Cheap/easy surfacing for drive

[Jethro_uk]

The drive in front of my garage is really starting to break up - it was only every nastily laid tarmac about 1mm thick.

Now luckily, I don't keep a car in the garage, nor use the drive to keep a car on at all. The only traffic that goes over the drive is the Mrs power scooter. Being (like everyone else) of limited means, we can't really afford the rolls-royce solution of block-paving, and experience from when we first moved in tells us that no-one will actually quote to tarmac a 4m x 4m piece of ground.

I'm thinking of putting down some of that plastic honeycomb, that can be filled with shingle:

there's about 40mm between the garage floor and the drive :). I'm not too concerned about the dip to the pavement ... I could probably rig up a small slope for that.

As an aside, we went out on New Years Eve, and when I returned, there were tyre marks across the drive (in the moss !). Cheeky neighbours - might explain why it's deteriorated so rapidly. I've put a concrete fence post across it for now.

[meow2222]

Omitting the grids is cheaper. Put down cement powder and mix into the surface before adding gravel. Ideally then roll it.

NT

[Tim Lamb]

Highways dept. can get a bit *tarty* if you allow pebbles/gravel to escape to the road.

[Phil L]

I think you mean 1 inch thick, 1mm is basically paint

You've got 16m2 that needs covering, so the 6m2 is no good to you, if you decide to leave a strip on each side, you may get away with the 12m2 at £171, failing that you'll have to get the 22m2 @ £314. Then you need gravel at £55 a tonne and I can't see that area going in one so you'll need two and someone to do it for you unless you can DIY and even then I can't see it being suitable for a scooter.

You can get cheapo paving flags (400X400) from b&q for £212 for 100, then say £50 worth of sand & cement and a day and half to lay them....bearing in mind they are as light as a feather, it's like dealing a deck of cards.

in buff or grey

[charles]

you need to check with your council's building control about permitted methods of surfacing. It's all to do with letting rainwater soak into the ground, rather than running off into the road.

[Phil L]

As it's already tarmacced now, he's not changing anything WRT drainage

[charles]

true, but they might require the replacement to be different.

[Brian Gaff]

If you really want to discourage folk put in a row of very short metal pipes, and watch as they get the plastic back of the car caught on them and rip it off.

Brian

[Bob Eager]

We never did hear back from whoever it was who was always getting damage to the wooden post at the corner of a shared drive. Because the offenders didn't care.

He was going to replace it with a steel one painted to look like wood.

Anyone?

[The Medway Handyman]

The back garden at handyman towers 11 is mainly concrete or slabs. I want to deck it all on various levels.

Do you reckon I would need PP?

[charles]

the only way to find out is to ask Building Control at your local council.

[Tim+]

Depends on the height I believe. Anything over 300mm above the ground needs PP.

[The Medway Handyman]

I knew that :-)

[The Medway Handyman]

[Jim K]

who will doubtless send you to the (correct) Planning Dept as it has nothing to do with BC.

what I have pondered is:- if you "cannot" build a deck over 300mm high off the ground (and I know of some who have been nailed for that and had to take em down), what stops you building walls then building decks off the top of them less than 300mm high? IOW can you change "ground level" sufficiently (with e.g. walls) to get away with it ?

Jim K

[Hugh - in either England or Sp]

any chance of me getting a bit *tarty* about all the chippings on my nice block paved drive from when the road was resurfaced months ago?

[Hugh - in either England or Sp]

AIUI if you want to replace an impervious areas with another that might cause water to run on to the road planning permission is necessary.

Try googling "planning regs impervious drives"

[charles]

that depends on what your council call it.

With my local authority the Department is called Planning & Building Control.

[Jim K]

"What if I'm only having my existing drive re-paved? All paving and surfacing, whether it's new work, replacement, or extension, is subject to the new legislation, so even if you're only replacing your existing flags with a bit of block paving, the work will have to be installed in accordance with the new regulations."

Jim K

[The Medway Handyman]

So, what if I take up the flags & deck over them? That would increase drainage.