Portsea Island, and the mix of dense Victorian terrace streets near the historic naval dockyard with post-war rebuild and later infill elsewhere means driveway jobs vary block by block. On-street parking pressure is about as high as anywhere in the catchment, so a dropped kerb and front-garden conversion is by far the most common enquiry, and the island’s low elevation means surface-water handling is worth checking on almost any job.
Coastal / flood note: the flood-risk and drainage consideration that comes with Portsea Island’s reclaimed, low-lying ground