Driveway

K09

Hi,

I plan to work on our driveway shortly. The plan at the moment is to remove the concrete and put down coloured pebble stone.

Now I have no experience of doing this so I would greatly appreciate any advice. I'm thinking of getting a jackhammer to break the concrete but worried about stone firing into the neighbours window!

Once the concrete is up do I need to put anything down other than weed resistant membrane?

Attached some pics of driveway.

Thanks!

ponddigger

hi ,are you going to use the new drive,to drive a car on it .jack

K09

ponddigger wrote: »

hi ,are you going to use the new drive,to drive a car on it .jack

Yes. Car(s) will be parked on it.

stonecipher

The pebbles will drive you mad!

They tend to spread so need to be re raked on even topped up.

Small stones, stick in your tyres but more annoyingly in your shoes and you can walk them in to the house, I closed the hall door over one trodden in and it gouged out the wooden floor.

I have also noticed millions of spiders last summer in the stones.

looksee

If you are taking a jack hammer to a concrete drive be aware that there will probably be services under it - in spite of warnings, workmen managed to slice the mains electricity cable to our house. Fortunately no-one was injured but it was only by good luck. (Its a '70s house and as we suspected, and told them, the cable was actually in the bottom of the four inches of concrete of the drive).

ponddigger

hi you should use gravel stabeiizers,under the stones,jack http://vimeo.com/18678323

rje66

K09 wrote: »

Hi,

I plan to work on our driveway shortly. The plan at the moment is to remove the concrete and put down coloured pebble stone.

Now I have no experience of doing this so I would greatly appreciate any advice. I'm thinking of getting a jackhammer to break the concrete but worried about stone firing into the neighbours window!

Once the concrete is up do I need to put anything down other than weed resistant membrane?

Attached some pics of driveway.

Thanks!

its a bigger job than you will think, but doable. Dont worry about the windows, you have plenty of other things to think about:D:D:D
basically once concrete is up you will need a cleared out depth of min 6/7 inches. then in the filling in you will need 4 inches hardcore filling, 2 inches blinding dust to stop chunks of filling rising to top throu the pebbles. 1/2 inches pebbles. if you prepare the levels with minimum bumps you will get best results. keep the layer of pebbles as thin as possible to prevent movement and rutting.
tips.
have the right tools for the job, your weekend gardener tools from woodies may not be man enough:eek::eek:
it will take longer than you think
get a pneumatic breaker not a electric one
have buddies help you
use a grab truck to get rid of concrete
dont use a membrane ,it will eventually unravel and drive you mad
get your quantities right
as mentioned check for services. water stopcock on foot path will indicate where it is. gas is usually deep , but a different patch of concrete on path will indicate if its there.
did i mention have the right tools
masseuse/chiropractor on speed dial
lots more but enough for you to think about.
hope this helps
pm me if you need more info

Eph1958

ponddigger wrote: »

hi you should use gravel stabeiizers,under the stones,jack http://vimeo.com/18678323

Hi, any idea of cost per sq metre of this system and suppliers/installers. Many thanks.

Ephraim.

K09

rje66 wrote: »

basically once concrete is up you will need a cleared out depth of min 6/7 inches. then in the filling in you will need 4 inches hardcore filling, 2 inches blinding dust to stop chunks of filling rising to top throu the pebbles. 1/2 inches pebbles. if you prepare the levels with minimum bumps you will get best results. keep the layer of pebbles as thin as possible to prevent movement and rutting.

What!? Would thee foundation not already be in place under the concrete?? I thought it would be a case of remove concrete, add weed resistant membrane, and lay pebble stone.

bazbrady

http://www.resinbondedireland.com/what-is-resin-bonded-aggregate

I would go with this solution the resin bonded driveway ,i had a previous house with similar size driveway and stone and it drove me mad,stone will naturally move about and there is a fair bit of dust you bring into the house,unless you use the stabilizer as mentioned but ive heard this is farely dear stuff considering its only recycled plastic,may come down in price in a few years as its not long on the irish market or used alot.The resin bonded leaves a lovely finish and i have seen a good few around dublin suburbs and its fantastic,no weeds coming up through it either and u already have the concrete there.Just a taught but if your dead sure on stone get the stone stabilizer stuff.

http://www.stonedriveways.ie/

jpb14

Eph1958 wrote: »

Hi, any idea of cost per sq metre of this system and suppliers/installers. Many thanks.

