What to do with this driveway?
Discussion
There's been a lot of threads on here about different driveways and it's the one single thing I have hated about the house we moved in to 2.5 years ago. We've got the funds to do something about it but we both can't decide what we want/what we can have due to the steep slope at the start of it and wondered what the general opinion on a car forum would be 
This is the drive in question, we are looking to do right down the side of the house and across the front. Quotes we've had thus far also include a replacement patio at the back. It's circa 100sq/m apparently in total.
The small wall is being moved back a few ft to give us more parking room as well.
I've read bad things about colour fading with printed concrete and too be honest I think it would be too slippy on the slope. So that's out.
Gravel is a none starter as well, wheel spin on the slope is bad enough as is sometimes!
Not sure about tarmac. Any I've seen look s
t after a while and as it has to go across the front of the house as well I don't think it would look right.
So that leaves resin & block paving. Had 2 quotes for resin both @ 7.5k, quote for block paving was 7.3k. The slope worries me though, would the block paving move over time?
Over to PH....
Edited....pics sorted!
This is the drive in question, we are looking to do right down the side of the house and across the front. Quotes we've had thus far also include a replacement patio at the back. It's circa 100sq/m apparently in total.
The small wall is being moved back a few ft to give us more parking room as well.
I've read bad things about colour fading with printed concrete and too be honest I think it would be too slippy on the slope. So that's out.
Gravel is a none starter as well, wheel spin on the slope is bad enough as is sometimes!
Not sure about tarmac. Any I've seen look s
t after a while and as it has to go across the front of the house as well I don't think it would look right.So that leaves resin & block paving. Had 2 quotes for resin both @ 7.5k, quote for block paving was 7.3k. The slope worries me though, would the block paving move over time?
Over to PH....
Edited....pics sorted!
Edited by Maty on Friday 16th September 11:34
Resin would look nice going around the house but I'd say for 100sqm that's cheap I'd want to see other drives they have done. Tarmac done well looks nice you have block paving already it looks rubbish and you have weeds to worry about over the years. Printed concrete would be interesting on such a slope.
Cupramax said:
Wow, thats a bit of an incline 
I know! When we moved I wanted 2 things. A drive I could wash the car on and a garage.We knocked the garage down, because it was old and it spoiled the view out the back (plus it wasn't actually useable due to the shed half way down) and I can't wash the car on the drive so all in all it went well..... though the house itself and the aforementioned view at the back make up for it
I'm leaning towards resin to be honest. 7.5k was the most expensive though, we had one at 4.5k!
On resin, what's the best bet for the sub structure? I've had differing options:
Company 1 dug down 200mm, MoT, covered in concrete and then resin layed over the top, surely this makes a permeable surface, erm, not very permeable?
Company 2 dug down the same depth, MoT, tarmac and then resin so that water soaks away.
I too am worried about weeds on block paving and my other worry.... its an aweful lot to be jet washing!
Just to give you something else to add into the mix. We used some small sandstone type blocks sourced from a local builders merchant, set in concrete then pointed with a resin type material (a bit like sand a geofix). That was the drive, we then matched that with bradstone indian sandstone for the side and back patio. The drive was done over 5 years ago, I don't bother cleaning it or jet washing it. There is some moss where it edges with the grass but other than that it is pretty much as it was when it was put down over 5 years ago. Will try and post a photo later.
I would be more worried about drainage on your slope than whether its permeable!
I would be more worried about drainage on your slope than whether its permeable!
Thanks, be interested to see what you've done, post a pic when you get chance.
Drainage on the slope is fine at the moment, even as is. We get a few puddles on the flat bit but only where the paving is uneven. No one that's been thus far has mentioned anything about drainage being an issue..
Drainage on the slope is fine at the moment, even as is. We get a few puddles on the flat bit but only where the paving is uneven. No one that's been thus far has mentioned anything about drainage being an issue..
Alucidnation said:
Why not build up the front with a retaining wall to within about a meter of the house, which would then give you a level drive from the road to park on.
