Hi everyone, I am looking at alternative inexpensive options for d[biggrin]riveway.
Has anyone out there used I think it is called blue metal, this has been one suggestion?
Help appreciated… cheersBlue metal is fine.
Ensure you build a proper base & pack it down solid so you don’t get too much movement or sinkage.
Cheers,
Aceyducey
my sister used ashphalt instead of concrete.
Hi Marse,
Are you considering loose blue metal stone (AKA crushed granite usually used as the outer surface on roads) – if so make sure you have the stones well retained in the driveway otherwise they will be spread all over the yard by years end.
For me a better option may be blue metal dust – which is the fine crushing of the same rock material – it tends to bind much better and is less prone to wandering all over the yard.
Derek
[email protected]Property Investment Support Available. Ongoing and never stopping. PM welcome.
Yack, never heard of ashphalt, will look into this see if cheaper than blue metal.
Derek and Aceyducey, thanks for tips. Another question, will weeds grow through this stuff. Silly question, but couldn’t think of anything worse….[eh]
Weeds grow through anything
So long as you lay it deep enough you shouldn’t have weed issues.
Plus a bit of weed killer now and then if any grab hold on the top.
Cheers,
Aceyducey
Hi Marisa,
Blue metal is ok but it will make a difference what floors arein the property. Sounds daft I know. The small stones that get stuck in shoes can really damage timber floors, cork, vinyl etc. You should still follow the previous good advice on edges etc. It looks nice but is hard work to put in & can be very dusty in summer.Concrete is good,though more expensive. There are endless options on patterns & colour etc. including non-slip coatings for slopes.
Ashphalt (aka tarmac, blacktop) is basically the same stuff roads are made of. Its fairly expensive but looks great (especially with coloured flecks in it.
Alternatively, if you already have plain concrete you can have spray-over concrete patterns or hot tar & gravel.
What you spend is entirely dependant on your longterm plans.Hope this may help.
Regards
Patrick
The dumbest question is the one you don’t ask.
Patrick, I have sand and weeds at present, was looking at tidying up the place. Good point you made. After completion of reno I will get property cleaned up and will then decide. Who knows, the best option may be to just leave as is. thanks for contribution, very much appreciated.[biggrin]
Hi Marisa,
Just got my trusty little calculator out and it asks the following –
Will a driveway (or not) add to your rental returns or tenantability or increase the value with a multiplier effect?
Derek
[email protected]Property Investment Support Available. Ongoing and never stopping. PM welcome.
Hi Derek, doubt the driveway would add any value whatsoever, though I imagine it would make it more attractive to a prospective tenant.
In a couple of our recent renos we looked at driveway replacement due to cracked & subsided concrete slabs.
On balance we left them as they were.
In manyc cases there is no additional value in replacing a driveway.
Of course, your situation may differ
Cheers,
Aceyducey
Hi all,
in Hedland (north of WA) we use Cracker dust (blue metal crushed mixed with some cement). Once the driveway is properly prepped 9by say a Bobcat) it is laid out and compacted with copious quantity of water. Once cured 9over night) it is rock hard, mainly water repellant but you get weeds, still@!
I agree with you, an nice neat IP is more attractive, to me anyways! Try and play one provider against another (for competitions sake) I have saved a couple of hundred dollars that way on little items such as A/cs, etc. Try and you might find it cheap enough to do anyway! Get all the parameters though (ie: how thick is it going to be, etc).
Best of luck.Cheers
C@34
Thanks everyone for great info, I am alot wiser now…..
I am going up there next weekend and will check out all suppliers and get costings on various options.[biggrin]I have just had 2 “rows” of rock laid,that just cover the area tyres will go (in some driveways there is only one path),rather than paying for all the extra rock to completly cover driveway.It’s easy-ish for driver to spread like this,they just put chains,& a barrel,to stop flow in the centre of the tray!This reduced my cost by a third.[thumbsupanim] It would also still allow grass/garden edging (for looks), & would stop large amounts of it being traipsed thru the house,as already suggested.
Bobcat driver suggested a good thick stoned base, for stability,& finer stuff on top for looks & easier to Good luck.
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