Normal blocks or clay - worth paying extra?

[dbaplaya]

thinking of doing the drive myself. I went to selco and can get m2 for £8.50+vat , clay pavers are around £16 per m2. is it worth paying extra?
I had a quote off a guy that advised that normal concrete blocks had a life of 'looking good' of around 10 years and pressure washer treatment would reduce this further.

Can anyone advise on the best solution based on quality and cost?

My drive is 102sqm. I had a quote for normal blocks £4500,
clay pavers £5430
Three size tumbled concrete pavors £5490
Tumbled clay pavors £5660

and £15 per metre for raised kerbs around drive.

This is only the first quote I have had but with prices like these I am more pushed towards doing it myself.

Any advice appreciated.

See pic of drive...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58733745@N07/5386707661/

[ilovesettsonmondays]

hi , having looked at your picture .your house is a very good house for a paver to pave . i.e plenty of open space to dig out and to pile up for grab wagon etc.the prices you have had i would say are a bit lower than average quotes you would expect to get .you say you might want to do it yourself . if you are not from a construction background its a big job to take on .

[lutonlagerlout]

those quotes are very competitive,
clay is better than concrete
i think you would struggle to do it yourself for that sort of money
LLL

[digerjones]

them quotes look very cheap to me, paviors £16 x 102 + vat must be nearly £2000, + other materials ie stone,sand and cement must be £1000. to dig out and skip must be £1000.

[ilovesettsonmondays]

might have a grab driver as a best m8 dylan;0

[digerjones]

think he needs a digger driver as a best mate aswell.

[lutonlagerlout]

and a friendly quarry
LLL

[dbaplaya]

should of said, the builder that did our extension said he will rip the tarmac + garden for £150. A builders skip another £150. Not sure on prices of MOT and the sand yet

Standard blocks @ £8.50 per m2 + vat x 102 sqm = £1040
Skip £150
Digger + driver £150
sand + MOT = TBC
Whacker @ £25 a day
so around £1500 maybe a bit more. + my own time.

[haggistini]

Try 5 skips 24 tonne sub-base and about 10 tonne of sharpe sand 1 tonne of chippings 15 bags of cement 13 bags of jointing sand, disk cutter or block cutter, water level, 3x2,s stringlines rubber mallet aco,s soak away ???

[dbaplaya]

guess there are other costs I have not thought about. Id like a pro to do it but cant really afford it at the minute. I may just wait and save up.

That price he gave me included installing a soakaway as well.

[lutonlagerlout]

you are in la la land there dbplaya

1 skip for 105 m2 drive?????
more like 3 if its dug out 225 mm below finish height
£450

2 blocks yes they are the cheapest and you get what you pay for

3 digger and driver £150 that is remarkably cheap,can he do all that in a day?

4 wacker weeks hire say £75

5 30 tonnes of type 1 £600

6 6 tonnes of grit sand £150

7 15bags of KDS £60

8 grinder /splitter for a week £70

9 concrete for haunching £120

10 drains???

12 kerbs?

so in essence more like £2000 for starters and i would be willing to wager that £2500 = is more likely
plus 1 80 hour week for you and a labourer
= £1600

so as i said on £4500 he wont be getting rich out of you

not trying to be negative or put you off but there is nothing worse than starting a DIY project and falling short of funds half way
planning is the key to sucess

cheers LLL

[ilovesettsonmondays]

dbap youve just answered your own q . the drive is ok now , save up wait a year or whatever and then have it done . i would say most people on here would agree with me that 6000 pound is more of a realistic price for your 10 pound blocks.

[ilovesettsonmondays]

you think your in a dilemma . look at the news hitler got the beginning of the weekvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

[dbaplaya]

one other thing - is it worth sealing the concrete blocks? the guy i had a quote off said dont bother as it will wear where you drive on and off at the same point and walk to you front door etc