Dear Tony,
After some underpinning the time has come to replace our drive with it's original concrete - but we have negotiated with our insurance co. to pay the extra required for a block drive. The paver is preparing the ground this week and we have to make a decision about blocks by Friday, but which blocks?
Our house is of yellow brick although the bricks do have other colours in them and we started by eliminating all reds for the drive.
The paver (who uses Marshalls) suggested Driveline 50 Burnt Ochre. We saw a small sample of these laid down at a Builder's Merchant and they seemed to have a lot of orangey flashes. Although these were toned down by the inclusion of charcoal we wondered whether they would be too colourful over a large area.
Going up a grade (our quote was for Driveline 50s) we saw a sample of Driveline Elite Heather which, from the catalogue looked like a nice foil for the house bricks. The laid down sample though was much darker overall than we expected making us unsure of the effect.
Throwing caution to the winds we finally arrived at Drivesett Tegula if we can manage it. We thought Harvest but our paver said Harvest would be too yellow. The laid down sample of this looked good to us and not at all yellow but he insists that over 120 squ. metres it will look too yellow for us and said we should go for Traditional. Oh dear! Traditional has lots of really pink and blue shades - will it really go with our yellowbrick?
Time is too short for more looking; we have exhausted the local merchants; they don't have samples of everything and we are as unsure as ever with a quick decision to make. We haven't found any other yellowbrick houses with block drives around. We are greatly in need of advice - please do you have any? - and please don't say knock the house down for a more amenable colour, not after what we have just been through!
Block paving - Two days to decide!
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LandscapeMann
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Hmnn,
Sorry I can't really advise you on the color choices with out seeing the site. But in my view, as long as the pavers pick up some of the house tones. I would look at what pavers you find pleasing on there own merits. This matching the house colors with the pavers can be overdone if taken to the extreme.
But that is just my personal take.
LM
Sorry I can't really advise you on the color choices with out seeing the site. But in my view, as long as the pavers pick up some of the house tones. I would look at what pavers you find pleasing on there own merits. This matching the house colors with the pavers can be overdone if taken to the extreme.
But that is just my personal take.
LM
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Marin
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:59 pm
- Location: Sussex
Thank you for your quick response Landscape Mann. I don't want to match the blocks with the house which is why we are skirting round our paver's first suggested Driveline 50 Burnt Ochre which seem to have a lot of orangey yellow in them.
Do you agree with him that Driveline Tegula Harvest has a yellow look when laid over a large area?
I would be grateful to hear from anyone who has chosen blocks for a yellow (mellowed over the years) brick house.
And does Tegula Traditional look good with any colour house as I am being advised?
Do you agree with him that Driveline Tegula Harvest has a yellow look when laid over a large area?
I would be grateful to hear from anyone who has chosen blocks for a yellow (mellowed over the years) brick house.
And does Tegula Traditional look good with any colour house as I am being advised?
Marin Smithers
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LandscapeMann
- Posts: 79
- Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2004 3:26 am
- Location: Maryland, USA
Marin,
I again apoligize that I cannot speak to your paticular selections as I am from the USA and not familar with your paver colors. Some of the Brew Cabin irregulars will have to chime in on that.
Is there any way your contractor or BM can find a site that has your various paver choices installed? It is difficult to tell without seeing the pavers installed what the true effect will be. Pictures are a aid, but not to great for picking colors. Also there is quite a bit of variation with the different blends from one batch to another.
Generally I would put some stock in what your contractor thinks as he should have the experience with the final effect. I have had customers that just could not make up there minds and leaned on me to help them decide. It does make me uncomfortable to do that because they will have to live with the choice in the end. I just give my honest input. But of course the final say is the customer.
LM
I again apoligize that I cannot speak to your paticular selections as I am from the USA and not familar with your paver colors. Some of the Brew Cabin irregulars will have to chime in on that.
Is there any way your contractor or BM can find a site that has your various paver choices installed? It is difficult to tell without seeing the pavers installed what the true effect will be. Pictures are a aid, but not to great for picking colors. Also there is quite a bit of variation with the different blends from one batch to another.
Generally I would put some stock in what your contractor thinks as he should have the experience with the final effect. I have had customers that just could not make up there minds and leaned on me to help them decide. It does make me uncomfortable to do that because they will have to live with the choice in the end. I just give my honest input. But of course the final say is the customer.
LM
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ABILITY
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- Location: Cheshire
- Contact:
Marin
Would agree with you on this. Would go for the Harvest colour if going with Marshells Tegula.
We nearly always specify this colour, a nice subtle blend without the brighter red / brindle, it tends to go with most properties.
Don't believe it to be too yellow, more a grey / yellowy brown hint, sounds like with your house a red would jump out at you.
Hope this is of help, go for the Harvest.
Ability.
Would agree with you on this. Would go for the Harvest colour if going with Marshells Tegula.
We nearly always specify this colour, a nice subtle blend without the brighter red / brindle, it tends to go with most properties.
Don't believe it to be too yellow, more a grey / yellowy brown hint, sounds like with your house a red would jump out at you.
Hope this is of help, go for the Harvest.
Ability.
Ability.
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steve r
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Tony McC
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I'm probably too late now - I've been Guinness testing back in Ireland and visiting the Dublin Stone Show (see the latest News page for my review) - but maybe the blocks haven't been ordered just yet.
The Tegula/Drivesett Harvest buff is a good choice - John H from Aintree Paving used it during the summer on a job I designed and the results are very good, to say the least.
However, Marshalls are not the sole purveyors of tumbled blocks. Steve R, who posted previously to this thread, used Brett Beta blocks for his project, and there's also the Tobermore tumbled pavers that are relatively new to Britain but are extremely popular in Ireland. RMC, Charcon and TopPave all do a tumbled block, so there's plenty of choice, and any contractor that offers blocks from only one manufacturer is working for themselves and not for the client.
As I keep saying on the main website, it's you that has to live with the paving for the next diddley-um years, so you must have the paving YOU like, and not what suits the bloody contractor!
I know there's plenty of folk out there that don't give a Donald Duck what sort of paver block they have, and are quite happy to take the contractor's recommendation, but assuming you're one of those with a mind of their own, you should never, ever give in to what the contractor wants if it's not to your taste. They'll be gone in a fortnight, but you have to live with it for a long time to come.
And Marshalls ain't usually the cheapest of blocks!
The Tegula/Drivesett Harvest buff is a good choice - John H from Aintree Paving used it during the summer on a job I designed and the results are very good, to say the least.
However, Marshalls are not the sole purveyors of tumbled blocks. Steve R, who posted previously to this thread, used Brett Beta blocks for his project, and there's also the Tobermore tumbled pavers that are relatively new to Britain but are extremely popular in Ireland. RMC, Charcon and TopPave all do a tumbled block, so there's plenty of choice, and any contractor that offers blocks from only one manufacturer is working for themselves and not for the client.
As I keep saying on the main website, it's you that has to live with the paving for the next diddley-um years, so you must have the paving YOU like, and not what suits the bloody contractor!
I know there's plenty of folk out there that don't give a Donald Duck what sort of paver block they have, and are quite happy to take the contractor's recommendation, but assuming you're one of those with a mind of their own, you should never, ever give in to what the contractor wants if it's not to your taste. They'll be gone in a fortnight, but you have to live with it for a long time to come.
And Marshalls ain't usually the cheapest of blocks!
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