Tarmac drive price 600m2 .

tigerboon

893bet wrote: »

I assume if laid correctly and thick enough then these type of weeds will never come through?

I have seen this weed growing through blacktop 300mm thick.

tigerboon

tigerboon wrote: »

I have seen this weed growing through blacktop 300mm thick.

Dis the surface crack due to ground conditions or did the weed force its way all the way through?

tigerboon

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Dis the surface crack due to ground conditions or did the weed force its way all the way through?

Grew through. Appeared on the surface about a year after the roadway was built. Don't know what the existing ground was like. They might not have known it was there and so didn't excavate enough to get rid of it. Maybe it was brought in with imported fill material.

Pinky123

Howdy,
Looking for opinions on a chip and tar driveway - how durable are they and what kind of questions should I be asking - quote that I have is coming in at 9k incl VAT vs 4.5k for gravel.

All advice is really welcome

cocoman

Pinky123 wrote: »

Howdy,
Looking for opinions on a chip and tar driveway - how durable are they and what kind of questions should I be asking - quote that I have is coming in at 9k incl VAT vs 4.5k for gravel.

All advice is really welcome

How big is the driveway?

tigerboon

what about in the summer when it fattens up, sticks to shoes and is brought into the house.

Pinky123

cocoman wrote: »

How big is the driveway?

It's 500sq mts for the driveway, contractor said it was a double layer of chip and tar.

cocoman

Pinky123 wrote: »

It's 500sq mts for the driveway, contractor said it was a double layer of chip and tar.

If the kerbs are already done and there is already compacted stone down then you are getting ripped off.
I got 680 sq m of tarmac done last summer for about €8.5-9k (Galway). Kerbs had been down already and the area stoned.
If you have kids on bikes tar and chip can be slippy and stones can be brought in on shoes scraping timber floors etc.
Tar & chip will not last as long as tarmac and weeds can grow up through it. Pot holes may also form.
I'd ring around and get quotes from a few contractors. If you're in the west pm me and i can give you a few names.

tigerboon

Pinky123 wrote: »

It's 500sq mts for the driveway, contractor said it was a double layer of chip and tar.

At €15-€16 per sq.m you should have 50mm of macadam/sma by a competent contractor

macadam

The guys above are spot on dont be wasting your money on T&C its surface dressing thats all it is and thats all its good for. Also a doube layer of T&C is normally around €7per m2, its not suitable for around a house.

Pinky123

Just some more detail on the quote I got.
At the moment it's just compacted stone from when we built the house 8 years ago. The quote is €7500 including a limestone kerb for the gravel drive and €12,000 for the chip and tar with kerbing incl vat @13.5%

If this is way over the top can anyone suggest someone in north cork that I could contact to get a quote for proper Tarmac.

The contractor has already done some amazing hard landscaping for me

patsyrockem

I have renovated an older house and now need to tidy up the outside. I would have liked to have put down coloured gravel but the driveway is on a hill and I have been advised that this is not practical. (gravel will move down the hill, cars spinning etc etc) Some parts of the yard are higher than the rest but is all rock and would create an awful lot of work if it had to be taken out.
I need to know if it is ok to lay tarmac on an uneven yard? Some parts of the yard are as high as the footpaths but are well away from the footpaths. I hoping that gulleys on the edge of the footpath will take the water away. Is their anything that I need to be looking out for before I get a quote? Thanks.

macadam

Ideally you need a 1:60 fall for hand laid Tarmac and 1:80 for machine laid, can you not hammer out the high spots with a rock breaker?

patsyrockem

macadam wrote: »

Ideally you need a 1:60 fall for hand laid Tarmac and 1:80 for machine laid, can you not hammer out the high spots with a rock breaker?

Don't really want to get rockbreaker in, the whole house is built on a rock:(
I will discuss it with the contractor. I am sure he will have no problem with it? I just need to know what problems it may cause in the future before I commit to the job.
One contractor offered to pull out the rock but this added a lot of work to the whole job and expense.

macadam

I would rather chip away at it with a rock breaker than to attempt to pull the rock, you just need to lower the level of the rock enough to get a clean 50mm mat across it.

Hunt

Hi, I have learned a lot from reading everyone's reply's and questions, thanks.
I am hoping to get my driveway tarmac'd soon. From looking at other tarmac'd driveways I have noticed that the majority of them haven't held the black colour and have turned grey. I think tarmac looks well after been done but in time it loses its dark colour. Is it possible to get a SMA supplier who manufactures with a black or darker coloured stone? Is there something that can be done other than painting for it to hold its colour?
Could anyone recommend a contractor in East Galway or surrounding area?
Thanks in advance

tigerboon

Hunt wrote: »

Hi, I have learned a lot from reading everyone's reply's and questions, thanks.
I am hoping to get my driveway tarmac'd soon. From looking at other tarmac'd driveways I have noticed that the majority of them haven't held the black colour and have turned grey. I think tarmac looks well after been done but in time it loses its dark colour. Is it possible to get a SMA supplier who manufactures with a black or darker coloured stone? Is there something that can be done other than painting for it to hold its colour?
Could anyone recommend a contractor in East Galway or surrounding area?
Thanks in advance

The black is the bitumen coating. The bitumen will wear off the surface with use and the colour of the aggregate (stone) will show through. Different quarries will have different colour rock.

macadam

tigerboon wrote: »

The black is the bitumen coating. The bitumen will wear off the surface with use and the colour of the aggregate (stone) will show through. Different quarries will have different colour rock.

