Drive - concrete that looks like cobblestones

HappyG1rl

Considering having my garden covered in that concrete that looks like cobblestones. What are the pros and cons and any idea how much it costs?

Girl_least_likely_to

We had a qoute from a specialist company here in Stockport. For a 20 x 20 foot area we were quoted £3400 :eek: . We only got the quote out of interest, we aren't ready to do the driveway until next year but thought it was quite expensive for some concrete and a big stamp!

McAzrael

Remeber that if you have any services running under your drive and anyone ever has to get to them then your drive will be destroyed.

Lorian

creteprint.

(I don't like it)

Girl_least_likely_to

McAzrael wrote:

Remeber that if you have any services running under your drive and anyone ever has to get to them then your drive will be destroyed.

My OH has thought the very same thing. He's wanting to do block paving himself instead - I'm thinking the professional's rarely do a good job so what chance has OH got :rolleyes: . At least we'd be able to get underneath without too much bother rather than if it was covered in concrete.

ormus

a friend of my wife had it done last year. about 3000 quid!
bloody joke for some concrete (blue dye) and a metal stamp!
some peeps really do have more money than sense.


ps, i dont think it even looks nice.

uncle_buck_3

It's called "Pattern Imprinted Concrete"

Details of it & its construction can be found below.

http://www.pavingexpert.com/pic01.htm

meana

we had it done...it was just shy of £3000 for our drive (which would hold 4 cars - just!)
we placed the order in March and it took until December before they actually did it, and it was the most distruptive thing i've ever had done..
it needs 3-4 days of dry weather to be done..the guys turned up..ripped up our old driveway, it started to rain (for 2 weeks) and then they came back and did the rest of it..
we had dark tiles with a weathering effect, whereby they chuck some acid down after they've imprinted the cobble effect so that it looked worn..
have to say i was at all impressed...and i can only wish i could remember the name of the company to steer you well clear (they were from Cannock/Wolverhampton) - i think it was DirectDriveways or something like that..

if its done well and done with minimum disruption, it looks good..
but we paid loads and it was a nightmare.!!

Fullspizz

I had this done 18 months ago.
Area of about 40ft*20ft, gets 3 cars on easily (Jeep included).
Cost was just over 2 grand as I have some friends who do this for a living.
Took 3 days to start, then after the concrete had fully cured they came back and sealed it which took about 2 hrs.
Very impressed with it, not so the stupid Betterware woman who decided to ignore the signs and planks of wood and walk straight through it:mad:
Luckily neighbour also spotted her, managed to get it re-done and she had to pay. She refused at first, so we said about her insurance, she said that was a no go too. Eventually rang up Betterware who put pressure on her to stump up.

Doozergirl

It seems to crack like any concrete does after time. I live in a house that has the drive done and it looks nice but on closer inspection you can see cracks running through it. It is laid in smaller sections and has sealant running through it from what I can see but it still has some cracks where the ground must swell and shrink through the seasons.

I went to view another house and that was exactly the same

I'd block pave it if that's the look you're after. It will have more flexibility and you can get stones that look more like cobbles. We use a guy in Solihull to lay ours.

supermick

When done properly it looks quality, and is definately better than block paving which imo looks very 1980's. Even with block paving your supposed to look after it, resealing when needed etc. Nothing is totally care free. The chance of pipes bursting are the same regardless of what surface you have on your drive so thats always a gamble. Just be sure to go with a good comapny.

I had several links from a concrete show i attended and will try to find them.