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Tarmac Drive thickness

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  • 24-09-2010 11:26am
    #1
    bobsyr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭


    I got a quote for a tarmac drive. Just wondering are the measurements /depth given good or not. I really have no clue so any help would be great.
    The way it is written is :
    60mm thickness 10mm open texture wearing course tarmac= €3640 + vat
    Extra over for additional 40mm depth tarmac adjacent to existing road = €400 + VAT


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    #2
    ftnbase
    Registered Users Posts: 66 ✭✭ftnbase


    That depends on a number of factors

    How strong is the existing street below the tarmac?
    What type of vehicles will use - oil lorry etc?
    Will there be "tight" turning movements from vehicles which could scuff the tarmac?

    You have been quoted for a 60mm depth of an open textured macadam (i.e. it contains manly single size chippings bound together by the tar). The primary chipping size is 10mm which is a large as you would want to go for a domestic street - there is a 6mm chipping size also available which gives a nicer visual finish but tends to be somewhat slippier in frosty weather because it is smoother.

    When I did my own street I used two different materials - on top of the prepared gravel drive I placed a 60mm layer of DBM (Dense Binder Macadam). This is not suitable as a final finish but it is a much stronger material than the open texture macadam. On top of the binder course I placed a 6mm open textured macadam (20mm deep). I wanted a black stone in the open textured macadam but unfortunately I did not get that.:mad: I wanted the black stone so that the macadam colour would remain "black" after the tar stripped off the chippings (which it always will).

    Your 60mm open texture macadam will (should) be laid in two layers - the first will be a "regulating" layer and the second will be the "finish" layer. If you could afford to place and extra 20mm and use DBM as the lower layer it would be a better job. However, looking at your prices, it would seem that the area is quite small so organising delivery of two small loads of different products may be difficult.

    The best advice I can give you is to speak to previous customers and look at jobs completed by the crew (i.e. the people who do the work on the ground) who are going to do your work. Laying macadam by hand and doing it well requires a experienced team who want to do it right.


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    #3
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭bbam


    ftnbase wrote: »
    Laying macadam by hand and doing it well requires a experienced team who want to do it right.

    I dont think I'd let it be laid by hand, check if it's machine laid or raked level... as said before, laying by hand is a highly skilled job and I've seen some shocking attempts round here..

    Have to say I've opted for a duel layer of asphalt 40mm+40mm its harder wearing in the long run.. Booked for a few weeks time :D


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    #4
    ftnbase
    Registered Users Posts: 66 ✭✭ftnbase


    bbam wrote: »
    I dont think I'd let it be laid by hand, check if it's machine laid or raked level... as said before, laying by hand is a highly skilled job and I've seen some shocking attempts round here..

    Have to say I've opted for a duel layer of asphalt 40mm+40mm its harder wearing in the long run.. Booked for a few weeks time :D

    Agree asphalt is a better wearing material than open textured but it (asphalt) has to laid by a paving machine and chipped by machine to get a good quality finish. It requires a very wide drive and straight runs to allow access for all the plant involved (paver, chipper, tractor to load chipper and lorry in front of paver). You can hand chip asphalt but I have rarely seen it done well by hand on large areas.

    I think the OP is trying to find out if the quoted price is value for money - I would think €15-18 per sq m for a 60mm depth would be reasonable - although it is a number of years since I have seen prices for such work. Also, as suggested by bbam, if it can be laid by a paver rather than hand laid it will give a better finish.


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    #5
    tomas1
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭tomas1


    bobsyr wrote: »
    I got a quote for a tarmac drive. Just wondering are the measurements /depth given good or not. I really have no clue so any help would be great.
    The way it is written is :
    60mm thickness 10mm open texture wearing course tarmac= €3640 + vat
    Extra over for additional 40mm depth tarmac adjacent to existing road = €400 + VAT

    Use 10mm or binder 20mm will be much more smoother and its easy to work with, should be about 40e per ton + VAT, +Delivery, +Labour (usualy 4-6 people), +machines

    What is the Area? how many sq meters?


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    #6
    tomas1
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭tomas1


    tomas1 wrote: »
    Use 10mm or binder 20mm will be much more smoother and its easy to work with, should be about 40e per ton + VAT, +Delivery, +Labour (usualy 4-6 people), +machines

    What is the Area? how many sq meters?

    10mm and binder 20 mm is not the thickens of layer! but particle size :cool:


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