Paving in the Rain

It’s understandable that home owners planning on having a new driveway laid might be caught in a bit of a quandary this time of year.

On the one hand, there are those incredible deals as the home improvement industry looks to pick up some early work with ‘New Year sales’. On the other, there’s the worry that any paving job, whether it’s block paving or impressed concrete, will suffer delays due to the British weather we all know and love at this time of year.

Fear no more, though, because we’re here to answer a few of those worries and give you the added confidence to go ahead with that new driveway anyway. Besides, waiting till Summer is no guarantee of better weather. I’m sure we’ve been on plenty of summer holidays spent mostly in wellington boots, crouched under a soggy canvas or listening to the rain hitting the roof of a caravan as if you were sheltering inside a biscuit tin. So, to get a quote for paving, rain or shine, you can visit PavingQuoter.co.uk

In fact, for the vast majority of driveways they can be installed whatever the weather. The first job in any driveway installation is to dig out the’footings’ and compact the correct mix of larger and finer rubble and hardcore. Unless an absolute cloud burst happens, this can usually continue without hinderance.

Next for block paving, comes one or two layers of traditionally grit sand, which is compacted to form the base for laying the blocks onto. This is the stage most affected by excess water as the sand when extremely wet tends to retain the water, making it less easy to work with, which can lead to dense areas forming that will need tapping out later.

Once the blocks are laid, and the finished surface has been swept with sand to work into the gaps between blocks, a little rain can be very beneficial in helping the sand ‘soak’ down into the gaps and settle.

With Impressed concrete finishes, the base is laid as above. Instead of the two layers of sand, a finer mix of aggregate will be used to bring the surface up to the required level prior to pouring the cement. The pouring stage is critical as its this that will provide the final surface. If too much water falls as the concrete is being poured, it can weaken the mixture or make it a shade to pliable to work with. This can effect drying times.

Usually, contractors are able to cover over recently poured surfaces so if it starts raining once they’ve already started there’s no need to worry.

Although its no detriment to the surface and it shouldn’t make you favour block over impressed in any way, when laying an impressed concrete driveway, there’s one finishing touch that needs a little dry spell… the colouring.

When an impressed driveway is laid, after the base preparation and the concrete pouring, the next stage is to apply the final colour – usually through using a pigmented powder that reacts with the still wet concrete and stains the colour down to about an 8th of an inch below the surface. Once the colour has been applied, then the installers will move quickly to apply the patterned mats and ‘imprint’ your chosen design onto the surface.

If there is an excess of surface water collecting when the powdered colouring is being applied, obviously, some of the powder is going to float off rather than stick to the surface area it was applied to. This could lead to uneven colour surface, so it’s one of those jobs best done when its dry. Alternatively, the contractor may be forced to apply makeshift covers with tapulines etc to keep the worst off until the powder has had time to do its job.

So with a little luck, you can go ahead and get that driveway sorted and make use of the paving companies less busier times of the year. Remember, once the summer months approach, many paving companies will be booked solid so if you decide later to go ahead with a driveway quotation, you may have a very long wait indeed.

If you’d like find out how much it would cost you to have your driveway re-laid or extended or you’d like a new driveway installing, then just visit PavingQuoter.co.uk. Just type in a few basic dimensions of the size you’d like your drive to be and select either block or impressed (there’s even a tarmac option) and our clever online software will work out an approximate cost of the job there and then. No need for a paving contractor to call round – our online quotes are completely free, absolutely no obligation but we do promise to give you an instant online price guide and save you money.

Car turntables - the parking solution

Car turntable quoter – the parking solution

If your planning application for a driveway has been refused and you can't get permission to drop the kerb, then a car turntable might provide the answer.

Local planning decisions vary from one area to another, but recent personal experience is that if you can find a way around the objections, then a further decision may be made in your favour.

With regards driveways or exits onto roads from private property, there are a number of rules and guidelines planning departments use. In most cases, they will refer to the highways department, particularly if there is any commercial aspect to the property.

They will look at certain factors – is the exit going to be on a blind bend? Is there good visibility of the road (in both directions) when pulling off the intended driveway and is there equal good visibility for road users of the exit point?

Factors like bends in the road, dips and inclines, surrounding properties, the 'class' of road etc all affect decisions, and are usually based on such factors as reversing off of an intended driveway – how safe is it to other road users (and pedestrians) as well as ease of entering the driveway. If you have to make a broad swing to get into a tight entrance etc.

