Tarmac or block paved drive

esmf73

Hi,
Just wondered if anyone had any advice / experience with the above?

We have loose gravel over our drive and over the years it has made its way onto the nearest main road and away! I also think that the gravel was just thrown onto compacted earth as we regularly have to weed and pull up little trees of weeds!

I'd like to put down something permanent - and was thinking along the lines of tarmac, but my mum said she thought there was a new law saying that drives have to be permeable now. So I wondered if anyone knew about this and could recommend either of the above options.

AM NOT LOOKING FOR RECOMMENDATIONS OF COMPANIES. Many thanks

maninthestreet

It's possble to get permeable block paving. Personally, I would avoid tarmac.

Blackpool_Saver

tarmac especially black is horrid, pattered imprinted paving is nice, have you seen it?

bobhawke

I believe the law in England is that you need plannning permission unless it is permeable material or if it drains away naturally ie: into a lawn or a gravel border. If you are thinking about block paving then head down to your local marshalls yard and have a look at their display, see if there is anything that catches your eye.

ormus

the MSE way is just to get a few tons of new gravel delivered.

wallbash

Tarmac looks like a public car park
imprinted paving , can be slippery , and breaks down
gravel , is cheap ..... and looks it .

Block paving is my option

Blackpool_Saver

yes, the imprinted is coated with a glaze isn't it? I assume that can make it slippy when wet, yeah block is the choice really, but it's costly and if it's not laid right it looks terrible

keith969

Tarmac won't last - just take a look at the state of the roads after last winter's cold spell!

Had block paving done in my last house in 1996, was still looking good when I sold it last summer.

molerat

My block paving drive is over 25 years old and still looks pretty good. Other houses in the street have got tarmac, they alternated as they went along, and they look a mess. It is north facing so needs a clean every couple of years but is far less maintenance than tarmac.

The name Blackpool_Saver reminded me that Blackpool Pleasure Beach had a large area of imprinted concrete laid a couple of years back and had to put "slippery when wet" signs up all over the place, it was lethal. I think they had to get the contractors to remove the glaze. If you do get any damage or sinking how do you fix it. Patching will look awful. The only way to ensure longevity would be to use reinforced concrete at thickness that would be way too expensive.

27col

Quite a few sweeping generalisations and personal preferences creeping in here.
"Tarmac wont last."
"Tarmac is horrid."
"Gravel looks cheap."
"Patterned imprinted paving is nice."

My tarmac has been down about 20 years, so its longevity is not a problem. The only thing that I would say about it is that you need a smooth surface tarmac, as mine is very coarse grained and tends to fill up with moss and it is difficult to remove. Having said that, I would have preferred to have had brick paviors if I could have afforded them at the time. At least they can be lifted and reset if they sink.

wallbash

and personal preferences creeping in here.

:rotfl:

Thats a surprise , knowing this forum