Getting a new driveway?

[nameisme]

Hi all

Hoping someone can answer some questions on getting a new driveway?

I would like permeable tarmac. I have had a few quotes but they all vary between 3k - 7k.

My questions are:

1) one quote was for £2,400 and I asked him if quote included VAT and what the guarantee is and also what name he is under on

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He said it doesn't include VAT and he is not registered with companies house .gov.uk as he is a sole trader. Is that OK? He said he gives a 5 year guarantee.

He said as there's no drainage to connect a channel drain to then the channel drain would just be constantly filled with water. So no point putting a channel drain in and the drive way would be totally level and water would just drain through it.

He said he would

1.Digging out drive removing all mono block.

2.Checking sub base for any soft areas.

3. Laying type one hardcore at depth 100mm then consolidating. Use a type 1 subway.

4. Weed killing all area.

5.Re-surfacing drive with 10mm carpave tarmacadam at depth 60mm power rolling to finished surface.

6. Any waste will be removed on completion.

7.All work comes fully guaranteed for five years.

Total cost £2400.

2) does a resin driveway have as much chance or weeds as a tarmac driveway and is a resin driveway also permeable as much as a permeable driveway ie water draining through.

Other companies have quoted up to 7k.

The quotes I've had have all said so many different things how they would do it.

 

[Scally-Ho]

My concern is his VAT status. If he's not VAT registered then he can't charge you 20% extra. If he is, then another £480 will be added.
I would clarify that first and then reassess if his quote was acceptable. I've not heard of 'carpave' before but it's probably a trade name for permeable tarmac. Around my area of coastal West Sussex, his quote would be considered both fair and reasonable.
How did you find him and does he have a good local reputation. . . all considerations need to be looked at before deciding.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Sole trader is fine. If he's taking less than £90k per year then it's completely fine to not be VAT registered. So the business status isn't an issue, if you're happy with his work that you've no doubt already looked at elsewhere (?!?).

It looks like you need to also repair the public pavement. Perhaps contact the council, I don't know whether they would pay or expect you to.

Do you drive a truck?

 

[^woody^]

VAT status is irrelevant to the skill of the person or quality of the work.

A guarantee or warranty of however long is meaningless/worthless unless it is an insurance backed warranty.

If you are having permeable tarmac, then there is no need for a drainage channel or anything like that.

You should ask for a copy of the tarmac order or receipt to demonstrate the type of tarmac used. This would be a condition of payment at the end of the job.

Resin bound drives don't get any weeds, it's not porous.

Only compare like for like quotes, otherwise you have no basis for comparison. Ideally, you should be specifying what you want and to the standard required, and not relying on what contractors want to do. A m2 rate would be useful to know.

You have bad rutting there, and the ground below those ruts will be saturated. That subbase needs to be scraped and the soft ground removed, then the base and relaid or even renewed (if its contaminated with soil/mud), not just patched.

 

[nameisme]

His reviews are all top marks. He has about 100 of them on google.

Not a particularly friendly and find him a bit rude when I spoke to him today. He gave the quote a few weeks ago and ask him to please remind me what he said about something but he was like "as I already told you when I visited...."
But his reviews are good.

I'll take that advice from woody and see what he says. Sounds like very reasonable requests woody mentions.

Had a guy come out to give me a quote and he said he needed to lift up some monoblocks to see under them. I said ok, so he lifted a few up and was full of water soaked squishy clay. He left the about a dozen monoblockes all sticking out a good inch or 2 all over the place. I since messaged him and ask him if he can give me a quote break down on a paper and mot just verbally but he has vanished and not replying. Very nice of him.

Now if I can't find anyone to actually do the driveway then.my driveway is left in an even worse condition. Please see pic.

I'm almost out of options now. As no one left to try. Or 7k is too much.

 

[^woody^]

Don't rely on internet reviews, lots of reviewers don't actually know what they are reviewing.

For example, how many of the "reviewers" mentioned the subbase conforming to BS EN 13242, or workmanship generally to BS 598-987, they presented copies of their PL insurance, and that 5 years later the drive is still nice and flat?
Or did they concentrate on the speed of the job, number of tea breaks, they swept up afterwards and "it looks nice"?

 

[phatboy]

Ive often found the rudest to be the best - they arent messing around, and will get the job done properly.

