Tarmacadam...

martyc5674

Hi there,
First post so hello all!
Want to have my driveway tarmaced, i am waiting for a quote to come back and am just wondering what the correct procedure is?
As in how much should be dug out...how much sand...depth of hardcore/depth of tarmacadam etc.
for the record its 55 square meters and im hoping for a quote around the 2-2.5K mark including excavation(18 Sq m is currently concrete slab the rest is lawn)

Cheers,
marty

Prenderb

The answer is, it depends! It will depend on the material being laid (there's more than 1 kind of tarmac...!), as well as the condition of the underlying ground.

My advice is:

Be sure and get more than 1 quote, and ask the suppliers a couple of questions.
What thicknesses/material are you putting down? Then you can compare one against another.
Where have you done work before, and can I check some references/credentials? (then check the references!)
Could the tarmac surfacing be laid on top of the concrete? This might save some excavation, but depends on the existing levels too...

martyc5674

Cheers Prenderb,
unfortunately i cant lay on the concrete as its at the level i want the tar to be at.

ill try get a second quote this week in any case.
The guy said hed dig 5 inches which i thought to be quite shallow...blind with sand then 2 to 3 inches hardcore...compress it then 60mm tar compressed to 40mm.
This sound about right???(i would have thought that they would have to dig to subsoil level and thats about 2 foot where i am.)

Ive done a lot of building work myself but no groundworks and this to me seems a little skimpy.
Im under a bit of pressure to get this done ASAP as our friendly council decided to put double yellow lines outside our house without giving any notice.

Cheers,
Marty.

tinofapples

marty ,
How did you get on with the Tarmac ?

martyc5674

Grand now,
I went with a crowd from Killaloe (seymour brothers)..id recommend em.
I got a good few quotes and all were in around the same...but most of them would send one fella out to the house to quote and there would be a dodgy soundin guy @ the end of the phone.
Also he dug out 12 inches took away a rake of rubble from other jobs i had done around the house(3 loads in all)...i wanted to run a pipe under it in case there was ever a prob with the old water pipe...he stuck it in no hassle, very professional...arrived a day early and came back to make sure i was happy with job...and believe it or not he was the cheapest quote!
Whatever you do go with a reputable contractor..especially on tarmac...seems to be an abundance of dodgy fellas doing it.
Marty.

tinofapples

Thanks for the quick reply. How much per sq metre was the quote ?

martyc5674

it was 55 Square Metres and cost 2300€, as i said he removed 3 truckloads of rubble in that cost.plus excavations

johndaman66

Marty did you by any chance get a breakdown of cost for each particular part of the job. Its job that is intended to be done here in my folks home next year and I along with a friend would be able to do all the prep work up as far as laying the tarmac. Area would be 160 sq metres. Also do you know if a weed proof membrane was laid in the process Marty?

martyc5674

Hi,
I didnt get a breakdown so cant help you there...the guy did detail everything himself so im sure he would have no problem giving you a quote all the same.
No i dont think there was a membrane put down for weeds and there hasnt been any weeds up through it either so maybe not necessary?
Cheers,
Marty.

johndaman66

Thanks Marty,


Undecided between pea gravel and tarmac at the moment. May get a few quotes in the new year.

martyc5674

Yeah,I live on a busy enough street if i went for the gravel it would be half gravel half litter in a few weeks ...also ive cats and they would use the gravel as a litter!
Pros and cons to both...the gravel can certainly look better IMO.
Cheers,
MArty.

paidiheffernan

just checking how is tarmacadam u got 7 years from seymout brothers... i was thinkin of getting them for large area.. in clare

martyc5674

Yeah happy still, I'd recommend them still.
Marty.