Ephraim.

Its called nidagravel and the sheets are about 19 euro for a 2.4 x 1.2 meter sheet of it,most builders merchants,stone merchants and big garden centres will stock it.Kilsaran in Piercetown Dunboyne stock it as do several established nurseries around dublin
http://www.nidagravel.eu/ieen/site/faq-overview.aspx?vCat=101&c=1

jrby

Hi,

I have two questions re the resin bounded driveways.

1 does water drain through it or is it sealed so the water drains to the side etc.

2 how easy is it to repair.....when the water meters are put in or there's repairs needs to the water / gas / electric lines and the driveway needs to get dug up, is there any difficulaties getting it repaired....versus the normal slap down of more tarmac...

also anyone know how much for a driveway...i can fit say four cars into it....

any other pros / cons i should think about?

thanks

rje66

K09 wrote: »

What!? Would thee foundation not already be in place under the concrete?? I thought it would be a case of remove concrete, add weed resistant membrane, and lay pebble stone.

depends, on a lot of older drives the concrete would be just put on top of soil or old rubble. as yours has broken up and is cracked id say it isnt too thick.

Safehands

jpb14 wrote: »

Its called nidagravel and the sheets are about 19 euro for a 2.4 x 1.2 meter sheet of it,most builders merchants,stone merchants and big garden centres will stock it.Kilsaran in Piercetown Dunboyne stock it as do several established nurseries around dublin
http://www.nidagravel.eu/ieen/site/faq-overview.aspx?vCat=101&c=1

It is very good, but quite expensive and not maintenance free. You will have to rake the driveway because the honeycombs become exposed.

hfallada

Would you not just replace the first section of concrete? As in the one thats pretty cracked and broken up. Like the other 2/3 of the drive way only have one major crack and other than that those sections of drive way are grand. Like I have in a housing estate and all the drive ways are 80 years old and some are crumbling. But no one has replaced them and its not out of not having money.

Safehands

hfallada wrote: »

Would you not just replace the first section of concrete? As in the one thats pretty cracked and broken up. Like the other 2/3 of the drive way only have one major crack and other than that those sections of drive way are grand. Like I have in a housing estate and all the drive ways are 80 years old and some are crumbling. But no one has replaced them and its not out of not having money.

Looking at the photo, that first bay is gone and needs replacing. The other two are cracked, but are not as bad as the first one, yet.
If you are going to the trouble of breaking out and replacing that first bay, you may as well do the other two at the same time. It will not cost very much extra to do it while all the labour is on site. If you don't and you just replace the front section it will look terrible. I suspect you would regret that decision. At that stage, getting the men back to finish the job will be much more expensive.

jpb14

Replacing only 1 cracked section of that driveways gonna make it look shyte and only 1/3rd done.Dig the lot up and do it right 1st time,whether it be concrete,stone chippings,tarmacadam or block pavers.

K09

Hi,

Yes, I plan to dig up all the concrete. My issue is that I am not sure of what is required.

Can I just did up the concrete only and lay weed resistant layer and then add the pebble stone?

Or do I have to did up more than the concrete and put in stone as foundation? If so what kind of foundation stone?

Thanks!

jpb14

K09 wrote: »

Hi,

Yes, I plan to dig up all the concrete. My issue is that I am not sure of what is required.

Can I just did up the concrete only and lay weed resistant layer and then add the pebble stone?

Or do I have to did up more than the concrete and put in stone as foundation? If so what kind of foundation stone?

Thanks!

As was said to you on previous page,if its a really old driveway that was just poured with some rubble mixed into it,then there will be no propper hardcore base beneath it.If this is the case then you need to install an 804 hardcore base of around 5 inch thickness and use a whacker plate to compress it down.They you can install your fresh concrete.
You will get a ton bag of 804 hardcore from a builders merchants for about 35-40 euro.

Sonnenblumen

jpb14 wrote: »

As was said to you on previous page,if its a really old driveway that was just poured with some rubble mixed into it,then there will be no propper hardcore base beneath it.If this is the case then you need to install an 804 hardcore base of around 5 inch thickness and use a whacker plate to compress it down.They you can install your fresh concrete.
You will get a ton bag of 804 hardcore from a builders merchants for about 35-40 euro.

