Cost effective driveway surface for Irish weather conditions?

sheff the ref

I have a slight elevation from the road.

Tarmac looks excellent when put down initially, but I am seeing houses that are 5 years old with green scum, moss etc on their tarmac, purely down to damp weather conditions that this island produces. Plus in frosty weather, tarmac may not be the best surface for an elevation.

A grit driveway poses no such worries in frost but it also means that there are small stones coming into the house on shoes etc. which can have a detrimental effect on flooring.

Concrete is fine for behind the back of the house but is very plain and dull for a driveway.

Any views on Cobblestone? Which is the most cost effective solution?

macadam

Hi there sheffthe ref ,
what area are you talking about, tarmac/asphalt would be the most cost effective, there is not much we can do about the climate except move, concrete may still attract algae and will have the least maintenance, brick paving/ cobblestone will probably be the most expensive and will require the most maintenance. Its really all down to first, personal choice and then cost.

sheff the ref

Not quite sure on the area yet, working drawings almost ready.

Basically the maintenance I would be looking at is powerwashing. Powerwashing and tarmac dont really mix that well as you powerwash in too deep.

I cannot see myself using tarmac as too many houses I know have had it looking 100% on Day 1 and then 5 years later it looks horrible.

I would imagine that I could powerwash brick paving quite easily if necessary

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/gln/gln0704/gln070400017/890218-zig-zag-brick-paving-on-driveway.jpg

macadam

you should never powerwash tarmac/asphalt, powerwashing brick paving is fine but you need to replace the sand between the joints, tarmac will fade so will paving so your really left with one option Concrete, imprinted concrete is fine but it needs to be installed correctly seen a lot of it going wrong after the low temps of 2010.
If you have great falls and drainage I would put down 40% hra it will cost as much as concrete and you will have no algae..

sheff the ref

What is HRA?

What sort of tarmac is used on the modern roads and motorways. Obviously some kind of hardwearing stuff. Doesnt seem to fade as much as domestic tarmac.