Advice on driveway options please..

ssingh1979

Hi, does any body have any recent experience with having a driveway done?

Is block paving a cheaper option than tarmac?

Does anybody have a rough idea on cost per sq meter?

Many thanks

Canucklehead

Good evening: I've been recommending this site on MSE for a few years now...lots of brilliant advice on all things paving related.

HTH

Canucklehead

ssingh1979

Thanks for the link

evoke

Get block paving done.

I've looked at all the other options over the last three months and i've settled on block paving. I have a 100 square metre driveway and am paying around £7K which includes a proper soakaway and three brick walls in the front garden (using nice facing bricks). The paving bricks are Marshalls Driveline 50 bricks (most common ones used, apparentyl). It also includes a step to the front door and a couple of flowerbeds.

So, my cost works out at £7,000 / 100 = £70 per square metre.

The most important thing to check is the drainage - new regulations since 2008 mean that you may have to get planning permission for a driveway if the drainage is reduced from what it is now. You cannot drain into the rainwater drain and you cannot drain to the pavement.

ssingh1979

Thanks for the advice, i've been quoted around £50 per sq m, so seems like a fair price. Work looks good quality too

robert2011

Take note ! there are more cowboy hard landscapers than cowboy builders. You must ask for 3 of their previous clients tel nrs and ask to see photos of the work, as crafty cowboys will give you their mates tel numbers. Go and see the work they done.Tarmac is around 30% less than concrete block paving but prices vary alot for CBP. For a 100m2 drive i would excavate 250mm of earth,then lay 150mm compacted type 1 stone,then lay the CBP on 35-40mm of grit sand,and the retaining kerb set on a concrete base to stop edge erosion. For 100 m2 CBPaving @ £23 m2 net cost to you expect to pay between £80-100 per m2 for a good pro job.

evoke

^ Some good points. Get several quotes, get a copy of the public liability insurance certificate. Get addresses of previous work and go round to see the work. Check if the tradesman has a landline phone number and a proper address and company number (most driveway companies will not have any of these!).

Get a method statement of the works to be carried out, the types of materials to be used, the depths of each sub-layer, the length of time the works will take, the number of workers on site, power/water supply requirements, payment methods (a good tradesman will only want to be paid after the work has been completed satisfactorily - avoid anyone who wants cash!), check to see if the tradesman knows about regulations on driveway drainage, get him to bring along samples of the paving bricks and keep the samples (so you can check that the actual job was completed using the correct bricks!).

This is all stuff i'm going through at the moment with my driveway planned for October - good driveway people are heavily booked and not normally available to start straight away.

bobhawke

Canucklehead wrote: »

Good evening: I've been recommending this site on MSE for a few years now...lots of brilliant advice on all things paving related.

HTH

Canucklehead

I found their forums to be useful too though it isn't obvious from the website that they even have one.
http://www.pavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi

panchenlama

everyone I have ever spoken to is unhappy with block paving and say it gets dirty quick and needs maintenance. I had it once on a house and found it did need cleaning quite often to stay looking good.

The right material for you will no doubt be a mix of asthetics, price and functionality. There's not a 'right' answer as all of our views will differ...