Thought I'd investigate a few cracks in my 17 year old driveway with a view to patching. However when I chiseled out some tarmac I noticed the sub base was also cracked. I also noticed that there was a smooth sub base with a coarse second layer and a thin layer of tarmac. This doesn't look right to me as I was expecting the tarmac to be thicker. It was laid by the builders I assume when they built the house. From the pics you can see...I hope. But the tarmac is about 10mm thick at best and as little as 7 mm in others.
You can see the three layers here
The sub base is cracked and of course so is the coarse concrete second layer so I can probably patch it up on a temp basis and get the whole 13 m x 5 m drive dug and relaid in the spring...or sooner if I can find someone to do it before then.
I have read elsewhere of around £50 per sq m for this..is this right or will it be more if they have to relay the sub base as well ? Or would they repair the cracks and then lay the tarmac ?
Secondly ...I have checked the links but can find nobody around the Basingstoke area listed. Does anyone know a good tarmacer in the North Hants /Berkshire area please ?
Also for the same amount of money £ 3 -4000 are there any other surfaces I could replace the tarmac with ? I would really appreciate any comments around price expectation and possible alternative surfaces...please
Ok the plan , on a temp basis, is to get some Instarmac Instant Road Repair which shouldn't need any Cold Tack as it is pretty sticky stuff according to their web site, chop out the bad areas and raise the level a bit with their Rapid High Strength Mortar to give me about 30-40mm wearing layer. Repair the patches which should at least tidy the whole thing up until I can get some quotes in.
It looks like the concrete maybe covering a high pipe, or, they have overdone the surround. you seem to be losing material into the manhole, so that will need repairing. I would dig the rough parts out and put type one in for a temporary remedy. dont think you should repair with bags of tarmac it would be a waste of time and money. Have you considered an alternative to tarmac?
Good points..I was going to cut back the 2nd course as you suggest and put a new...thinner course in using high quality cement and ballast to leave me with about 40mm of tarmac to fill. As you say, I need to refill the gaps under the drain cover where removing the screed has pulled it out. I have a high strength quick drying cement for that...mixed with 4 parts ballast.
I appreciate the thoughts on bagged tarmac but it is such a small area and I am going to use Ultracrete IRR which apparently is very high quality 6mm tarmac that local councils use for pot hole repair. Not the stuff from the sheds. Thought about a concrete patch but I'll give the bags a go as they will "only" cost me £40 for two x 25KG...I have some other minor cracks as well to fix.
Based on cost...as they will be similar (?)...I am thing about block paving. I have also spotted something called Micro Asphalt which is laid by a company called Nationwide Driveways...they also do something called Resin Bonded Surfaces which looks like bonded gravel. Thing is, I want a good job done and not a quick fix so will go for a decent company........
sub base will require repairing before you do top layer. probably poor compaction below or pipe problems the cause, some nice aslternatives for finishing layer available, rein bonding and the like, so shop around before you leap:)
general builder, maintenance engineer, gas and plumbing installations, extensions etc
The main crack around that drain cover is circular....and follows the line of what looks like a prefabricated surround for the drain...which is some 12ft deep...
They should have sunk the top of that lower so the sub base would have been above it and not level. What appears to have happened is the sub base has separated from the surround and caused a gap. Nature did the rest of course and caused a crazy paving pattern of cracks radiating out. I suspect poor compaction as well. the drain pipes are 10-12 feet undergroundI have dug all the cracks out down to the 2nd course and have filled the cracks...its not very wide... 2-3 mm with plain cement.
I have just done a small area that surrounds the small drain
by the garage door (cleaned up, and chopped out a bit more and used Cold seal...) with the Ultracrete...I was sceptical because the thickness of tarmac is only 20mm but it has compacted down very well and has left a close matching finish. So far so good. Pic tomorrow when I will also be tackling the bigger job.
Have got Nationwide coming around on Wednesday to quote for block paving or resin bonded...should be interesting
Good advice and I appreciate the offer and I will certainly do that. Nationwide Driveways are quite a large company based in North/Mid Wales. If its not against the rules here is their web site.
Spoke to them today and they seemed pretty clued up and do offer a "bonded" guarantee. However, i take your point and will be cautious. I intend to get 5 or so quotes and have found several local companies around the Basingstoke/Reading area and I am checking some people on my estate that have had work done for recommendations. There is one local guy in my village who only does block paving...has a very good reputation...he's on my list
Supplementary question...can you actually "repair" cracks in the sub base or is it a dig up and replace job ?
usually dig up and replace as the underlying fault needs to be found first, otherwise 12months down the line hey presto its just like it was before you started.
general builder, maintenance engineer, gas and plumbing installations, extensions etc
