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Help please re: Imprinted Concrete driveways

N

NannaLyn

We have just ordered our first caravan and are thinking of keeping it in our garden. We are considering having the drive, path and lawn dug up and replaced with Imprinted concrete. (An area of about 48sq m) Does anybody have any idea of the cost? Is it worth it? Any other advice please?

Thanks Lyn
 
My neighbour had his done and within two years the colour faded, the imprint was there but it looked a mess, after a lot of communication they gave him the full price back. Was it because he is a Barclays bank manager?.
 
Had our front lawn and tarmac drive lifted and replaced with imprinted concrete about 18 months ago.

We're delighted with it.

It was cheaper than brick paviours and should require much less maintenance - no moss in the cracks and able to pressure wash without removing the sand between bricks.

We chose a black cobble style which had a slightly glossy finish when new that did look very smart. Since then the gloss has worn away which does make it appear slightly faded in comparison with new but this is still much smarter than brick paviours would be looking by now. I believe the gloss look can be brought back by re-application of the sealer but ours certainly wouldn't warrant that. Our house was a new build and the tarmac drive also looked dark and glossy when new and that faded in no time.

We were quoted between
 
While I can understand your desire to keep the caravan at home the naturalist inside me says, 'Oh no, not another garden gone under concrete'. The bird population is declining rapidly due to loss of habitat and gardens are a prime cause. Maybe you have a very large garden and therefore the loss of the lawn etc is not such an issue, but on surface it sounds not attractive.

Also , maybe have a chat with the neighbours as they may not appreciate a caravan stuck in your front garden., Again, I do not know the exact size, so may be assuming wrongly. Plus of course, if it is a new house check for Covenants.

Are there no alternatives available to you??
 
Hi,

The chap across the road from us had his done and must say it looks quite smart. It was done about 10 years ago and I would say he has had to have it re-colored about 3 to 4 times in this period.

Don't forget that you now also have to apply for planning permission if you want to cover over any significant area of your garden.

Regards

Nidge
 
Hi Scotch Lad

I appreciate your concerns. Although quite small, our front garden is enclosed by a 30 year old pyracantha hedge which is over 5 feet tall and inside this there is a flower border of approx 3 feet. We live opposite a farm and have sparrows, starlings, blue tits, robins, wrens and blackbirds nesting in both front and back gardens. (We are RSPB members) Apart from 2 feet of hedge by the driveway, none of the above would be lost; indeed, the front flower bed will actually be slightly wider. We will just lose the lawn. The new paved area will drain on to the flower beds. Our house and our neighbours houses are accessed by eight steps so we would look out over the top of the caravan.

Hope this puts your mind at rest.

Lyn
 
My mother had her drive done with imprinted concrete 12 years ago and the subsequent owners of the property have resealed it

It looks really good still with just a few hairline cracks and has outlasted 3 lots of tarmac on our drive
 
I had a drive laid to park our van in the rear garden, had two purpose made 13 foot gates fitted.

We did lose some lawn, but still have plenty left, also lost 14' of 10' high conifer to the gates, so no real loss for the birds. Sparrow hawks and pigeons dominate our area.

But i had block paving laid again, cost
 
We considered this imprinted driveway last year. However our drive slopes slightly. The chap up the road had the imprinted concrete and he stated he would never have it again as it was lethal on such a slope. He said the Postman had slipped over several times and he warned me to be careful as I left his property.

I think it very much depends on the contractor.
 
Homeowners wanting to concrete over a front garden or lay a new patio will require planning permission under rules which came into force on 1st October 2008.

The Government hopes the move will halt the loss of green spaces in cities and towns and reduce the risk of surface water flooding. This has greatly reduced areas where rainwater can seep into the ground. Instead it pours into already overstretched drains and sewers - increasing the chances of flash floods.

Two-thirds of homes hit by last summer's floods were victims of surface water flooding - where water gathers on hard surfaces much more quickly than it can drain away.

Under the rules, anyone concreting over a garden will need to spend around
 
I had my drive relaid a few years ago with 2ft x 2ft paving slabs, having also considered paviers, tarmac and impressed concrete. The contractor was willing to do any of these surfaces but pointed out the following disadvantages: concrete is fine for a while, but will need re-colouring every few years, and if you have any services running beneath which have to be repaired it is impossible to do a good patching job of the concrete. Tarmac is not ideal for caravan storage because the weight is taken on two wheels only and will sink into the tarmac in hot weather (if we get any!!), causing dips which will hod water. The way we manoeuvre caravans on our drives will cause scuffing of the tarmac which damages the surface and allows water penetration and breakdown of the surface which is exacerbated by frosty weather. This is even worse when twin axle vans are moved around.
 
We have the impressed concrete which soon began to look pale and tatty and has been re-coloured twice in ten years. Meanwhile, in that time, I pass similar drives each day which still look immaculate. If I were getting another drive done I would start by asking the householders for names of the contracters
 
Any driveway concrete,pavior,or tarmac is very dependant on the correct base being laid.I would suggest that you find what type of base is required from you local council,or from an independant source & specify what you rquire to any contractor who comes to quote. only then can you get a good series of comparible quotes

spoken by someone who accepted what the contractor deliverd & regreted it ever since
 
Whilst I do not have personal experience, I can echo Mike E's comment. Around where we live in South Wales several neighbours have had these drives over the last 10 years. Some still look pristine and others have deteriorated noticably. So if I were you I would ask for reference customers who have had the drives installed some years ago.

