Discussion
Nice job! How long did it take you?
I’d be tempted to do this myself, but what concerns me is getting the levels right so that your subbase sand layer etc all is in the right place. Also our drive is on a slope - anyone know how much harder that makes it?
Currently we have some scabby asphalt on top of some concrete, bit of a mess but cash is short to sort it.
Tempted to scalp the lot off and then replace with a decent sub base and put gravel grids over the top as a cheaper and SUDS solution - with the idea being you’ve already done the hard work of laying the base for blocks in the future if desired.
Interested to know what the experts and those who have done it here would do! At the moment the other half of the front of the house is a solid clay bog garden too, so some water attenuation definitely needed!
I’d be tempted to do this myself, but what concerns me is getting the levels right so that your subbase sand layer etc all is in the right place. Also our drive is on a slope - anyone know how much harder that makes it?
Currently we have some scabby asphalt on top of some concrete, bit of a mess but cash is short to sort it.
Tempted to scalp the lot off and then replace with a decent sub base and put gravel grids over the top as a cheaper and SUDS solution - with the idea being you’ve already done the hard work of laying the base for blocks in the future if desired.
Interested to know what the experts and those who have done it here would do! At the moment the other half of the front of the house is a solid clay bog garden too, so some water attenuation definitely needed!
I'm still working on it 
Started laying just before Christmas and the weather has played it's part in delaying.
The prep is the hardest part, I over ordered on my type 1 and ended up having to remove about 4 tonnes by hand.
I've got the cutting in to do and then a run over with Wacker plate then it's done so expect it to be finished in the next week.
I was originally quoted £6,500 Al in for it but that would have been cheap 100x200 bricks in a herringbone pattern. DIY ING it allowed me to stretch my budget on the better bricks.
Started laying just before Christmas and the weather has played it's part in delaying.
The prep is the hardest part, I over ordered on my type 1 and ended up having to remove about 4 tonnes by hand.
I've got the cutting in to do and then a run over with Wacker plate then it's done so expect it to be finished in the next week.
I was originally quoted £6,500 Al in for it but that would have been cheap 100x200 bricks in a herringbone pattern. DIY ING it allowed me to stretch my budget on the better bricks.
colinjy said:
i did my drive removal of the existing concrete drive and small garden was subbed out but the sub base and brick work was done by myself.
rett Beta Trio in Silver haze with a charcoal boarder just under 85 m2 including boarder
it's cost me in materials and removal of original roughly 4 - 4.5k
Nice work! Did you get lucky so that the width of the drive was exactly equal to full brick widths or did you plan the boundary around the width (i.e. that retaining edging)?rett Beta Trio in Silver haze with a charcoal boarder just under 85 m2 including boarder
it's cost me in materials and removal of original roughly 4 - 4.5k
monthefish said:
What was the feedback following the patterned concrete?
(was considering this)
I had a patterned concrete driveway installed 12 years ago. There has been some slight chipping at the leading edge where the sloping drive meets the flat pavement, but otherwise I'm still really happy with it.(was considering this)
I designed the whole layout, chose the patterns, the colours and ensured that the drainage approach was resilient.
I do see some dreadful ones about though. I think, as with most things, it depends on who you get to install it. I guess it's much easier to lay than blocks, so has a lower entry point for people to set up businesses doing it.
V8mate said:
I had a patterned concrete driveway installed 12 years ago. There has been some slight chipping at the leading edge where the sloping drive meets the flat pavement, but otherwise I'm still really happy with it.
I designed the whole layout, chose the patterns, the colours and ensured that the drainage approach was resilient.
I do see some dreadful ones about though. I think, as with most things, it depends on who you get to install it. I guess it's much easier to lay than blocks, so has a lower entry point for people to set up businesses doing it.
Do you have any issues with it being slippery?I designed the whole layout, chose the patterns, the colours and ensured that the drainage approach was resilient.
I do see some dreadful ones about though. I think, as with most things, it depends on who you get to install it. I guess it's much easier to lay than blocks, so has a lower entry point for people to set up businesses doing it.
I have a 9m X 5m sloping driveway that needs sorting just sonic can get the MX5 on and off without planks. It's already a pretty solid concrete base that has been down for years, last thing I want to do is rip it up and pay for the honour of doing so.
I was leaning towards resisn to be honest.
We put gravel down on our self build. Partly for reasons of cost, but mainly because it just seems like a very forgiving surface. A teeny bit of sinking etc looks awful on block paving, and I remember over a period of a few years at my old house watching an attractive hardstanding in the back garden, made from alternating red and engineers brick, get utterly ruined in a few conspicuous places by bloody ants. You'd never even notice on gravel.
Yes it may be a bit more susceptible to weeds, however a quick blast with the Gallup 360 soon sorts that. And any oil spillages (obviously extremely unlikely with an old Defender...) and I can just rake them in. I've got a toddler and falls on gravel will be far more forgiving than block paving, and of course there's the crunching underfoot security aspect too.