Then just add steps somewhere down to entrance level.
Seconded. No idea on cost, but gets rid of that dreadful slope.Then just add steps somewhere down to entrance level.
That's not too steep for lock blocks, my drive is about the same and I had the whole front re-done a few years back with new retaining walls and lock block which wrapped along the front of the house and round to the back garden. Lovely job. 8K all in, but I do think I got a blooy brlliant price for the amount of work they did compared to what most people seem to get quoted.
5 years on. I've pressure washed it once, last year, to bring it back to looking like new. No dips, no broken bricks, walls still solid, all in all it looks brand new again.
And so far this year I've been out about a month ago with a weed killer spray to stop anything in it's tracks. I'll probably do a little re-spray this weekend as a few new ones have popped up since. Son weeding is not an issue if you splat the bds regularly.
5 years on. I've pressure washed it once, last year, to bring it back to looking like new. No dips, no broken bricks, walls still solid, all in all it looks brand new again.
And so far this year I've been out about a month ago with a weed killer spray to stop anything in it's tracks. I'll probably do a little re-spray this weekend as a few new ones have popped up since. Son weeding is not an issue if you splat the b
ds regularly.We have an unfortunately sloped driveway too, it is currently done with blocks. It actually looks pretty good (house is currently covered in scaffolding and being rebuilt after gutting, so see a pre-renovation pic), but I am watching this thread to see what other ideas people have.
We are losing the weirdly curved wall retaining the front garden to make a double driveway.
Kingsmead by baconrashers, on Flickr
We are losing the weirdly curved wall retaining the front garden to make a double driveway.
Kingsmead by baconrashers, on Flickr
Ok, my go. I'd rip out all the wall and split levels in front of your house. If the shrubs are worth keeping they are close to the pavement so don't affect the main plan. I'd then adjust the gradient of the drive to achieve two things. First, a flat parking space in front of the house that gives you room to do car based activities. Second, I'd shallow out that incline by pulling it back down the side of the house. You'll need some decent drains whatever you do so the extra cost should be negligible. A bit more expensive than you wanted, but will probably save someone going arse over tit on that slope while also giving you a load of usable space.
m3jappa said:
Marshalls drive set argent blocks. Best blocks about IMO and having a course wear layer on top will certainly help with grip up a slope like that.
Here's one I did earlier (without as much slope).
Exactly - very nice. Block paving doesn't have to be that grim red stuff they put everywhere in the 1990s...Here's one I did earlier (without as much slope).
Blocks seem to be the way forward then.
We had a guy round last night, lives on the next street so hopefully can be trusted. Specialises in block paving, patios and garden walls, I've seen his work on his own house and from the pictures on their website they've done quite a few houses on the estate.
His idea was to soften the incline by starting it a few metres back, he would then run drains along the front and side of the house. I mentioned about building a retaining wall and levelling off that section, his response was he could do it but in his opinion softening the incline would make it much more useful for us. To be honest I agree, I've got used to washing the car on the pavement and it seems a lot of work for not much gain, plus I think it would look odd.
Quoted 4.5k for the area in the photos in Modena blocks (granite stone colour).
He then quoted 1.9k for the patio at the back.
I still quite like the idea of resin though as well, in a dark colour with a light border but it is expensive.
We had a guy round last night, lives on the next street so hopefully can be trusted. Specialises in block paving, patios and garden walls, I've seen his work on his own house and from the pictures on their website they've done quite a few houses on the estate.
His idea was to soften the incline by starting it a few metres back, he would then run drains along the front and side of the house. I mentioned about building a retaining wall and levelling off that section, his response was he could do it but in his opinion softening the incline would make it much more useful for us. To be honest I agree, I've got used to washing the car on the pavement and it seems a lot of work for not much gain, plus I think it would look odd.
Quoted 4.5k for the area in the photos in Modena blocks (granite stone colour).
He then quoted 1.9k for the patio at the back.
I still quite like the idea of resin though as well, in a dark colour with a light border but it is expensive.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff