New driveway, large area! - Any ideas?

[willis]

Hi all, just a question if it can be answered here 'unilaterally'. We have to do the drive way and front of house now - have a new build (lucky us) but really have to be resourceful now with budget dwindling rapidly.
Basically we need to cover @350-400 sq metres - love resin bonded but dont know eventual price for this - basically we want something that doesnt cheapen the new build - you may say - well - then youll have to pay for it! - but fair enough if so - only have stone base to start with - any ideas re ball park for resin bonded +tarmacing in prep? Also if we block pave the lot any ideas re prices?

Finally - any other ideas welcome and also how we could avoid the maintanance nightmare for this area as plot is surrounded by trees and would attract mosses - block paving nice but could we 'really' avoid the way it darkens (as does our present drive) without it looking like imprinted like shiny bricks etc cheers Will

[local patios and driveway]

Block paving £75 pm
I think resin works out about £125 pm

[willis]

Ok think we on a max budget of 20-25k and this could do with being lower - 'if' we want grass!! Any other ideas welcome if this is what we're looking at? cheers

[local patios and driveway]

Well with a 25k budget, thats £62 per meter. The large area works in your favour i would think block paving is very do able. Im sure others will have more input regarding tarmac etc.

Now i know you dont want to hear it but you get what you pay for in this game. A cheap price will be a cheap job, you wont get a £75pm driveway for £50pm.

[Mikey_C]

is there an existing drive? that's quite a big private drive, is it a large plot that you lose the spoil on? do you have a quantity (about 120 ton) of rubble left over from the new build that could be used to produce a recycled sub base.

like lpad says you aren't going to able the quality by shopping round to get till you get a cheap price, you need to think how you can assist someone to good to a quality job.

[Mikey_C]

a large driveway of blockpaving and prices was discussed previously here

[willis]

Yes thanks for those - we do have the necessary sub base already as a contractor is doing the whole build etc - however, it will be a skilled ptofessional we would want to bring in to do the finishing. I suppose what we need to know is what price a block pave would be - with main sub base ready apart from layer to go beneath brick - and what quality brick we could get. The other is the tarmac option - re coloured tarmac (dont want black) so red/beige?, or resin bonded on top of this - would need to know price for tarmac 'and' resin on top. Dont think bitumin as far as I know would last? cheers

[Big Phil]

if you can afford blocks, then go for blocks. coloured tarmac will look poorer after a few years as the colour changes due to weathering and you'll spot all the little oil drops, squashed slugs and other debris that black tarmac hides.

[haggistini]

Letting someone else prep a base for block paving is a no no in my book, I have PM'd you

[willis]

Many thanks Pm'd me? Does that mean message in my inbox? Sorry to sound daft but checked and not one there. Anyway, thks for advice again - again my question here re block is it cert sounds good - but doea that not get stained by oil droips too? Also, moss growth could be a real issue as plot near a l,ot of trees so is it really workable to have some sort of treatment that doesnt look like shiny imprinted?

Second option I have thought of is to indian stone the whole area as we have sub base of hardcore and wouldnt need to tarmac either? cheers

[lutonlagerlout]

indian stone is not really right for a drive
there are a number of very good contractors on here from the manchester area
nw lads
I think you would possibly get that kind of area done within budget if the subbase is installed correctly
LLL

[haggistini]

injun stone setts would be ok..

[willis]

Ok thks again - dont wnt to be devils advocate here - but many driveways are indian stone?? They have cars parked on them so why not?

Secondly - whilst I def am interested in block paving option - stone setts I take it are the same? Then my only problem with this is that we have block in our current property and have jet washed it 2x and re-sanded - but it gets dirtier even quicker now! Thgis will be a big problem as said because of trees aroung property - are there 'real' options to combat this or are we talking bonding the whole surface - and having that 'shiny/wet' effect? cheers

[parishpaver]

Clay paviors?

Be a bit tight for your budget though I suspect.

And as others have pointed out.....not many guys happy about installing over a sub base they havent seen being prepped.

[Pablo]

Tbh your budget will only allow for Tarmac or block because you're boing to need drainage and kerbs aswell so you've only got around £50-£55 m2 to play with. Resin bound or bonded and natural stone will be way beyond that. My recommendation would be Asphalt with a decorative chip surrounded by a dual row of stone setts with a 3-4m deep sett threshold at the property entrance. Finish it with granite or exposed aggregate kerbs and you'll have a very classy long lasting easily cared for driveway that should fit the budget. If you hold off on completion certificate you'll not pay any vat either. I'd get a good paver landscaper to set it out and do the kerbs/stone and subbase then get the asphalt in once they're done. Don't let a tarmacer near paving they usually arse it up.