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Padraig Dooley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Paths
« on: October 03, 2010, 06:17:55 PM »
We are redoing the paths at the club. I'm just looking for some suggestions as to the surface that should be used. Ideally it should be easy to walk on, not spread too much and blend in well with the surroundings.

At the moment we have limestone chips, not the greatest to walk on, spreads a little bit too much but does integrate well with the surroundings.

Any ideas? 
There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.
  - Pablo Picasso

Jeff_Brauer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Paths
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2010, 06:32:38 PM »
Your two obvious choices are concrete and asphalt.  Concrete is usually a bit to a lot more expensive, but wears the best, whereas asphalt requires more maintenance.  Asphalt blends into the shadows a bit better, but concrete can be tinted if that is really an issue.  You can also put a lot of attractive finishes on concrete for another dime a sq. foot, like broom finish, etc., which also can reduce its reflectivity.

Some other things to consider are more expensive still, but in the landscape architecture world, there are many new permeable pavements (like chips, but with an epoxy holding them together) that reduce runoff.  There are also some interlocking pavers that allow percolation, and can have design patterns built in.  For 99% of clubs, those are probably not affordable, unless up at the clubhouse for an entry statement, etc.

Lastly, some courses are going back to the old two lane pavement - with grass in between two hard surface strips (using any of the above) and paving only where the tires will run.  It remains to be seen how well those might hold up on poorly drained soils.

If you use any kind of gravel, like the limestone chips, you really, really need to pay attention to drainage and control of surface water, or they will wash out quickly in low spots and on steep hills.
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Marty Bonnar

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Paths
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2010, 06:49:38 PM »
Jeff,
not entirely sure if young Mr Dooley is talking Cart Paths here as you seem to be ;)

Padraig,
if indeed all you are talking about is pedestrian walkways, then I'd suggest using more of your existing limestone, except get 6mm - fines instead of the bigger chips you've got. This'll effectively self-bind giving you a nice compacted surface. For a really proper job, excavate a path 'tray' of at least 100mm and line it with a geo-tex like Terram or similar. That'll give you a good base and stop the weeds coming thru. If you can afford it, a sub-base of 100 mm or so of Type 1 hardcore should also be used for stability. Costs for that? Maybe £25 a linear metre installed for a 1200mm wide path.

Hope that helps,
the 'Path Consultant',
FBD.
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

Padraig Dooley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Paths
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2010, 06:51:59 PM »
Your two obvious choices are concrete and asphalt.  Concrete is usually a bit to a lot more expensive, but wears the best, whereas asphalt requires more maintenance.  Asphalt blends into the shadows a bit better, but concrete can be tinted if that is really an issue.  You can also put a lot of attractive finishes on concrete for another dime a sq. foot, like broom finish, etc., which also can reduce its reflectivity.

Some other things to consider are more expensive still, but in the landscape architecture world, there are many new permeable pavements (like chips, but with an epoxy holding them together) that reduce runoff.  There are also some interlocking pavers that allow percolation, and can have design patterns built in.  For 99% of clubs, those are probably not affordable, unless up at the clubhouse for an entry statement, etc.

Lastly, some courses are going back to the old two lane pavement - with grass in between two hard surface strips (using any of the above) and paving only where the tires will run.  It remains to be seen how well those might hold up on poorly drained soils.

If you use any kind of gravel, like the limestone chips, you really, really need to pay attention to drainage and control of surface water, or they will wash out quickly in low spots and on steep hills.

Jeff, what price are the permeable pavements approximately?

We have about 4000 sq. m of paths.

There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.
  - Pablo Picasso

Padraig Dooley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Paths
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2010, 06:53:00 PM »
Jeff,
not entirely sure if young Mr Dooley is talking Cart Paths here as you seem to be ;)

Padraig,
if indeed all you are talking about is pedestrian walkways, then I'd suggest using more of your existing limestone, except get 6mm - fines instead of the bigger chips you've got. This'll effectively self-bind giving you a nice compacted surface. For a really proper job, excavate a path 'tray' of at least 100mm and line it with a geo-tex like Terram or similar. That'll give you a good base and stop the weeds coming thru. If you can afford it, a sub-base of 100 mm or so of Type 1 hardcore should also be used for stability. Costs for that? Maybe £25 a linear metre installed for a 1200mm wide path.

Hope that helps,
the 'Path Consultant',
FBD.

Yes Marty, it's pedestrian walkways.

There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.
  - Pablo Picasso

Marty Bonnar

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Paths
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2010, 06:57:30 PM »
P,
if all you're doing is re-surfacing existing paths, then a good scrape with a small back-actor or bladed mini-excavator will give you a decent base for re-dressing with at least 40mm (more if the budget permits) of your chosen surface.
cheers,
MB.
PS PM me if you'd like some free consultancy!
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

Carl Rogers

Re: Paths
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2010, 04:57:46 PM »
In coastal areas, crushed sea shells work pretty well as long as you have edge containment for them ... and then replace or fill in areas as needed every few years.

Permeable Pavers are very high maintenance if you want to retain their permeability.

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