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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:38 pm
by howardino
Hi,
I'm looking for a cost effective driveway extension, currently we have a single driveway (about 3 car lengths). Its a pain moving cars in and out when one car is blocking another.
I'm looking to make it a double length, so 2 cars wide. The area to be converted is currently grass.
Would concrete be the cheapest solution - tho it doesn't look the best - would the imprinted concrete add significantly more to the cost. (I guess gravel would be the cheapest - but personally don't like the stuff)
many thanks for your help.
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:37 pm
by Pablo
Gravel is your cheapest option by far but your best option is to use the same material as the existing driveway. Cost wise concrete is similar to Bitmac then Block and pic. I'd stay away from Pic though it's a bloody minefield to many bad contractors and to weather dependant also it costs the same as what it's imitating. All your options require the same ground works and base so the only variable is the type of surface you choose.
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 9:19 pm
by howardino
Thanks for the reply and info. I'll get some tarmac/bitmac quotes and see how they pan out.
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 12:56 am
by lutonlagerlout
I have a feeling pablo that budget block paving is cheaper than properly installed bitmac now
all the blokes that i knew that did bitmac rarely do it now as the raw material costs so much
round nottingham you would probably get the area block paved for around £50-60 per metre for a decent job
LLL
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:32 am
by howardino
ok, so had my 1st quote this morning £5500!!! crikey! prob more than doubled than what I had thought it would cost. Is this reasonable. I've got a rough dimensions of the job: driveway length 17 metres long by 3.4 metres wide - this part is already concrete. The grass width is 2.7 metres. He said the concrete would need digging up as its crap - lots of cracks and in a few years cracks would come up through the tarmac. It does have a number of cracks here and there and some weeds coming through.
What would be ball park figures for tarmac and block paving? Is most of the cost sorting out the groundworks?
Thanks for you help guys.
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:50 am
by local patios and driveway
Block paving price guidelines: Assuming a full area of 103m only a bodger will lay block paving on top of concrete, especially if one side isnt concreted..
I would charge you £6500 all in. But im south london. At £55 per meter that would make it £5665, any cheaper than those prices and i would be getting suspicious about the quality of work.
Theres no such thing as a cheap job in any of the trades.
You think the 5500 price should be halved? Let me break that down...
Budget paving @ £10pm plus vat is 1200, digger to excavate the area £150, 2 grabs here would be £400 maybe £300 in your area. Then the rest of materials needed maybe £400. Linear drain and crates £250, fuel, insurance, liability, vehcile costs, maybe another £200 totals £2600
He will need 3 guys for a week to do the work but for those blokes you want to pay £0 in total. Plus zero profit for the business, plus no return on actually coming out and pricing the work... Theres probably £1500 in labour costs.
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 12:25 pm
by howardino
local patios and driveways - thx 4 your post and cost breakdowns - think u should have read my previous posts tho - the £5500 quote I had this morning was for tarmac.
From what I've read and heard, is that block paving costs twice as much as tarmac. Your quote for block paving seems reasonable and I would expect to pay that for block paving. Following on from this, the tarmac should cost half this much so around £3k? The £5500 quote for tarmac I had this morning seems more like block paving money.
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 3:47 pm
by lutonlagerlout
tarmac or bitmac as it is properly known n0w costs £125 a tonne
you need 100 mm type 1 ,50 mm base course and 30mm top course
so you are looking at over a grand for the bitmac just for the base
then the type 1 and top course plus drainage and edgings
my mate who does bitmac for volkerhighways says blck paving is cheaper than bitmac now due to increased costs
LLL
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:38 pm
by Mikey_C
as i'm guessing the £5500 guide price is outside your planned expenditure I see it that you have very few options:-
1) cotinue to save money until you have enough to pay for the works.
2) do the job yourself.
3) do the extension part either yourself or use someone who can at a later date complete the job reusing as much of the previous extension.
to expand on 3) if you decided ultimately what finish you are going to want (block/concrete/mac) you could get the dig out and subase for extension done to the correct level then get a temporary surface i.e. more subase material/concrete or gravel to bring you up to useable height, if you seperate the temporary finish using a membrane/geotextile you should be able to remove and reuse it in some way.
as you already have concrete that needs to come out this can be crushed and used as subase which would need pricing up to see if it a viable method for saving money.
as a avid diy'er who has done his own drive, for your sanity and well being don't try number 2)!!!
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:03 pm
by rab1
listen to Mikey would be my humble advice. ???