I'd certainly not say it's much good for working on cars from a jacking/dropped bits perspective, but I am lucky to have a garage for that.
Yes it may be a bit more susceptible to weeds, however a quick blast with the Gallup 360 soon sorts that. And any oil spillages (obviously extremely unlikely with an old Defender...) and I can just rake them in. I've got a toddler and falls on gravel will be far more forgiving than block paving, and of course there's the crunching underfoot security aspect too.
I'd certainly not say it's much good for working on cars from a jacking/dropped bits perspective, but I am lucky to have a garage for that.
ghost83 said:
monthefish said:
What was the feedback following the patterned concrete?
(was considering this)
Looks nice to begin with but needs resealing every couple of years and the top rubs off you also get puddles my neighbour had one done and it’s chipped after 8 month and needs work on it(was considering this)
V8mate said:
I don't like the shiny/satin finish, so had it resealed once, a year after it was laid, and have never bothered since. Twelve years on, no surface erosion or sinking/puddling whatsoever.
Any pics?I've generally been very wary of patterned concrete.....although the other day we were out & saw what looked like lovely block paving, different colours on the edge.....& on closer inspection I am certain it was patterned concrete (expansion lines were there which gave it away) - technology moves on, it appears, it looked great!
V8mate said:
monthefish said:
What was the feedback following the patterned concrete?
(was considering this)
I had a patterned concrete driveway installed 12 years ago. There has been some slight chipping at the leading edge where the sloping drive meets the flat pavement, but otherwise I'm still really happy with it.(was considering this)
I designed the whole layout, chose the patterns, the colours and ensured that the drainage approach was resilient.
I do see some dreadful ones about though. I think, as with most things, it depends on who you get to install it. I guess it's much easier to lay than blocks, so has a lower entry point for people to set up businesses doing it.
That's great, thanks.
Mine's a new build, with a compacted type 1 surface at the moment with enough of a slope that drainage shouldn't be an issue. The company I'm considering ( https://en-gb.facebook.com/imprintedconcretescotla... ) seem to take a lot of pride in their work, posting a lot of completed jobs on social media (which all look great), but it was longevity that was the big unknown.
eta: this is one of their before and afters:
If there's a good chance it'll still look like that after 10 years, I think this is the option I'll go for.
Edited by monthefish on Friday 16th February 10:23
It looks infinitely better but if you ever need to get under it for any reason you're screwed.
It looks a bit shiny too, matt finish would be better.
I very nearly has to excavate my new block paved drive to repair a cracked drain. Fortunately it was just about possible to sleeve it from the inside.
It looks a bit shiny too, matt finish would be better.
I very nearly has to excavate my new block paved drive to repair a cracked drain. Fortunately it was just about possible to sleeve it from the inside.
monthefish said:
That's great, thanks.
Mine's a new build, with a compacted type 1 surface at the moment with enough of a slope that drainage shouldn't be an issue. The company I'm considering ( https://en-gb.facebook.com/imprintedconcretescotla... ) seem to take a lot of pride in their work, posting a lot of completed jobs on social media (which all look great), but it was longevity that was the big unknown.
eta: this is one of their before and afters:
If there's a good chance it'll still look like that after 10 years, I think this is the option I'll go for.
Edited by monthefish on Friday 16th February 10:23
ghost83 said:
Just as a follow up I’ve decided to go against resin as everyone I’ve spoke to who’s had it done think they look nice to begin with but quickly deteriorate and same with patterned concrete so following advice on here I’m looking to have blocks but don’t want any weeds
So does anyone know a reputable company in Yorkshire? As I rly don’t want to get fleeced
Well Yorkshire resin did mine over a year ago, and I've no complaints so far. Really good team of lads that did the work too (including building a double skin front wall) - gave a damned about the quality and asking for my preferences at various decision points. Price was reasonable all considered. So does anyone know a reputable company in Yorkshire? As I rly don’t want to get fleeced
As far as 'quickly deteriorate?' I'm assuming they don't clean them, or have cheap resin which isn't UV stable.
ghost83 said:
Just as a follow up I’ve decided to go against resin as everyone I’ve spoke to who’s had it done think they look nice to begin with but quickly deteriorate and same with patterned concrete so following advice on here I’m looking to have blocks but don’t want any weeds
So does anyone know a reputable company in Yorkshire? As I rly don’t want to get fleeced
This is what I’m fancying and same colour sliding gate
These guys did my 80m2 drive last August in Plaspave Sorento Granite block. Really nice to work with and had no issue coming back to change a couple of bits that we changed our mind about. So does anyone know a reputable company in Yorkshire? As I rly don’t want to get fleeced
This is what I’m fancying and same colour sliding gate
https://www.md-paving.co.uk/
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