Driveway

[Deleted account DD]

We're looking to have our drive fixed.

We were looking at block paving it but patterned concrete has been mentioned.

Anyone any experience or expertise on these things?

I havent got a clue at the mo :nenau

[jims-terrano]

I've been at this house for 3 1/2 years now and have to say the block paving looks very nice and there are more types on the market now which look better still. Problem I've found is it has sunk in some areas but it's been down for years. Worse still is the weeds!!!! you have to keep up to weed killer about twice a year. Water seems to drain through it pretty easy which is good. You also get caked in crap if you pressure wash it to clean it:doh.

The contcrete options looks good too, they lay the concrete and then put rubber stamps down on it to make the pattern and then they throw powdered colouring on top which gives it a nice finish. What I think about it is the old concrete drives and paths crack don't they. I know there is ways to stop concrete cracking but do the fitters use em?

Jim T

[clivvy]

i'd be interested in the pattern concrete. i think the quality is better these days, in terms of stopping the cracking, and you dont get any sinking etc...

[Spook]

next door to me have the concrete paterned stuff been down for a while looks really good, no cracking.

have you considered the stone 'paving slabs' i think its indian stone but a few of the drives near me have had it done and looks really smart, don't know the cost tho?

Sidsid06 might be the man in the know??

[Ian Hunt]

If you wait for a while, you're bound to get a knock on the door from some kindly workman that "just happen" to have some tarmac left from their previous job........ :eek: :lol

[zippy656]

What ever you do make sure its dugdown deeps enough to stop the sinking..

[vatco]

If you wait for a while, you're bound to get a knock on the door from some kindly workman that "just happen" to have some tarmac left from their previous job........ :eek: :lol

I.ll get one of me mates to call :lol:lol:lol

Concrete will crack after a while if it isn't lade on a good bed that is dug deep enough and it needs expansion joints in it - Not easy to repair properly when it ages and starts to look taty

Block or slabs again will sink if not good enough bed make sure you have heavy duty ones laid if you can as they are much better - easy to repair Just pull up the blocks and relay

Tarmac if it's done right on a drive then should last forever as it won't get enough traffic to do it any harm but it does need to be laid properly and I haven't seen any tarmac gangs that can be bothered these days - good plus point is it's cheap to repair; just call on your local Dids:augie

[sidsid06]

We're looking to have our drive fixed.

We were looking at block paving it but patterned concrete has been mentioned.

Anyone any experience or expertise on these things?

I havent got a clue at the mo :nenau im in the landscaping game and done pleanty of drive ways:) patter concrete is ok! but it can crack if not enough expanstion joints in it!! also after time the top of the concrete wares away making it look like a normal concrete drive with pattern press marks in it!

as for block paving which i have done hundreds my poor back!!!! as long as it dug out to the right depth ie ground conditions! and i always lay a tram! ( the stuff they use under the motorways ect.)under the type 1 road stone it helps with the spread of the drive! no shinkage! as for blocks you need 60mm blocks which can take up to 2.5 tons, not 50mm as their more for patios. you can get 80mm blocks but thats only if you want to drive a lorry on the drive.. you can get standard blocks or the tummbled block which gives a old and more ramdom effect! blocks will dis colour a little but not a lot! layed right and dug out the right way will not sink!!! not too blow my own trumpet but i have never been back to 1 of my drives though sinkages!! you be looking to pay about £55 per meter for standard blocks from digging out and laying the blocks!! the tumbled blocks are about £75 mer meter! hope this helps:D:D any more questions just ask:thumbs

[sidsid06]

as for slabs on the drive can be done but make sure they lay slab on a solid morta bed a good strong mix or else after time they will rock and also crack!!! and be more expensive as it will take longer too do! and the slabs must be the 50 60mm ones.

[Deleted account DD]

Thanks everyone :thumb2

Ill give the left over tarmac a miss thanks ;)

I like the concrete and I've been reading up re the expansion joints , seems pretty damned crucial. i am also worried about wear and tear. How easy is it to reseal and recolour :confused:

The thing in favour of block paving is the guy we have lined up to do it in the spring works for the highways agency and is shit hot doing our drive is light weight stuff for him compard to the motorways but I'm sure will be a heavy weight job for domestic :thumb2

Sidsid...........how often do blocks need resealing in your experience ? We've got some very worn block paving at the mo and it wont blend with new.