Cheers,

Mike A
 
Hi,

Before you go ahead with the drive, consider what services lay under it. We had our drive way re laid last year (May) and eventually decided on the block pavers with a chemical seal to prevent the moss growth. We had been tossing up between embossed concrete or block pavers. The main reason being that embossed concrete can not be dug up. The costs were comparable. Just before Christmas of last year the water pipe coming into the property burst and it meant a hole outside in the street and a hole in our lovely new drive! Up came the paver's, a hole dug and the pipe replaced. The Water board did all this work and once the ground had dried relayed the pavers exactly as before - all FOC. The point being, had this been embossed concrete this repair to the drive would not have been possible and I don't think the water board would have replaced 100 sq meters of embossed concrete FOC for me.
 
Just a note on security. I guess the reason for storing at home is for ease not cost as your preparing to put hard standing in. A couple of years ago a neighbour had their house broken into when the owners were away in the van, it can be a big indicator the house is unoccupied.
 
Our neighbour had his drive done at the same time as we had ours block paved.

IMHO there's no substitute for the real thing. We don't get moss on ours because the gaps between the blocks were filled with a fine sand treated with a moss repellent.

We've also noticed that when it rains hard, the water has nowhere to go go with the imprinted concrete which causes quite a run-off of water, whereas with ours, the water just harmlessly disappears between the blocks.

Vic
 
To get around the T&C Planning laws why not leave the drive as it is and lay grass concrete to the lawn area. A wattled concrete proforma is laid to the garden area and the square holes between the concrete filled with earth and grassed. This gives the appearance of a normal lawn but yet is strong enough for light traffic to pass over - the best of both worlds. Neighbours will still see the grass effect of a lawn and it will not require planning permission. It also allows for the rain water to be drained naturally to the sub strata and not cause further surcharge to the sewer and possible flooding.
 
Hi NannaLyn

I work for a building contractor, I have looked at replies and the following thoughts occur

With reguard to the new regs re paving you may need permission but listening to your comments about draining on to ground within your property may negate this, look at the diffrent paving manufacturers brochures for simple explanation

As other replies have said imprinted paving does require some resealing to maintain its looks ,its a new one to me about being slippery

Tarmac has very limited maintenace but make sure you have a base course and wearing course layers with a total thickness of about 65mm on a 150mm min well compacted hardcore(not just wearing course as provided by some of the travelling fraternity).

Paving blocks come in lots of different types and designs and i would agree with the costs of about 50 - 75 pounds a m2, these require very limited maintenance and if your drive sinks then repairs are simple to carry out as is replacing blocks that have oil spills on them

The are porous systems of paving blocks but these require a ground porosity test to see if your ground will absorb the rainwater, if your ground does not then there is the danger of your paving becomming soft and spongy during wet spells

There also plastic and concrete grid types of surface, some of these are laid on sand on a hardcore base for regular use or laid on sand on earth for occasional or limited movement parking these give the effect of a lawn and this of course will require cutting

Which ever system you use the most important advice is to use a competent contractor preferably someone who comes recommended or whose work can be checked on with their previous customers, beware of old reccomendations.

Hope this helps

Alb
 
Hi NannaLyn

I work for a building contractor, I have looked at replies and the following thoughts occur

With reguard to the new regs re paving you may need permission but listening to your comments about draining on to ground within your property may negate this, look at the diffrent paving manufacturers brochures for simple explanation

As other replies have said imprinted paving does require some resealing to maintain its looks ,its a new one to me about being slippery

Tarmac has very limited maintenace but make sure you have a base course and wearing course layers with a total thickness of about 65mm on a 150mm min well compacted hardcore(not just wearing course as provided by some of the travelling fraternity).

Paving blocks come in lots of different types and designs and i would agree with the costs of about 50 - 75 pounds a m2, these require very limited maintenance and if your drive sinks then repairs are simple to carry out as is replacing blocks that have oil spills on them

The are porous systems of paving blocks but these require a ground porosity test to see if your ground will absorb the rainwater, if your ground does not then there is the danger of your paving becomming soft and spongy during wet spells

There also plastic and concrete grid types of surface, some of these are laid on sand on a hardcore base for regular use or laid on sand on earth for occasional or limited movement parking these give the effect of a lawn and this of course will require cutting

Which ever system you use the most important advice is to use a competent contractor preferably someone who comes recommended or whose work can be checked on with their previous customers, beware of old reccomendations.

Hope this helps

Alb
Click to expand...
Hi Alb

Thanks for your advice. Been away so only just read it. We have actually gone for the imprinted concrete - it was carried out by a local Company who have done a brilliant job. (We saw several examples of their work and "knocked on doors" to ask the opinions of the people who used them.

We have a larger flower bed than before and are off to buy some more top soil so we can replant the shrubs which we removed prior to the work being done.

Lyn
 
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