Tar and shingle on a sloped drive - how steep? - Rejuvenating old tarmac drive

[LalehamLodge]

Mt tarmac drive is looking very sad, with several washed-out patches. The first 30 feet from the road falls about 3 feet in height, so it's about a 1-in-10 slope at the inside of a curve. The rest (another 70 feet) is a gentle slope to the garage, and there's a large turning area. I don't want plain black tarmac again, it's too utilitarian, and block paving is too expensive for me. I would consider red tarmac, and am also thinking of shingle bedded onto (and presumably packed down) a new layer of tar. (I believe there's an older concrete drive under the current tarmac, and it's all pretty solid except for the 5-6 potholes -- no cracks or subsidence.) A landscaper says I can get away with shingle on that slope, but another says no. Any further opinions on that, or other suggestions on surfaces that won''t cost an arm-and-a-leg but will look better than "black mac"?

[Tony McC]

Obviously not!

Gravel on a gradient is a bollix of an idea. Read the [url=http://www.pavingexpert.com/faq_gravel01.htm]Gravel FAQ[url] for a fuller explanation. Landscapers! If they had any brains they'd be dangerous!

Red mac is more expensive than black. Resin bonded/bound is good value for money if the existing substrate is sound, but as yours is potholed already, it's not likely to be suitable.

So, you don't want black mac, but you don't want to spend much - that leaves red mac or nowt, I reckon.