A car turntable, manual or remote controlled, can help overcome many objections. It's the ideal parking solution as you can remove the objection of having to reverse out onto the main road.

Councils are keen to get vehicles off the streets – themselves a hazard and particularly so for emergency services on narrow lanes as well as public transport and community transport iniatives.

Car turntables come in all sizes to fit all cars. From super minis to SUV's and people carriers, and the costs of installing or installing it yourself are not as expensive as you might think with installed prices starting from around £7000. Average installation costs are around £2,500, more if the electricity supply for an automatic system has to be re-directed over a large distance from the house.

Car turntables – the benefits of having a car turntable installed on your driveway.

Improve your lifestyle with a car turntable

Car Turntables are no longer a rich persons toy! Nor are they exclusively for gadget lovers.

Nowadays, they are becoming an increasingly popular option for home owners and property developers alike, to help overcome local planning parking issues or to help overcome parking problems associated with ever over crowded roads making reversing out of your driveway a dangerous past-time.

With ever more restrictions being placed on parking space, councils are not only more desperate to get more cars off the road, but are also restricting planning permission to lower kerbs because of the fear of the applicant being able to drive into their property who would then have to reverse out onto a busy or hazardous road.

One answer is to install a vehicle turntable system on your drive or garden. It allows full use of smaller areas and overcomes any objections of reversing as you’ll never have to reverse out of your driveway again.

You simply drive onto the turntable, park, and then when you’re ready to leave, rotate the platform and hey presto – you’re forward facing again.

Another excellent benefit is that you don’t have to sacrifice the amount of front garden you’d normally associate with having a driveway installed. Normal turning circles and parking solutions can be reduced when you fit a car turntable.

The complete car turntable fits into the space that would normally be taken up by the average car. The installation company will be able to advise you on the best fit for a particular area.

Car turntables can also be adapted to blend in with existing driveway surroundings. Many designs allow for the integration of block paving and the turntables themselves are available in a variety of different shades.

And their usefulness doesn’t stop there, as more and more homes become two, three (or more) car families, especially those with grown up children where once there was plenty of turning space, there now involves a 300 point turn to get the car farthest from the road turned around and facing the right way again.

The key benefits of having a car turntable installed on your driveway are:

Compliance with the Highway Code – no more reversing into heavy traffic
Reduce the risk of paintwork scraps and bumps when reversing on tight driveways
No more stiff necks – no more looking backwards to reverse
Added security – park your car at right angles for added security
Satisfy local planning requirements – overcome safety and environmental objections
No more 300 point turns on your own driveway to face the right way again

One feature that is often overlooked is the added security benefits when you have a car turntable. Now, when you park, you can turn your car to 90 degrees, making it extremely difficult for thieves to make off with your car.

And did you know that car turntables come in various sizes, from super mini size to those large enough for two SUV’s side by side.

When choosing which turntable to have installed, you may think it makes sense to buy the model that fits your car. Sometimes you may be restricted by space to a certain size but if you’re not, consider this.

The next time you change your car, will you buy one the same size? You may have to upsize – families, pets, daily usage etc all affect our choice of car. Will you be restricted by what will actually fit on your turntable?

And when you come to sell the property, the car turntable will make a valuable feature, but it won’t if the potential buyer owns a vehicle too large to use it.

Car turntables come in both manual and electrically operated options. Whilst the manual versions are easily moved – makers claim a child could rotate a car laden turntable – the option of power may prove another benefit for potential house buyers as well as offering you all the convenience of remote operation.

Usually a small key fob remote is used so you can drive on, rotate and park whatever the weather in comfort and safety. Electrically operated versions usually come with emergency stop buttons, although the close fits mean there’s very little chance of anything getting trapped in the mechanism.

So now there’s no excuse for reversing out onto busy roads, being restricted to roadside parking because of lack of driveway space or scratching the paintwork on tight walled driveways. The car turntable has come to save us once and for all.

You can get an instant online quote for having a car turntable installed just by visiting carturntablequoter.co.uk. Just enter your details, the size of car you’d like to be quoted on and select electric and other options and our independent pricing system will give you an expectation of cost based on your details, there and then.

For other instant online home improvement quotes – from double glazing to kitchens, driveways and garage doors, visit homeimprovementquotes.co.uk