Renting Drives

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How Bristol & Bath Residents Rent Their Drives For A Profit

On the Bristol Driveway Services blog we feature local news, reviews and promotions for our clients. As a company who installs and cleans drives through Avon, Somerset and Gloucestershire this local news story that captured our attention. How residents of Bristol & Bath are renting their drive for a profit.

In the modern age of congestion charges, resident parking zones and exorbitant parking charges renting a drives has become a lucrative and cost effective solution for drivers. This is well typified in central Bath and Bristol.

Congestion Tax & Resident Parking

While a congestion charge is in full flow in London, planners have been considering similar policies to manage traffic for generations. In the 1960’s the Smeed Report. In 2008, Bristol and Bath planners took a fresh look at proposals. While a congestion tax was never inacted, levy’s and restrictions were applied to local residents. Learn more here:

http://www.bath.ac.uk/e-journals/jtep/pdf/Volume_11_No_1_107-125.pdf

Perhaps you’re a local resident who rarely uses their drive. You may be set for an extended leave of absence and no longer need your parking space. Whatever your reasons sites including ParkOnMyDrive.com and YourParkingSpace.co.uk allow you to exercise your real estate and turn a profit.

Just Park

Just Park is a 5 star rated app featuring 40,000 car parking spaces. The app boasts it is ‘Parking Made Easy’ and offers a ‘Seamless Experience’ to users.

Just Park Promotional Video.

Just Park’s service is said to be up to 70% cheaper than meter or street parking.

Park On My Drive

Park On My Drive hosts parking locations across the UK. Popular locations include Wembley, Gatwick, Heathrow, Richmond and Manchester Airport parking options. Drive owners pay an annual fee to advertise their space to the masses.

Your Parking Space

While we can’t vouch for these services personally, we’re sure they beat driving around in circles and dodging wardens. The BDS team do, however, offer a broad range of landscaping services and install driveways in Bristol.

Our services include renovation, installation and preservation. Visit our homepage for more information.

Concrete vs Tarmac Driveways

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Concrete vs Tarmac Driveways

Interested in a new concrete or tarmac drive?

At Bristol Driveway Services concrete and tarmac installations are two of the leading inquiries we receive. Many of our clients request a quote for both and a breakdown of pros and cons of these materials. This article will briefly summarize:

Cost

Durability

Aesthetics

Maintenance

Cost

In a time of inflation and as materials fluctuate in value, we’ll avoid offering hard figures. In simple terms, short-term tarmac is the most economical option.

Long-term? A concrete driveway may be your best choice.

The upfront costs of installing a tarmac drive are generally cheaper. Key aggregates, including bitumen, are more affordable and the installation process is less time intensive. However, tarmac can require more maintenance and resealing.

While concrete has a bigger initial outlay this cost is offset by lower maintenance costs and a longer lifespan. We’ll expand on this below.

Durability

As a conservative measure, a tarmac drive has a lifespan of over 15 years. Meanwhile, concrete can endure for over 25 years.

The lifespan of a drive can depend on various factors. These include the climate, good maintenance and traffic conditions.

It’s thought a motorway is resurfaced every 5-7 years. Just as the burden of traffic and heavy loads on the M5 or around Cribbs Causeway will reduce the lifespan of roads, a residential drive will too.

Aesthetics

Both concrete and tarmac have their own unique appeal.

Pattern imprinted concrete allows a drive to be customized with unique patterns and colours including tile, stone and cobbles. On the other hand, tarmac is sleek, smooth and uniform. It adds a clean finish to any property. View our gallery for more options.

Maintenance

While we offer an afforable drive care and cleaning service, ease of maintenance is a principle concern among our clients. Which surface is easier to maintain?

Both tarmac and concrete are easy to maintain. Tarmac tends to require more maintenance such as resealing and filling in potholes and cracks. This surface may also be more vulnerable to oil spills and require on the spot cleaning to prevent staining.

Our team have been executing driveway contracts in Bristol and Gloucestershire for over two decades. We’ll help you navigate the pros and cons of every driveway material and paving stone on the market. Contact us with your questions or in person estimate.

How To Choose A Driveway Company

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There are cowboys in every industry. In the construction sector, unqualified contractors can cripple home owners with untold expense and stress

While searching for driveways in Bristol this post will outline how you can sift through the cowboys and employ a contractor with the experience and expertise for your home and garden.

Portfolio

Just as an artist will hold a portfolio of their finest works, a groundworker should boast a gallery of projects to show their prospective clients. Within their gallery you should look for projects that reflect their experience with a diverse range of materials. These materials should reflect experience with gravel, tarmac and pavers.

Reviews

An established groundworker should hold an abundance of positive reviews. Today a contractor can be held to account on social media, directories and third party consumer review websites.

While we all know many positive reviews are false, Google Maps, Facebook, Yelp and industry sites including RatedPeople.com will raise a flag to unscrupulous cowboys.

Industry Accreditation

Industry governing bodies of note for driveway and paving contractors include Interlay and Marshalls. Interlay were established in the late 1980’s. It is a non-profit dedicated to holding its members to a high standard. All members are awarded with the organizations seal of approval.

Marshalls are arguably the leading supplier of materials for UK contractors. Established in the 1890’s, The Marshalls Register of Accredited Landscape Contractors and Driveway Installers is an assured list of qualified experts. These pros are strictly vetted by assessors.

While industry accreditation isn’t held by all established contractors, liability insurance is a must. You should ask if your driveway contractor of choice if he’s to execute your job in the event of any damage or mishaps.

We hope this snappy review has helped. Please reach out to Bristol Driveway Services with any further queries.

Our New Website

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Welcome to Bristol Driveway Services. In the coming months this site will be updated to feature our services, rates and promotions to our customers in the South West. We have several articles in the works. These address your FAQ’s, case studies and general news. 

In the meantime, please review our navigation bar for driveway materials, cleaning and landscaping. And if you have any article suggestions or inquiries, you can reach us via our contact page or via info@bristoldrivewayservices.co.uk.