The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2013 9:07 pm**

Hi all. In the process of gathering quotes to resurface a very worn and broken asphalt driveway. Would really appreciate some opinions on the best way of doing this.

Quote 1 from Company A is for new tarmac as follows

Supply & Install on sand & cement as advised a Brick block border creating new surface water levels to fall away from the wall. Making good the boundary line to the neighbours & re-routing the communication wiring.
Sweep clean the entire area free from debris.
Supply & apply throughout a K140 bitumen emulsion to bond the old surface with the new.
Supply, lay & compact to a depth of 30mm, using a twin drummed vibrating roller, 6mm SMA (Smapave) Surface Course. (Very durable and hard wearing Macadam Surface)

Quote 2 from Company B is for a gravel finish which seems to be far simpler, in that after removing the old asphalt, the existing concrete would be repaired with new, and on top would be laid stabilising tiles http://www.aco.co.uk/product_detail.php?id=1 and gravel on top.

When I asked Company A about a gravel finish, I got a very complicated description of what that would entail, involving the original job plus an additional layer of bitumen emulsion, followed by embedded shingle and loose shingle on top - this would cost an additional Â£1,000.

So I'm confused. What, if anything, is 'wrong' with Quote 2? It's cheaper obviously but I'm more interested in which approach is best. Why does Company A have such a different approach to a gravel finish to Company B? (they say tarmac has to be laid whichever finish we want) Can they both be right?

The house is in London, Victorian, on top of a hill, divided into 3 flats. Currently water is soaking down through the broken concrete and collecting behind the retaining walls round the basement. So proper drainage is important, but also there's a question of aesthetics. A gravel finish is preferred by the flat owners because it looks more stylish than tarmac (if kept tidy) and more in keeping with a period house. Could the simpler, cheaper job be right for our building, or is there something important I'm not seeing?

Any thoughts gratefully received - I'm getting very confused!

Many thanks

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2013 10:25 pm**

gravel wont help your drainage problems helen
quote A seems like a fairly professional overlay quote
do any of the quotes include drainage ,which has been required for driveways since 2008 by law?
cheers LLL
ps exposed aggregate or resin bound gravel can look nice on period houses

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2013 11:29 pm**

The emphasis so far has been to ensure drainage away from the house...not currently the case. Asphalt on the driveway is so degraded by the retaining walls to the basement that those walls are bubbling up and showing signs of water build up.
I was hoping to attach a couple of photos but can't see how....

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2013 11:35 pm**

Ok I have another question (complete lay person, sorry)
I thought in order to prevent build up of water around the house we would have to resurface with waterproof materials to force drainage away from the house into the street (helped by the gentle slope we are on) Beginning to wonder now, from what I'm reading, if in fact the drive has to be resurfaced with a porous material, in which case, does that not lead to the same water build up we are trying to address? Does this mean the concrete/gravel method in Quote B is completely inappropriate and if so, why is a reputable builder suggesting it?

Posted: **Thu Oct 17, 2013 12:55 am**

reputable to who?
where did you find him?
TBH most of north london is built on gaunt clay,which is bad for damp problems etc
unless your basement has been professionally tanked i cant see the driveway helping much
obviously as much rainwater as possible needs to discharge away from the house to a suitable soakaway
LLL

Posted: **Thu Oct 17, 2013 9:09 am**

Thanks LLL for the replies.

Both companies are reputable groundworks specialists who I have chosen on the basis of excellent reviews and meeting them face to face. Having had bad experiences in the past (who hasn't) I am now very careful who I choose so I'm not worried about that aspect.

What I'm trying to establish is why I am presented with 2 such different approaches and came to this site for expert unbiased advice which I appreciate. Specifically I wanted to know if there is anything 'wrong' with Quote 2. It seems like you're saying that either option would be fine so long as there is proper drainage and that we should ensure the basement is properly tanked. Is that correct? What about my question re porous/non porous surface or is that not important?

Posted: **Thu Oct 17, 2013 9:26 am**

helen
gravel IS permeable so the water would still lay in the ground
tarmac much less so the water would run to the new drains

a 30mm overlay although I have seen it done many times is still not an ideal drive construction,better to rip out and start again ,with both quotes

I understand budget may be a concern but no point throwing money away on a sub par job

have all the gutters and drainpipes been checked?
this is a common cause of damp

do the downpipes run to soakaways or into a combined system (i.e the sewers)?

I would be looking at this first more so than the drive

cheers LLL

Posted: **Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:44 am**

Sorry, I meant that the gravel would be sitting on a non permeable surface ie concrete so would that be appropriate...

Drainage from the house is all in good order. The driveway is separated from the house by a small area outside the basement flat, which has its own steps and front door. Driveway itself has no independent drainage but slopes gently towards the street (house is on top of a hill) The only issue with damp is in the retaining walls around the basement area where the driveway above is so degraded that water (and later snow) sits with nowhere to go but down. It's this we are hoping to address, with one of these 2 methods.

Hope that's a bit clearer!
Many thanks

Posted: **Thu Oct 17, 2013 12:12 pm**

info on gravel overlays
cheers LLL

The Brew Cabin

Resurfacing driveway - Which option?