Timber Driveway

[Sir Stinkalot]

Hello again all,
I need some advise. I am designing a new carport and driveway for the girlfriends boss. Its not a bad job but they want the driveway and garage to connect to the house visually. I have come up with the idea of extending the decking that the have at the front of teh house up the steps and across the driveway. The timber section will be approximately 2.5m wide than the cars will be driving over the length of the deck.
Hope you are still following. The question is how well will the timber wear with 2 cars travelling over it twice a day, it will also need to be painted to match the deck.

If it isnt clear let me know and I may be able to post a pic.

Thanks


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May the stink be with you :)

[Shane Watson]

I dont really follow what your saying but if you are thinking of using decking????? I really doubt that it will hold up. I have seen sleepers used as driveways with good success, but they are way more bulky than decking material. Would look the part though..
Cheers!

[Shane Watson]

Oh I forgot to mention that the sleepers were laid the same way pavers are laid for a driveway.

[zydeco]

Stinker
Have I got this right? The car would not run along the deck/drive but across it, right? I don't think it would wear so much as bend/sink/crack under the weight of the cars. I'm sure you'd be able to get a visually pleasant affect by using another material such as pavers or sleepers and just boost the foundations where the car crosses. Driving "across the deck" just might not look right.

[Badger]

You’d be surprised what timber flooring will stand. I’ve just pulled down the old (1935) garage on our property (they call it a car shed over here in tassie – how quaint) and the floor was made of 6” x 1” hard wood planks on 4x2 bearers which simply rested on field rocks. Apparently it had been used until very recently. The timber is mostly in good condition apart from a very oily patch up one end and some borers in a few of the planks. Have I got some good timber now!! I’ll really enjoy using it after I get all the bloody NAILS out!! :mad Trouble is, the nails haven’t fared as well as the timber and are mostly rusted away so getting them out is a bugger to say the least. I might have to find a project that uses 18” pieces of wood.

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Badger - A gruff short tempered animal that sleeps most of the winter

[This message has been edited by Badger (edited 29 January 2002).]

[Sir Stinkalot]

Thanks all for the responses.
I like Badgers the best http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif
It made me remember a place I once rented that had a timber floored garage. There may be a chance http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif
The drive will not be full length timber only a small portion about 1.5m wide now. To clear up a few issues the cars will travel along the length (1.5m) of the timber and not across the width. At this stage I see them bridging a gutter in the concrete/. They can be fairly thick but not overly large as they will need to resemble the decking up to the house.

Thanks again.

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May the stink be with you :)

[Eastie]

A lot of people overlook the strength and durability of timber flooring in load bearing/industrial applications. Do your research on timber, termite control, finish, etc & it would be an odds on favorite to survive longer than the maker.
The shed on family farm is timber floor resting on 150 x 760mm joists @ 600 centres. It takes the truck, the cruiser ute, two tractors and a fair weight of pto attachments.
Come to think of it the cattle races are also timber decking and by hell they take a fair pounding !
In most applications there is no need to use 300x150 railway sleepers, unless of course your intention is to support a 1000 ton freight train http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/wink.gif

Mark

[This message has been edited by Eastie (edited 31 January 2002).]

[Dennis Hill]

I think that as long as you allow for the dynamic load of the vehicles (that is, 1500kg of vehicle starting to move or stoping while on the suspended section of the deck) then there should be no great dramas in your concept. You will need to boost your bearer and joist sizes to allow for the added load of the vehicles, and also allow for something stupid to happen, like someone backing a truck up to the garage to unload something heavy (oh the embarasment of having to explain this to the insurance company).
I also think that treated hardwood decking may be better than pine decking but if the vehicles do not have to change direction there should be little problem with wear.
good luck.
Dennis Hill