You do not necessarily have to put a sub-base in under concrete for a driveway. It is quite common (as any experienced landscaper will confirm) that driveways constructed using premixed concrete do not have a sub-base. A compacted sub-base is required when the depth of concrete is <150mm!

K09

Hi,
I tested by removing a little piece of concrete And it seems very light. Maybe an inch thick. But under that is a very strong layer. My guess is that this is good enough sub base?

Other than that there is patches of weeds so do I need to dig here and put in stone and put in weed membrane?

I also plan to remove the hedge so will need a subbase here.

How do I measure how much pebble stone for surface do I need? The area is 10m * 6m.

Thanks again

Sonnenblumen

K09 wrote: »

Hi,
I tested by removing a little piece of concrete And it seems very light. Maybe an inch thick. But under that is a very strong layer. My guess is that this is good enough sub base?

Other than that there is patches of weeds so do I need to dig here and put in stone and put in weed membrane?

I also plan to remove the hedge so will need a subbase here.

How do I measure how much pebble stone for surface do I need? The area is 10m * 6m.

Thanks again

The membrane should go under the sub-base but hardly worth the bother as weeds will most likely germinate in the silted top layer over time. An occasional rake and spray will keep any weeds under control. I would suggest you blind and compact the sub-base with hardcore dust, usually 2 colours available (Light and grey), so pick according to your finish colour.

Normally top layer is applied at 20-30mm depths and 1 ton should give you almost 20 sq m. Some vendors also sell 0.5ton bags!

K09

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

The membrane should go under the sub-base but hardly worth the bother as weeds will most likely germinate in the silted top layer over time. An occasional rake and spray will keep any weeds under control. I would suggest you blind and compact the sub-base with hardcore dust, usually 2 colours available (Light and grey), so pick according to your finish colour.

Normally top layer is applied at 20-30mm depths and 1 ton should give you almost 20 sq m. Some vendors also sell 0.5ton bags!

Thanks.

Is this the hardcore dust to be put on top of sub base?

Sonnenblumen

^^^that's the dust you need. Remember to compact the hardcore in stages and repeat the compaction of the dust once you've spread it evenly (min 20mm).

K09

I have a few tonne of grey pebble stone in back garden that I want to get rid of. Would this be suitable to use as part of sub base?

Area of sub base is about 17m2. How many tonne would this require?
Area for top layer pebble stone is 52m2 so 2.5 tonne required?

Also the options for pebble stone are 10mm, 14mm, or 20mm. Any specific size I should go with?

Thanks!

Sonnenblumen

K09 wrote: »

I have a few tonne of grey pebble stone in back garden that I want to get rid of. Would this be suitable to use as part of sub base?

Area of sub base is about 17m2. How many tonne would this require?
Area for top layer pebble stone is 52m2 so 2.5 tonne required?

Also the options for pebble stone are 10mm, 14mm, or 20mm. Any specific size I should go with?

Thanks!

Beware pebbles do not compact easily so use them but bury them below a layer of hardcore. For the topdressing, I presume you intend using chipped stone, size is usually a matter of personal preference. I would go usually for 14mm (10mm is small and problematic - sticks to footwear etc) and 20mm is OK but getting on for bigger size.

17m2 would require c 0.75ton and 2.5 for top dressing.

Lantus

you will regret a gravel driveway. We have them here and they are the bane of my life. gravel migrates everywhere and kids love to pick it up and throw it so hopefully you have a really cheap car.

re concrete new and use a template or colour. maintenance free.

I'm about to dig my driveway up to finally get rid of the awful stuff.

Safehands

Lantus wrote: »

you will regret a gravel driveway. We have them here and they are the bane of my life. gravel migrates everywhere and kids love to pick it up and throw it so hopefully you have a really cheap car.

re concrete new and use a template or colour. maintenance free.

I'm about to dig my driveway up to finally get rid of the awful stuff.

Coloured concrete can be great, but be very careful. Loads of potential for disaster and you can end up with a painted driveway!

K09

OK. Here is my plan. Is there anything I am missing?

Thanks so much again for the help!