[sidsid06]

Thanks everyone :thumb2

Ill give the left over tarmac a miss thanks ;)

I like the concrete and I've been reading up re the expansion joints , seems pretty damned crucial. i am also worried about wear and tear. How easy is it to reseal and recolour :confused:

The thing in favour of block paving is the guy we have lined up to do it in the spring works for the highways agency and is shit hot doing our drive is light weight stuff for him compard to the motorways but I'm sure will be a heavy weight job for domestic :thumb2

Sidsid...........how often do blocks need resealing in your experience ? We've got some very worn block paving at the mo and it wont blend with new. your new get old blocks and new to match as they all fad!! and depends on what make block it is!! i use formpave blocks as i think they look the best and dont disscolour too much!!! as for sealing a drive i only do it if the customer askes for it! as it wont stop the fadding! i would reseal a drive ever two years! if your worried about oil stains.... neat washing powed on the oil mark should remove it! trick of the trade:) also i always do a minimum screed of sand to lay the blocks on!!

[Deleted account DD]

cheers :thumb2

[sidsid06]

cheers :thumb2 no worries!! happy to help:thumbs

[Nisstay]

im in the landscaping game and done pleanty of drive ways:) patter concrete is ok! but it can crack if not enough expanstion joints in it!! also after time the top of the concrete wares away making it look like a normal concrete drive with pattern press marks in it!

as for block paving which i have done hundreds my poor back!!!! as long as it dug out to the right depth ie ground conditions! and i always lay a tram! ( the stuff they use under the motorways ect.)under the type 1 road stone it helps with the spread of the drive! no shinkage! as for blocks you need 60mm blocks which can take up to 2.5 tons, not 50mm as their more for patios. you can get 80mm blocks but thats only if you want to drive a lorry on the drive.. you can get standard blocks or the tummbled block which gives a old and more ramdom effect! blocks will dis colour a little but not a lot! layed right and dug out the right way will not sink!!! not too blow my own trumpet but i have never been back to 1 of my drives though sinkages!! you be looking to pay about £55 per meter for standard blocks from digging out and laying the blocks!! the tumbled blocks are about £75 mer meter! hope this helps:D:D any more questions just ask:thumbs

i am sure sidsid wont mind me saying the 'tram' he recommends using is actually a proprietary name for a membrane laid down to allow water to seep downwards but to stop mud seeping upwards and is spelled 'TERRAM'

[zippy656]

so sidsid06 how deep is deep enough??

[mav]

Look for member called Drivewasher,

What he dont know about drives aint worth knowing.

[mav]

admin, Please delete this post..............

[sidsid06]

so sidsid06 how deep is deep enough?? i would say on a average drive 9 to 10 inches! some times more if it blue :eek:clay

[SteveN]

Hi guys,
I would go for the concrete personally, there are some good companies doing it, they all use concrete that is specifically designed for the job, it uses 10mm stone and has small fibres added which adds to the strength of the concrete.
I think you have to have them come back every three years or so to reseal everything otherwise you will get the patttern wearing out.
Don't know for sure but I bet its a fair bit cheaper than block pavers !

cheers
Steve

[paulp]

had my drive done with block paving recently because a succesion of 4x4's had wrecked the concrete runway drive.

the builder went down 12 inches of type 1 aggregate, that was done with a wacker plate then sand (4" i think) and then put the blocks down. - no sign of sinking.

then some w@@ker from the council expectd me to dig some up if it failed planning that i was told i did not need. but as it exceeded 5.5 metres square it posed a risk to flooding the road, best to check local planning rules.

paulp

[Deleted account DD]

then some w@@ker from the council expectd me to dig some up if it failed planning that i was told i did not need. but as it exceeded 5.5 metres square it posed a risk to flooding the road, best to check local planning rules.



Thats cropped up too. There seems to be some dispute wether we need planning permission because we're doing like for like, just a slightly larger area :augie

[zippy656]

i would say on a average drive 9 to 10 inches! some times more if it blue :eek:clay


under the top soil we got a green sand..

[CaptLimey]

Hi Daved

You might want to consider an exposed aggregate finish for a concrete drive.

