Unfortunately, it is a fact that driveway repairs attract the cowboys.

All that is required to be able to set up as a driveway contractor is a hired van and some "handy lads". The excavators and compaction equipment can be hired by the hour and the tarmacadam itself supplied by the material manufacturer.

The team can be in, done and away with your cash in no time.

They will pay no attention to subsurface construction and compaction or drainage. In fact, in their haste to get the job done they may simply lay the tarmacadam over existing grids because it is easier than re-seating the ironwork.

Tarmacadam, if laid properly, will provide a long-lasting and durable roadway or driveway but is suseptible to freeze-and-thaw water damage if the proper attention is not paid to compaction and drainage.

It is crucial, therfore, that you engage a contractor with both the knowledge to do a proper job and the reputation that confirms competency

Shown opposite: how roads were constructed in the 19th century. Pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam around 1820, a new type of road construction called "macadamisation" was developed in which single-sized crushed stone layers of small angular stones were placed in layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust was rolled and compacted to keep dust and stones together. This method replaced a previous process of using much larger base stone blocks.

In 1901 Edgar Purnell Hooley patented a method of adding coal tar to bind together the stone aggregates. Today, the tar binder has been replaced by a bitumenised compound which can be formulated to modify its performance characteristics.

Even back in the 19th century it was realised that correct drainage played an important part in roadway longevity. That principle remains today.

G D and Sons Quality Paving Ltd are contactors knowledgable in all aspects of hard landscaping and groundworks. The secret of a long-lasting job is to get the site preparation right: the foundations and the drainage.