Order:
• Glenview Pebble stone * 2 tonne (14mm) I]Is this chipped stone?[/I
• Ballylusk Binding Dust * 1 tonne
• 804 Hardcore * 1 tonne

Process:

1. Relocate hedge/plants(situated at side of concrete driveway)
   • Dig to depth of 100mm for sub-base
   • Lay weed-resistant membrane
2. Dig up driveway concrete
   • 1 inch thick so sledge-hammer/pick enough or do I need jackhammer?
   • Looks like strong hardcore already under concrete
3. Add sub-base
   • Compress sub-base
   • Check gradient (very slight pitch) is ok
4. Add binding dust
   • Compress binding dust
5. Add chipped stone
   • Does this need to be compressed?
   • Depth of 25mm enough?

Sonnenblumen

K09 wrote: »

OK. Here is my plan. Is there anything I am missing?

Thanks so much again for the help!

Order:
• Glenview Pebble stone * 2 tonne (14mm) I]Is this chipped stone?[/I
• Ballylusk Binding Dust * 1 tonne
• 804 Hardcore * 1 tonne

Process:

1. Relocate hedge/plants(situated at side of concrete driveway)
   • Dig to depth of 100mm for sub-base
   • Lay weed-resistant membrane
2. Dig up driveway concrete
   • 1 inch thick so sledge-hammer/pick enough or do I need jackhammer?
   • Looks like strong hardcore already under concrete
3. Add sub-base
   • Compress sub-base
   • Check gradient (very slight pitch) is ok
4. Add binding dust
   • Compress binding dust
5. Add chipped stone
   • Does this need to be compressed?
   • Depth of 25mm enough?

Looks good except the only thing I'd point out is better to excavate 150mm (minimum) and make up each layer as follows:

Compacted hardcore 100mm (minimum), blinding dust (25mm) and Ballyusk (25mm) and yes this is a chipped stone. Lay hardcore on top of membrane.

A slight gradient isn't necessary with a pebble driveway, try to achieve a level layout as much as possible. Compaction of sub-base and dust is critical. Not necessary to compact Ballylusk layer, cars will do that for you.

Good luck.

K09

Final questions...hopefully

1) On the area with removed concrete, do I need binding dust on the existing sub-base?
2) If so I then need 50m2 of binding dust. Otherwise just 15m2. So not sure if 1 tonne is enough?
3) We are looking at the Glenview stone rather than Ballylusk. Is this also chipped stone?

Thanks so much for all the help!

Sonnenblumen

K09 wrote: »

Final questions...hopefully

1) On the area with removed concrete, do I need binding dust on the existing sub-base?
2) If so I then need 50m2 of binding dust. Otherwise just 15m2. So not sure if 1 tonne is enough?
3) We are looking at the Glenview stone rather than Ballylusk. Is this also chipped stone?

Thanks so much for all the help!

Glenview is similar chipped stone to Ballylusk, very slight colour difference but cheaper too!
You need to blind all hardcore areas.

Where are you located in Dublin? Prices for Glenview and Ballylusk can vary considerably.

K09

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Glenview is similar chipped stone to Ballylusk, very slight colour difference but cheaper too!
You need to blind all hardcore areas.

Where are you located in Dublin? Prices for Glenview and Ballylusk can vary considerably.

From that website where I linked to the stone, the glenview and ballylusk are same price. €95 per tonne.

Located in South Dublin. Near cabinteely.

Sonnenblumen

Options:

Patio Centre - Johnstown Rd
Cement Roadstone - Fassaroe (Bray)
Milbrook - Greystones

K09

Hi,

I plan to break up the concrete tmr. Seems to be much thicker the closer you move to the house - possibly 4 inches or more!

What is the best way for me to break this up? A Kango or Hydraulic hammer?

Also how far down should gas/water pipes be?

Thanks!

looksee

Forget how far down they 'should' be and concentrate on how far down they 'are'. The older the house more unreliable the 'should' becomes.

Sonnenblumen

K09 wrote: »

Hi,

I plan to break up the concrete tmr. Seems to be much thicker the closer you move to the house - possibly 4 inches or more!

What is the best way for me to break this up? A Kango or Hydraulic hammer?

Also how far down should gas/water pipes be?

Thanks!

Kango not suitable (underpowered), a Bosch breaker would deal with 4" - 6" of concrete with ease, for deeper or stronger concrete a hydraulic hammer would be the job. The pneumatic is really for heavier work and too clumsy for a modest driveway.

