Surfacing the cricket club car park - specifying?

[Deadeye]

Hi

The village cricket club has a car park that we want to surface (I can't really say "resurface" as it's been pretty much flint/rubble/gravel/mud for years).
Needless to say, money is a bit tight but we recognise that we need it done professionally.

It's 20m x 70m approximately (so not small).

Along with a crie-de-coeur for general advice, some specific questions:

- Should we go concrete/cement or ashphalt/tarmac? Why?
- What should we write into the specification (how deep hardcore; how much sand; what membrane; what edging; how thick top and composed of what mix)? We've had a couple of visits and been told wildly different things!
- what sort of warranty might we expect?

If anyone could point us at an outline spec., that'd be fantastic. We need to get it right because it's going to be a significant chunk of our funds - and is quite important to plans to use the pavilion/clubhouse for other fundraising activities.

Thanks!

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Loads of useful info here https://www.pavingexpert.com/

 

[Freddyjersey2016]

Check you dont need planning permission / building regs - if you need building regs, and area that size will likely need sustainable drainage, e.g. it must be permeable . One cheap solution for a car park not in constant use is to use roadplanings - scrape the current surface off and dispose; and then cover with roadplanings & roll it

 

[MikeG.]

Don't go for tarmac or concrete. They're impervious, (and ugly), and so you'd need to provide drainage, laying it all to carefully designed falls. They're also expensive, as they need a proper build up and edgings. Tip a truck full of loose fill of some description on it. Road planings are cheap and sticky enough that they stay put. Granite chippings with a tar spray can work well. Shingle works well too, but always go for the bigger stone (20mm) as that doesn't get stuck in tyres or boot tread.

 

[Deadeye]

Thanks!
Presumably with any sort of chippings those plastic honeycombs to hold them in place are a good idea. Are they generic or do they need a specific depth or cell size?

 

[Deadeye]

Good point re regulations. I'll ask the council (joy to come...)

 

[MikeG.]

I wouldn't use those honeycombs except for shingle, and then only on a slope, or perhaps around the entrance, adjacent to a building or ditch. Otherwise they're just not necessary. Granite chippings or road planings generally stay where they're put, and get compressed into place by car tyres. The tar spray with granite chippings glues everything to the spot......it's sort of half way to being tarmac. I prefer it loose because it looks better (less formal), but there is a little more maintenance, maybe a once a year rake.

 

[Selwyn]

Road plantings or a shale that beds down

 

[Droogs]

As this is a woodwork forum, why not try parquet lol

 

[Deadeye]

It is indeed a woodwork forum... but the members know an extraordinary amount of useful knowledge and are wonderfully generous in sharing it.
If you ever need any info on virology, I'll return the favour!

 

[Doug71]

I used Nordic granite chippings on our car park, it's angular so locks together and doesn't move around much, have been really pleased with it.

https://www.stones4homes.co.uk/product/ ... 5595703125

 

[Deadeye]

Those look good - thank you.
Any idea what sort of depth we should aim for?

 

[AJB Temple]

I used local limestone 20mm chippings (similar to granite) on our large parking area and longish driveway. It had previously had a beach worth of shingle on it which I removed and used elsewhere for drainage. The shingle does not bind together in the way that granite or limestone do.

In my case though, I graded the site (myself with an excavator) to deal with umpteen puddle spots and laid quite a lot (80 tons in fact) of type 1 which I power rolled in with a ride on roller. Then spread a layer of chippings (not to deep) and power rolled that as well. This is totally permeable and tough as old boots.

Part of my reason for this is I sometimes have 8 wheeler lorries in and if you don't do a good base then lorries or heavy vehicles churn the ground up in no time.

Road plantings in my experience are VERY variable depending on where you are and the source. Granite or limestone chippings will definitely look much better if aesthetics are important.

In my parking areas I also used type one, but then laid blockwork. In my case I tend to use one of the remainder suppliers and just bought a job lot. Mine were industrial thickness (100mm) but that is not a problem and they were super cheap. (Domestic is around 40mm I think).

You will need to accept that weeds will self sow, and so an annual spray with glysophate will be needed. However, as a cricket club you will have a groundsman so that will not be a problem.