I've recently laid 75 square meters of it at our place. I laid it in separate bays divided by expansion joints and each bay is bordered with terracotta tiles to give a decorative finish. It is a relatively inexpensive and easy method of providing a very hard wearing but attractive finish.

You can determine the texture and colour of the finished surface according to the aggregate you choose. There is a knack to doing it right but it it is not too difficult. Just Google search 'exposed aggregate', there is a wealth of professional advice on the subject.

Tip - don't pay a lot for the 'retarder' that delays the setting of the top 5mm of the concrete. If you can't get it at a reasonable price you can use a sugar/water mix of approx. 1kg per 5 litres of water. PM me if you need more info.

Regards CL

[sidsid06]

under the top soil we got a green sand.. green sand ware you live!!!!! mars:D sand it a good base as long as its not running sand ie move all time!!! as for concrete drives i would not recommend for a couple of resons say your water pipe or gas pipe needs replacing!!! thats a big area of drive which has to be cut out for the work to be done!! and then when its reinstated! your see it for ever more!! at least with blocks you can lift and stack the blocks then relay! and it looks as no work has been done!!! yes the concrete dose have fibers in it unless it been renforceing steel in it any movement under the concrete and it will crack! i have seen it for myself, any move ment with blocks at least you can repare the area easly and cheeply:D as for the planning no planning needed if its already a drive way you like to have replaced!usually you can make it bigger without any one saying any thing!!! if not you can allways put in drainage and no 1 can say a word!!! or have the main part of drive block ect! then say you want to dive on your lawn area,have that as a shingle held in round the edge with block paving! looks nice:D

[4x4onarret]

Heres my 10p's worth,

I laid a block paved driveway 3 years ago. Used the 60mm blocks. I spent a lot of time on the base, plent of well compacted hard core and a good level covering of sand to lay the blocks on.
It has not moves at all, still level with no signs of tram lines where we repeatedly park the cars.:clap
Weeds in the joints are a pain in the butt :( but are easier to deal with than cracks in the concrete!
Another bonus is if you have to dig it up for services (Gas Water etc) or have a bad splill you can, I had an old escort mk2 RS2000, great car but it leaked like the house of commons!
When it was sold I just lifted out the stained blocks and replaced them. Good as new and not visible.
I would suggest keeping a spare 50 or more behind the shed to weather incase they are required, will be almost the same colour then.

Blocks All the Way!

Cheers

Steve.

[supertaff]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but could the "Green Sand" that Zippy mentioned actually be ground (pulverised) glass ? I know that it has been used as foundation for some roads.
Matt.

[zippy656]

ah , nope. its about 18" down quite soft to dig.

[sidsid06]

ah , nope. its about 18" down quite soft to dig. not glass!!!!!!!!!!!!! just a different planet the god seem to live on:D is it a sand or their more soil content? how green we talking? like a lawn!?

[zippy656]

dark green..

just sand top soil 6" sub soil about 8" then green sand

[sidsid06]

just had a look in 1 of my books at soil and sand types!!!!! and yes their is a green sand which has quite a high acidity content!! so will be excellent for you to be planting some rhododendron"s:thumbs so zippy get planting:D

[sidsid06]

also its a rare sand:) your are specail:)

[zippy656]

your are specail:)


oh i know, i know

[Deleted account DD]

Thanks again for the info folks,

CL, we havent really considered the exposed aggregate, no idea why not :doh

Steve, v good point re the weathering of the bricks :thumb2

All this info and I've got less idea what to do now :nenau

(we were going to get it done last November but got rained off , not sure if that was helpful or not :D )

[sidsid06]

Thanks again for the info folks,

CL, we havent really considered the exposed aggregate, no idea why not :doh

Steve, v good point re the weathering of the bricks :thumb2

All this info and I've got less idea what to do now :nenau

(we were going to get it done last November but got rained off , not sure if that was helpful or not :D ) more ideas:D you could go for a clay block which will not fade look the same in 10 year as the day they were layed:) they look the nuts to look like a drive at beckhams:clap their quite expensive tho!!!

[zippy656]

you can also colour the concreat...

geen to look like grass..

[sidsid06]

you can also colour the concreat...

geen to look like grass..green is a sign of money ive always been told:) look like a big lawn:D

[paulp]

Hi if a bucket of water disapates from the top (house) side of the drive before it hits the pavement you are exempt from planning - but again please check local rules

paulp