Private parking space: tarmac, concrete or blocks?

[Mike D]

The space between the front of my terraced house and the public pavement is my private land and my private parking space. It needs surfacing, after removing a few inches of the old rubble that it currently consists of. It currently looks very untidy and I am smartening up the property prior to selling it. I'm inclined to use concrete because I'd like it to look different from the public pavement (otherwise people may think it's a free-for-all parking spot)

- or some half-wit trafffic warden might put a ticket on my car thinking I'm parking on the pavement. (It's a corner property.)

I'm guessing that concrete is slightly more expensive than tarmac but not as expensive as blocks - is that correct? Do those paving blocks have any particular advantage over concrete and tarmac (apart from arguably looking prettier)? Is there any disadvantage in using concrete? I also want something that's easy to lay. I'm too old for a lot of hard labour. If I was a Roman slave, they would have bumped me off years ago...

Thanks for any advice.

Mike D

[Lobster]

Why not use gravel? You could get away with a helluva lot less foundation work than for any of the others, especially if this is a tart-up-to-sell exercise!

David

[Andy Hall]

Gravel spread liberally all the way down the road..???

Mind you, the idea of being able to sell a property with a crunchy drive....

[Paul Matthews]

Gravel? probably the easiest to lay.

[Mike D]

Thanks to you and Lobster for this suggestion. Unfortunately, in tis case, gravel would spill out onto the pavement and the road, and cause a nuisance. I definitely want something solid.

Regards,

Mike D

[The Natural Philosopher]

Then concrete is probably the cheapest to do.

Tarmac the nicest..but expensive.

Blocks? hate em. They move, they get weeds..

[manatbandq]

Not if they're layed properly.

Not if theyr're looked after.

You can also have imprinted concrete to look like blocks or random stone but that looks naff imho.

MBQ

[Cicero]

==================================

2' x 2' paving slabs (2" thick to take cars)are probably quicker and cheaper than anything else. If the public pavement is slabbed use a different size and colour to show the boundary. Since you're selling you won't have to deal with the (almost) inevitable unevenness that might develop. If you can't get an exact fit make up with a gravel drain channel or something similar.

Cic.

[Cicero]

================================== You're more likely to get some free artwork from the local yobs before the concrete goes off.

Cic.

[Mike D]

Good point. Are there any other, more attractive effects that can be achieved with concrete without too much ado? It sems there should be scope for some creativity here. I gues one could imbed something good-looking in the surface prior to tamping, for example. ...The coloured marble chips they used to cover graves with, for example.

Mike

[Harry Bloomfield]

It happens that Mike D formulated :

Have you considered the plastic interlocking blocks? A little like a plastic milk crate except the are embedded in and part covered by soil through which the grass can grow. Cheap, easy to lay and doesn't need much in the way of foundations - just needs the mower run over it occasionally.

[manatbandq]

You can also get similar in concrete.

MBQ

[Mike D]

I've never heard of them. Can you provide a URL?

Thanks,

Mike D

[Mike D]

Thanks for the suggestion. I have often wondered about using slabs. It might be a good solution.

Mike