My new driveway - damaged blocks... - Blocks are damaged

Post: # 68689Post **seanandruby** Tue Sep 27, 2011 9:21 pm

ha ha ha ha. :laugh:

stumac49 · Post: # 68700Post **stumac49** Wed Sep 28, 2011 8:57 am

Thanks for the replies gents.

To 'Lutonlagerlout' - that's EXACTLY what I'm talking about! You make that sort of effort for your client and they'll be telling the world about you and your work. And I'm sure YOU feel good about yourself too, knowing you've done your utmost and it's appreciated. If I move and need a driveway done I'll be in touch!!

To 'Local Patios and Driveways' - yes I spent probably the last 18 months on and off looking at this website, reading as much as possible and trying to understand the whole process.

I really wanted to have a crack at it myself but decided it was wiser to get a professional to do it.

The quotes came in at between 4k and 6k. I paid nearly 5k for the job and for that I expected a near perfect result and good follow-up.

Last night I replaced the most damaged block - took a while and a little sweating over trying not to damage adjacent blocks, but got it done and happy now. Need to do the others at some point but they aren't so noticeable.

Just one other thing I've noticed about my drive - there are a couple of curves in the charcoal soldier course and instead of tapering they just cut 'slithers' in - better than huge joints but still not the right way (according to all advice on here anyway).

Anyway I'll shut up now!

Post: # 68701Post **seanandruby** Wed Sep 28, 2011 9:12 am

now we need photos of curves stu'.

stumac49 · Post: # 68703Post **stumac49** Wed Sep 28, 2011 9:21 am

I will try and take some pics tonight.

As I mentioned previously about his response to asking about coming back to check the joints, I don't think I could ask the contractor to rectify the curved edging as I'm convinced he'd say "they're OK, that's how we do them".

And where do you go from there without ending up in a confrontation?

Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:16 pm

i dont like cutting tapers,i think they look crap so i use mortar in those joints up to 15mm
wack then sand
tapers done well look the beesknees but no one wants to pay extra day work for them
IIRC the tapers round the columns at the reebok look fantastic,but probably took a couple of hours per column

Personally i would hate to thing someone was worried about calling me after ,so to alleviate this i try to explain everything in depth before we start
LLL

stumac49 · Post: # 68744Post **stumac49** Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:25 pm

Good afternoon 'LLL'.

Ok, so maybe I've mistakenly thought tapering the curved edges was the standard procedure. I'm sure whatever way YOU do your curves they look better than what I've got.

I'd show you, but struggling to upload a picture into the post.

Clicking on 'image' asks for URL - do you have to have the pictures hosted elsewhere to allow access to them on here?

Hope that makes sense!

Carberry · Post: # 68748Post **Carberry** Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:43 pm

Host them elsewhere on photobucket or something. If you can't host them somewhere else then email them to one of the moderators who will then host them for you and post them.

Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:50 pm

it depends on the job stu
for instance

here there are no tapers cut,the gap runs from tight to maybe 7mm per block
but IMHO looks fine
email me your pictures and i will put them up but FCS nothing over 1 meg via email please
LLL

stumac49 · Post: # 69055Post **stumac49** Fri Oct 07, 2011 2:56 pm

Sorry for delay in replying. Yes that example looks good to me.

How do I email the pics to you?

Fri Oct 07, 2011 5:32 pm

stick them to your forehead with gaffer tape and jump up and down naked in the street shouting "luton-lager-lout"
eventually some kind uniformed gentlemen in a van will come and deliver them for you :;):
i'll PM my addy eh?
LLL

Fri Oct 07, 2011 6:05 pm

stu sent me 3 pics but they are all much of a muchness

to me looks like they have tried to cut darts instead of wedges,on the right track but poor execution
what do you think?
LLL

Carberry · Post: # 69065Post **Carberry** Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:00 pm

They look bad. Have you got any photos of it zoomed out stu? For us to see how tight a curve it is.
How it should be done:

local patios and driveway · Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:29 pm

In my mind both look wrong. I find its worth taking the time to cut both sides of a block or you end up with the curve stepping one way. But thats the way i like it done. Others are different. First example looks shite

Fri Oct 07, 2011 8:29 pm

where is the haunching carberry?
cuts look neat but the lack of haunch is made obvious by the migration of the KDS?
or am i looking at it wrong?
LLL

Carberry · Post: # 69089Post **Carberry** Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:03 am

lutonlagerlout wrote:where is the haunching carberry?
cuts look neat but the lack of haunch is made obvious by the migration of the KDS?
or am i looking at it wrong?
LLL

Customer wasn't happy with haunching right up the side, didn't like the look of it and didn't like any of the usual suggestions for covering it. She asked if it was necessary, I said she could probably get away without it because the curve was so tight so I just stuck plenty of concrete below.