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Currently we can park both cars on the drive side by side, just, with no space to really get through and car A can't be moved without reversing car B off the drive, so often one just get left on the road.
We need the front wall rebuilt as it's crumbling away so was considering building it shorter in width and chopping about 2 feet off the width of the lawn so I'd have more space to fit both cars in.
Without the STW discussion about the pros and cons of having two cars, blah blah blah...
The current drive is tarmac'd but probably needs redoing as well. I have a vague recollection building regs say something about drives being porous now to stop water flooding straight off it - is that right, or am I just making it up.
And short of chucking a tonne of gravel on the new bit, is tarmac still the cheapest option to redoing a drive, much as I'd love to put quaint cobbles down I'm suspecting £6k plus for that option. The half tarmac, half gravel look won't wash it with the missus and I'm trying to avoid any more easily obtainable ammo for little Breatheeasy to throw as well 🙂
Any thoughts?
Looks like you'll need to be porous or drain into a soakaway, or apply for planning permission [url= http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/pavingfrontgarden/ ]http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/pavingfrontgarden/[/url].
I wouldn't worry about an extra 2' of tarmac. I doubt very much your local council would either. You could always ask them if you want assurance or speak to a local contractor.
Not sure on rules, but if I was looking for a new drive it would be imprinted concrete, I dont know the cost but it looks great & no gaps for weeds to grow in.
if it was tar before it can be tar after
its new drives that must be porous.
Not sure on rules, but if I was looking for a new drive it would be imprinted concrete, I dont know the cost but it looks great & no gaps for weeds to grow in.
slippy as **** when frosty tho, mibbe not such an issue dooon soooth.
Not sure on rules, but if I was looking for a new drive it would be imprinted concrete, I dont know the cost but it looks great & no gaps for weeds to grow in.
No gaps until it cracks because it's not been laid correctly and then all sorts of hell breaks loose. And 'looks great' is a matter of opinion, and mine differs considerably from yours...
Anyhow, for the OP - planning rules apply if you are laying more than 5m2 of hard surfacing, and that includes replacing any existing areas so even if it's just 2' more than it was you could still need to let your LA know. There's still a massive difference in the interpretation of the rules between LAs (eg some may adhere to trail_rat's reasoning above even though that's not the letter of the law), and still a lot of contractors who don't give a stuff about them anyway. You can also drain it to lawn or planting beds too, but obviously the viability of that depends on the site.