It's the salesmen, promising the world and chatting for ages and slagging off the competition, that you need to be careful of!

 

[nameisme]

Anyone know how I can find a decent company who do driveways as I've been just searching on Google. Is there a better pr another way?

 

[StephenStephen]

Anyone know how I can find a decent company who do driveways as I've been just searching on Google. Is there a better pr another way?

I'd be inclined to find some decent driveways in your local area, and ask the owners who installed them...

 

[jj4091]

I've recently considered having our drive done in resin material and had a similar priced quote ( £7K ) to you but when I looked around locally at drives that had been done several years before, I came to the conclusion that it went shabby and was not very sevicable so decided against it.

 

[nameisme]

Woody I found another local driveway installed and he said this, can I ask your thoughts please as I asked him about the things you mentioned. Didn't ask about the condition of the job being the receipts on the tarmac though as maybe getting resin. Should I ask for the receipts on the resin too ad a condition of payment.

I asked the iother guy about the above too ie insurance etc but he blanked me.

"Regarding the job , any surfacing that we do is done correct from the sub grade up to allow your driveway to be suds compliant so no need to worry about drainage issues and regarding guarantee we don’t use insurer guarantees as we guarantee your driveway for 7 years against any installation defects and our resin has a 15 year supplier warranty and my background alone is 30 years roadworks experience and 8 years resin installation experience so you are in good hands"

Jj40 I too have looked at driveways locally and they too look shabby a few years later and the new ones peope have had done the people have zero clue about drainage or insurance or anything at all. They just said ohh happy with it and I ask why and they just say it looks nice but have no clue about insurance or drainage or hiw it was done. My guess is many people doing driveways are doing a shabby cheap way and not doing it properly and taking advantage of customers not knowing at all about what needs to be done.
So J you just stuck with your same old driveway, bet though it's in far better condition than mine though. As mine really needs to be done...well I think so buy maybe others don't. Maybe I will have to leave it as simply can't find a competent company who can do the job ie who doesn't have insurance back guarantee and won't accept to give me receipt for the tarmac material etc.

 

[nameisme]

Don't rely on internet reviews, lots of reviewers don't actually know what they are reviewing.

For example, how many of the "reviewers" mentioned the subbase conforming to BS EN 13242, or workmanship generally to BS 598-987, they presented copies of their PL insurance, and that 5 years later the drive is still nice and flat?
Or did they concentrate on the speed of the job, number of tea breaks, they swept up afterwards and "it looks nice"?

How can I know if the subbase they put down conforms to BS EN 13242 OR the workmanship is generally to BS 598 987? I asked one company is they conform to the above and they said Yes but how on earth can I know?

 

[mikeey84]

Have a read of the paving expert website. It explains what all the BS standards are in relation to subbase etc.

It's accused of being a bit over the top for somethings, but with a driveway, you want it right first time, otherwise you'll end up with ruts.

One thing to remember, a permeable surface is only as permeable as what is underneath it. If your soil is clay, your driveway can be as permeable as it gets, but you will still have issues

 

[nameisme]

Thanks.

I sent this email to a tradesman

"
1l) My driveway has bad rutting there, and the ground below those ruts will be saturated. So its essential that subbase needs to be scraped and the soft ground removed, then the base and relaid or even renewed (if its contaminated with soil/mud), not just patched.
Can you confirm you can do this?

2) Need subbase conforming to BS EN 13243 so need to be provided evidence of this, can you do this?

3) provode me evidence of workmanship generally to BS 598-987,

4) show me copies of the PL insurance

5) a copy of the tarmac or resin order or receipt to demonstrate the type of tarmac or resin used.

6) show me evidence of the insurance backed guarantee

All the above as condition of payment

He replied.

Sub base would be 4x2 crusher run stone
150mm of of clean type one
Membrane applied
( would have to investigate further to see depth of soil etc )
Full road construction applied .
We do works for the likes of Starbucks , Sainsbury’s , network rail , Asda
Fully insured upto £10,000,0000
New roads and streets act registered .

Could you please tell me is this an insurance job or a private driveway . ?

Anither one said be can provide all the above after giving a quote.

 

[mikeey84]

They are pretty good answers (if they are true...), but I was under the impression that you used Type 3 under permeable top layers, not type 1, as type 1 isn't classed as permeable

Not an expert though!