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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:41 pm
by r44flyer
Hello all,
We'll be turning our front garden into a driveway in the next few months, so I'm looking at options. So, it's come down to either block paving or red coloured tarmac.
Block paving I can handle myself, but not tarmacing. If I do the groundwork myself (dig out, fill/compact sub base, haunched block edging) how do the two compare on price?
Area to be covered is approx 36sqm, bordered by the pavement at one edge for the full width so access is easy.
Thanks!
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:33 pm
by lutonlagerlout
block paving that area would cost you around £2,000 all in
the boys from the blackstuff will let you know the tarmac price soon
LLL
Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 8:07 pm
by r44flyer
Is that including labour, or materials only?
Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 3:44 am
by lutonlagerlout
rough guide labour and materials
if you wanted fancy kerbs it could be extra etc etc
some people might price cheaper to get the work,but stick to your guns and do it right
ATB
LLL 
Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 11:32 am
by Tony McC
Red mac for such a relatively small area would probably work out more expensive than block paving. You would have to pay for a gang of men to turn up with all their kit and then waste a day doing a two-hour job (including a one hour tea break), which is why the cost for small areas of mac is often so uncompetitive.
Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 11:36 am
by Dave_L
3 ton of red collected ex-works = expensive! Over 2 1/2 times more expensive than normal 'black'
Tar delivered in 16/20t loads is the only efficient way to buy it.
Small jobs like that would have to be combined with others to make it viable, but red is specialist stuff not used *that* often.
Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 5:29 pm
by flowjoe
You should also consider what would happen if for some reason the drive has to come up, this can be due to a gas/water/electric/drain repair.
I have had to go half the length of the country to get a tonne of red mac in order to lay a barrow full to patch an excavation in a drive.
Any patch in a mac surface will stand out until it weathers but with a block or paved surface you have a chance of a good reinstatement (Sorry Dave L)
Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 5:52 pm
by r44flyer
The point about lifting it up again is a good one. If it's that much more expensive maybe I'll just stick with block paving it. I liked the red tarmac idea as I thought it looked pretty smart, but blocks are good too, and I think I can handle that myself.
Thanks!
Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 6:39 pm
by Tony McC
Things have changed slightly since I was forced to give up my driveway and patio business, but the 'changeover figure' for when red mac became cheaper than red block paving used to be 135m². That would use a 10T load of what used to be called wearing course, and the part-load charge was down to a reasonable figure.
Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 7:59 pm
by mickg
the part-load charge was down to a reasonable figure
its not now its £ 9 a ton excess on a 20 ton wagon
I needed 1 ton last summer, did the rounds with the local tarmac guys and they was all working out of town that week and had non spare plus I needed it ASAP
Total cost for 1 ton of tarmac = £ 322 inc vat
the job got finished and the customer was happy
me not happy 
Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 10:52 pm
by Dave_L
£322+VAT for a ton??? Holy cow.
Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:38 am
by Tony McC
The mac plant at Halkyn used to have a little 12T wagon and they would use it for smaller loads. If you took 10T, they just charged a tenner extra for not being "full".
Flow: did you try the plant in Salford for red mac? They used to do it there - it was never very good, not as good as Halkyn, but for small quantities it was damned handy.
Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:48 pm
by bobbi o
Acrylic based colour coatings for bitmac/asphalt are available. two coat application by graco sprayer or soft brush and roller is around £6 per sq.m material only. very good product and designed to take traffic.
as below
Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:45 pm
by lutonlagerlout
its a long time since i worked on the tarmac but cant you just drive into the plant in your pick up and pick up a tonne?
I am sure that is what i used to do when we were patching, splash diesel on the wagon(and myself) tarmac on, then cover it with a big tarp
dirty, dirty, work,never again if i can help it
LLL
Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:04 pm
by mickg
lutonlagerlout wrote:
but cant you just drive into the plant in your pick up and pick up a tonne?
you could years ago but its been stopped at the nearest plant to me as I asked
must be the HSE again ???