Which driveway surface and how much?

Which driveway surface and how much?

Author
Discussion

eltax91

Original Poster:

9,842 posts

205 months

Saturday 21st June 2014
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Hi guys

After a couple of hours hard labour on the disaster zone that is our front garden this morning, Mrs Eltax has finally caved in and told me I can get some quotes to rip up the existing Tarmac/ lawn/ stones/ weeds combination and get it completely relaid.

I reckon with a bit of measuring I've got 52m2 of driveway and 'side entrance'.

Now, I'd utterly love block paving, but I think it will probably be a small fortune per m2?

So, what are the options and rough cost per m2? Anyone had something similar done. Any comments on good 'ol Tarmac or this imprinted concrete stuff?

For ref, I have a large dbl garage that the cars get worked on in. So it'll be rare to jack a car up on the drive. The wife's kumkwat and my mx5 are parked in the garage, so it's only regular use will be it being driven over for garage access and my accord being plonked on it all the time. biggrin

Monkeylegend

26,226 posts

230 months

Saturday 21st June 2014
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As it happens I have 52m x 52m of ashphalt left over from a job round the corner I have just finished.

Cheers Paddy.

MikeOxlong

3,112 posts

188 months

Saturday 21st June 2014
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Three of my mates and I dug out my mates scabby front lawn and replaced it with a nice membrane lined gravel drive with brick outline in a day whilst nursing tremendous hangovers. Why not do it yourself and save yourself loadsa money?

Little Lofty

3,275 posts

150 months

Saturday 21st June 2014
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Block paving roughly £50/£60 per square meter, imprinted concrete can be lethal when wet so I wouldn't recommend it.

eltax91

Original Poster:

9,842 posts

205 months

Saturday 21st June 2014
quotequote all
MikeOxlong said:
Three of my mates and I dug out my mates scabby front lawn and replaced it with a nice membrane lined gravel drive with brick outline in a day whilst nursing tremendous hangovers. Why not do it yourself and save yourself loadsa money?
This could be an option but I really don't like stones/ gravel. They just seem in my experience to sink way tom easy? Ideally I'd like a hard surface which, if needed, I could use a jack on safely.

rallycross

12,747 posts

236 months

Saturday 21st June 2014
quotequote all
Just did something similar - block paving was going to be expensive so went for gravel, hired a labourer for 2 days at £80 day. We dug out the old grass etc levelled it off and ordered the following from the local builder merchants:

6 tons of rubble ( scalpings) at £35 ton
Membrane £ 40
6 tons of 10 mil gravel ( not shingle) £35 ton
Railway sleepers as edging £12 per 2m section (used 18).
Hard work but great result once finished!

eliot

11,364 posts

253 months

Saturday 21st June 2014
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MikeOxlong said:
Three of my mates and I dug out my mates scabby front lawn and replaced it with a nice membrane lined gravel drive with brick outline in a day whilst nursing tremendous hangovers. Why not do it yourself and save yourself loadsa money?
Gravel is cheap crap. Take a walk round your neighborhood and look at all the gravel on the path and in the road that has come of the drive. Ive noticed that my local council wont allow gravel anymore for this reason.

I paid about 45 sqm for mine done properly with crushed concrete subbase and 150mm of type-1. blocks are the aged looking ones which are more expensive.

MikeOxlong

3,112 posts

188 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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But if burglars walk over it then the sound will alert you and you'll have time to grab your blade and stab them 450 times before they've robbed you.

Blakewater

4,303 posts

156 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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Gravel will get weeds in it, even with a membrane. Leaves and stuff rot and make soil on top of the membrane. I had that problem with my back garden when it was graveled to supposedly be low maintenance. In the same way, you'll get weeds between bricks in brick paving as mess builds up in the cracks. Plenty of brick paved drives soon look shabby with weeds if the owners don't keep on top of sweeping and weeding them.

Something like this looks good if you keep on top of making sure dirt doesn't build up between the cracks.

http://www.patternedconcrete.co.uk/?gclid=CNiQkICL...

I've had my driveway tarmacked though.

whoami

13,151 posts

239 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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MikeOxlong said:
But if burglars walk over it then the sound will alert you and you'll have time to grab your blade and stab them 450 times before they've robbed you.
hehe

Always a plus.

V8forweekends

2,481 posts

123 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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I have a huge expanse of block paving and it's a total git keeping on top of moss and weeds - especially the bits that don't get much traffic. I wouldn't get it if I was doing the job from scratch.

FRA53R

1,077 posts

167 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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Presscrete certainly works well, but as you said is lethal when cold and wet. I once found my car two feet further down the drive after I 'Parked' it on my driveway during the winter.

Gravel is the best option, though as many have mentioned you will still have to stay on top of weeding.

Don't go with a brick driveway, we had ours done very professionally but even then it still ended up with dips and that's far more irritating than getting a ton of gravel to rake over the place.

PomBstard

6,729 posts

241 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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Concrete slab. Maintenance free and long lasting. Get the surface finish to be lightly ridged to provide grip if on a slope. If you want it to look nicer, line some pot plants along the edge biggrin

LooneyTunes

6,781 posts

157 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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Don't forget that planning rules changed around driveways a little while ago.

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/common...

(whether anyone pays any attention to them or not...)

Depending on the property, I'd be tempted to go for a mixed approach combining two or more of tarmac, gravel, and reinforced grass (for occasional parking).

We don't get weed growth through our membraned/gravel section but our tarmac (porous I think) needs some care (weedkiller) to prevent grasses gaining a foothold.

grayze

790 posts

167 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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'Lethal when wet' utter rubbish. My neighbour had his patterned concrete drive installed 10 years ago, it's the same as any other material when wet or icy. I had mine installed 2 years ago and have never even considered it as slippy.

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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Grass paving is the way to go.

Herman Toothrot

6,702 posts

197 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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I had mine block paved 6 years ago and I disagree about the weeds and dips forming, only place weeds start is up against the house and it's nothing 10 mins walk along with spraying weed killer once a year sorts. It's as flat as the day it was put down. Guy that did ours also does imprinted concrete and said to do either properly it's the same cost so simply choose what you like the look of best.

Gravel is cheap crap as said all the houses in the area that get smartened up on the cheap before sale have gone gravel and a year later they look like un cared for pub car parks, ruts where the cars go, gravel into the road outside and weeds all over. Try to do any maintenance on a gravel drive, you'll have enough trouble trying to jack the car up let alone find any bolts you drop.

Bebee

4,678 posts

224 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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MikeOxlong said:
But if burglars walk over it then the sound will alert you and you'll have time to grab your blade and stab them 450 times before they've robbed you.
Should that be 45 times? you've added a zero by mistake?

Adam_W

1,073 posts

199 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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Just bought a house with a patterned concrete drive, utter rubbish, not had any issues with it being slippery but it looks terrible, was laid over something so theres a ramp/bump all the way round that catches the cars when you drive on and off, the drainage channel (just a dip pressed into the concrete) is not good enough so the garage floods in heavy rain. Its got large cracks running across it in a number of places.

Did I mention it just looks really naff?

Getting mine ripped up and having block paving done, buy cheap buy twice I reckon.

Sensibleboy

1,141 posts

124 months

Sunday 22nd June 2014
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Got to agree about gravel. It's cheap but that's the only advantage. Generally the faster a surface can be laid the more rubbish it is.

Block paving is best. Can be repaired and other than a jet wash and re sanding every twelve months it needs no maintenance. Even if it sinks it can be fixed easily.

The concrete looks nice when first laid but that shine rubs off and if it ever cracks it's knackered.