What you're mentioning is "delamination" this does not happen every driveway, yes it is a problem with some driveways, the main cause is unwashed aggregates.

Hunt, The reason for the change in appearance is, when oxygen and water, which constantly bathe the driveway in our climate, start to combine with the bitumen (tar) of the pavement, a chemical change takes place. At first, this process is necessary for the pavement to become hard and firm.
Heat & Sunlight will accelerate the deterioration process; salt will act as a catalyst.
Water which penetrates the surface can get into the base course to cause trouble, and at the same time start oxidizing the asphaltic binder inside the pavement.
All these above factor we can have in a given day in this country, s you should take care of your driveway.

Any decent contractor will know the remedy for this and it will extend the life of your driveway x 2, so if a tarmac driveway laid correctly lasts approx 15-20 years by treating it every 3-4 years it should serve you another 15-20 years.

slipshod

Hi folks - I'm about 12 miles from Galway City. My driveway is ~500m2 and I'm seeking a machine-laid SMA job. I've called 3 contractors but they are either not in favour of working with SMA on a driveway or will hand-lay only. I'm willing to pay a bit extra for a quality job as I'm looking at this as a ~25-30 year investment.

Any recommendations?

macadam

slipshod wrote: »

Hi folks - I'm about 12 miles from Galway City. My driveway is ~500m2 and I'm seeking a machine-laid SMA job. I've called 3 contractors but they are either not in favour of working with SMA on a driveway or will hand-lay only. I'm willing to pay a bit extra for a quality job as I'm looking at this as a ~25-30 year investment

Why are they not in favour of working with SMA or what exactly are they proposing to lay?? Have you tried Maddens or Slatterys, both lay with paver, if your driveway suits a paver .

Hunt

slipshod wrote: »

Hi folks - I'm about 12 miles from Galway City. My driveway is ~500m2 and I'm seeking a machine-laid SMA job. I've called 3 contractors but they are either not in favour of working with SMA on a driveway or will hand-lay only. I'm willing to pay a bit extra for a quality job as I'm looking at this as a ~25-30 year investment.

Any recommendations?

@ tigerboon and macadam thanks for the info

@slipshob
I’m based in Galway myself and I hope to get quotes from Belville Tarmac Athenry, Flynn M & J Contract Ltd, Athlone and Pete Hillary Tarmac, Ballymacward.

Going to request SMA manufactured with Bunratty Black stone and machine laid. People have recommended these contractors to me but I haven’t seen their work yet.

macadam

Hunt wrote: »

@ tigerboon and macadam thanks for the info

@slipshob
I’m based in Galway myself and I hope to get quotes from Belville Tarmac Athenry, Flynn M & J Contract Ltd, Athlone and Pete Hillary Tarmac, Ballymacward.

Going to request SMA manufactured with Bunratty Black stone and machine laid. People have recommended these contractors to me but I haven’t seen their work yet.

Its best if you look at work that has been done for a number years this will give you an indication what it will look like, also have a chat with the householder re the work. Good luck with your new driveway, I would leave it until next April on if I was you..

Hunt

macadam wrote: »

Its best if you look at work that has been done for a number years this will give you an indication what it will look like, also have a chat with the householder re the work. Good luck with your new driveway, I would leave it until next April on if I was you..

Thanks for the info. Is it because of the cold and frost weather I should wait until April?

macadam

Hunt wrote: »

Thanks for the info. Is it because of the cold and frost weather I should wait until April?

Ground temperature has a lot to do with it, I personally wont lay tarmac in temps under 4-5 degrees as my supplier will not guarantee the product.

Hunt

macadam wrote: »

Ground temperature has a lot to do with it, I personally wont lay tarmac in temps under 4-5 degrees as my supplier will not guarantee the product.

Thanks for all the info.

Audioslaven

Hey Mcadam,

I was reading where you stated about apply a sealer to the tarmac/sma drive to protect it. Have you an name of a product that I could use on a sma driveway.

Audioslaven

macadam

Audioslaven wrote: »

Hey Mcadam,

I was reading where you stated about apply a sealer to the tarmac/sma drive to protect it. Have you an name of a product that I could use on a sma driveway.

Audioslaven

Sent you a PM

Hunt

I had a contactor give me a price and he was up front with the area and tonnes that he would be using. He said he would do the work next April.
I had the area measured myself and he was spot on with his calculations.

Area is 445m2, he said it would require 48 tonnes of 10mm SMA and he gave me a price of 7k + VAT.
What approximate depth compacted would I get for this tonnage?
Very little preparation work is needed, is 7K + Vat going rate for this job?
Is it possible to tell the difference from looking at SMA and Macadam?

touchdown77

macadam wrote: »

Sent you a PM

Hi, can you PM the same to me please, thanks!

macadam

Hunt wrote: »

I had a contactor give me a price and he was up front with the area and tonnes that he would be using. He said he would do the work next April.
I had the area measured myself and he was spot on with his calculations.

Area is 445m2, he said it would require 48 tonnes of 10mm SMA and he gave me a price of 7k + VAT.
What approximate depth compacted would I get for this tonnage?
Very little preparation work is needed, is 7K + Vat going rate for this job?
Is it possible to tell the difference from looking at SMA and Macadam?

Compacted depth for those figures would be 45mm.
Is he laying it with a paver or by hand?
You will get it hard to tell the difference between SMA and macadam but the contractor should be able to show you the fibres in the Sma.