K09

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Kango not suitable (underpowered), a Bosch breaker would deal with 4" - 6" of concrete with ease, for deeper or stronger concrete a hydraulic hammer would be the job. The pneumatic is really for heavier work and too clumsy for a modest driveway.

Thanks. I hired this out but still took 6 hrs to break up. Easy in places. Other parts 8 inches thick.

K09

Hi,

I have broke up and removed the concrete. One area underneath is heavy wet clay. How much of this would I have to dig up before laying the sub base? Do I need to dig as much as 6 inches deep?

Thanks

K09

Any ideas on this? Have started digging deep - about 8/9 inches. So if this not required then it would save me lot of heartache.

Thanks

Sonnenblumen

Best to remove at least 3 inches of the soil and put in a Teram membrane before filling with Hardcore.

It ain't easy but the Bosch Breaker is probably no good for removing the heavy soil. Try a kango with a wide head.

K09

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Best to remove at least 3 inches of the soil and put in a Teram membrane before filling with Hardcore.

It ain't easy but the Bosch Breaker is probably no good for removing the heavy soil. Try a kango with a wide head.

Thanks.
I have been using a pick axe to dig up the clay soil.
Used the Bosch breaker just to break up the concrete.

I have calculated 5m3 need to fill. How many tonne is this? How do I calculate this? Seems to be different variations of tonne/ton. No idea why not all done in metric.

I bought this for weed membrane. Is this good enough quality?

Thanks again!!

Sonnenblumen

To calculate the amount of hardcore requirement :multiply area x depth

Area x depth eg 20sqm x 0.15m (150mm depth) = 3 cu metres

5cubic m @ 150mm depth = 33 sq m
5 cubic m @ 200mm depth = 25 sq m.

return that membrane and buy Teram at your local Builders Merchant

K09

This is the soil at bottom. It's heavy and when I dig some up its like putty.

K09

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

To calculate the amount of hardcore requirement :multiply area x depth

Area x depth eg 20sqm x 0.15m (150mm depth) = 3 cu metres

5cubic m @ 150mm depth = 33 sq m
5 cubic m @ 200mm depth = 25 sq m.

Sorry, but how do I calculate tonne from cubic metres?

K09

Hi,

I want to create a border along the wall where I can plant a hedge or some other plants. (similar to the attached image)

How do I create this while putting down the driveway? I imagine I set a barrier between the border and the hardcore?

The depth is 6 inches below the surface of driveway. Should I put the hardcore on in the entire area and compact it before then removing some for the border?

Struggling to find any articles/youtube clips on constructing similar border.

Thanks!

ryan101

try pavingexpert .com, it's a uk site by an ex landscaper and paver. Very good.

Sonnenblumen

K09 wrote: »

Hi,

I want to create a border along the wall where I can plant a hedge or some other plants. (similar to the attached image)

How do I create this while putting down the driveway? I imagine I set a barrier between the border and the hardcore?

The depth is 6 inches below the surface of driveway. Should I put the hardcore on in the entire area and compact it before then removing some for the border?

Struggling to find any articles/youtube clips on constructing similar border.

Thanks!

Firstly decide on the width of your planted border. You will need to extend the compacted hardcore to beyond the inside line of the border edging. Once you have installed the edgings and the concrete has set, you can remove any surplus hardcore, backfill the planting area with soil and then plant up.

If you do set have a secure sub-base under the edgings, these will break as soon as a car wheel comes near them!

K09

Hi,

I have concrete remaining along the side of driveway. I thought a sledge would be enough.
However I'm worried as it looks like the wall is sitting on that concrete!

How best to remove this? Is a consaw my best option?

Thanks!

Sonnenblumen

K09 wrote: »

Hi,

I have concrete remaining along the side of driveway. I thought a sledge would be enough.
However I'm worried as it looks like the wall is sitting on that concrete!

How best to remove this? Is a consaw my best option?

Thanks!

Consaw for sure or an angle grinder.

ryan101

that looks like it might be the footing for your wall's foundation, that footing needs to extend at least the width of the wall on each side, from that photo it also looks like it might have been undermined already, i wouldn't remove that wiidth or anything under it, or you'll likely have a cracked / failing wall after a while.