Rogue traders

[bobhughes]

Next week ........... Drives - An exposé.

Set your recorders guys just in case we see anyone we know.

[Dave_L]

Yes - will watch with interest! There was a bit on driveways (PIC) on Watchdawg tonight.

[lutonlagerlout]

<gulp>
lol
LLL

[Ted]

Yes - will watch with interest! There was a bit on driveways (PIC) on Watchdawg tonight.

I missed that. It was about Town and Country Driveways Ltd (also known as Town and Country Installations Ltd and Border Paving Ltd among other names from what I understand).

They appeared on it a few years ago. I really think the PIC supply houses such as PICS, Creative Impressions, Lafarge, Elitecrete etc should band together and refuse to sell to T&C as all they bring is a bad name to PIC and leave a trail of dissatisfied customers behind them.

They were recently closed down again by Wrexham trading standards but no doubt will re-emerge as Town and Country Paving or something similar.

I hear the driveways shown were simply appalling?

Looking forward to Rogue Traders tonight.

[Ted]

Today we had drives.

The two co's involved were pretty poor but they were given stick for using a wacker plate and not a roller. In at least one case they had specified that they would use a roller so that was wrong but was a roller really necessary?

I just use a wacker plate to consolidate the hardcore as per PIC installation guidelines. I would ideally like to use a roller but they are pricey and a pain to transport. I also have a book by Fine Homebuilding magazine "For pros by pros" that does not mention the need for a roller to compact hardcore for a drive.

Is this Rogue Traders just making up stuff to paint the rogues in an even worse light? I notice that one 'professional' was the same one that said a patio didn't need any foundations the other day. He certainly changed his tune about foundations today!

[lutonlagerlout]

agreed ted,although the quality was rubbish they did dig out and cart away and they did put stone down and wack it,i never heard of a roller being used for blockpaving before
expert is talking out of his arse
the air bricks shouldnt have been blocked ,but overall i felt a bit sorry for the block paving crown even though they were tinkers,if they had spent maybe 10 % more time on their cutting and used leanmix for the kerbs and the step they were on track to a half decent job,oh and connecting the drain .
i wouldnt say either contractor was a total p*ss taker,problem is when the guvnor only turns up for the quotes and the money he has no control over his men
if my blokes do something wrong we just redo it,life is so much easier this way
i dont like those 2 plonkers that present the show and their 2 bob expert,lets core a hole out on one of his drives and see if he has 300mm of type 1,also he said they had too little sand???
never heard of that one before ???
cheers LLL

[Stuarty]

Ive been deprived. It wasnt shown on telly up here. I only really associate rollers with tar, but i have seen them used a couple of times on hardcore, but it was more cost effective for those particular jobs - they were stupidly huge.

Its a bit the same where i work, theres myself and another guy and we go to our jobs and to what we have to do. Boss goes out to see the job for a quote, then usually is there to start the whole job off and to give us the heads up on any issues that we may face then turns up on completion for the payment. But i always like to take pride in my work, so i do it right from the start. If im not happy with something ill fix it, i cant just go "sod it that'll do". I realise if i screw it up first time round, ill just have to keep going back till its corrected, or till im unemployed :p. "If you dont do it right get the f**k out of my van" i was taught when i first started. Still there so cant be doing too bad heh

[Dave_L]

We use our ped roller (Vibroll CS71, great machine) on hardcore/sub-base prior to doing anything else with it and on big areas we'll whack it down hard with our Bomag 100. But then I guess we use it coz we've got it - couldn't see a block paving contractor spending £3k on on a '71.

Seeing those lads hand-digging out that front garden and stump amused me somewhat! Then the bloke in the mini digger hooking out the cable TV line! What an idiot!!

Missed the last 10 mins of rouge traders, big thunderstorm took out the power so I missed the guvnor making a hasty exit in his Audi

[lutonlagerlout]

i suppose a roller is probably better but for most domestic driveways it is OTT,also when i see my mate tarmacing he always uses a wacker for awkward bits etc
cable tv lines are a bane around here too because they only put them 2 inches in the ground
cheers LLL

[Dave_L]

Don't get me wrong, we have a plate compactor and use it in and around the fiddlies and for smoothing out risers etc etc works very well leaving a good finish. Just got to remember to use plenty of water otherwise you'll end up with a sticky mess on the plate!

[Stuarty]

you get cable tv at 2 inches, up here your lucky if their in the ground at all sometiems heh

[Dave_L]

No cable TV down here in the South West, but the phone lines aren't far below pavement level!

[bobbi o]

i got bashed on here for suggesting that anyone that only uses a wacker to compact sub-base is a cowboy.maybye a bit harsh but the "expert" on rogue traders seems to agree !:p

[lutonlagerlout]

i got bashed on here for suggesting that anyone that only uses a wacker to compact sub-base is a cowboy.

when was that bobbi?? AFAIK wacker plate is fine for domestic stuff
cheers LLL

[Dave_L]

From an experience point-of-view it is quite amazing how much the stone will further compact with the roller compared to a whacker, leading to a better, more stable subbase construction.