On 2007-07-18 20:25:19 +0100, ":Jerry:" said:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...

snip

The problem for me is that it is a large drive and I just don't feel
that a large amount of tarmac is visually appealing at all. My
solution was to have the whole lot ripped up including the concrete
and replaced with handmade clay pavers.



Andy Hall on the brag again....

Not really. The major part of the cost is in the labour.

The choices were strip and redo the tarmac, rip out the lot and use
coloured concrete blocks which fade to uniformity in a few years,
machine made clay pavers, which are variant in colour but mechanically
identical in size and hand made ones which offer colour and size
variation.

That was why I made the point about expected lifetime. For a 20 year
lifetime, laying new tarmac on good concrete is economically viable as
long as the job is done properly. If either aren't or the projected
lifetime is 5 years for lifetime or change of mind reasons, the labour
becomes a huge factor.

Given all of that, for an intended lifetime of 20 years both
mechanically and visually, it makes good economic and aesthetic sense
to go for good quality materials, preparation and implementation.