Spec me.... a parking area

iaind

iaind

iaind

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Exeter
I'm finally getting some stuff with the management company of my flats sorted, so can turn my attention to making some improvements. The first thing on our list is the courtyard/outside parking space so I'm trying to find some inspiration for what to do with it!

Currently, it works like this:

couryard-current.png


The road runs along the bottom, the grey bit on the left is the pathway to the flats, the gate at the top left is the neighbour's back garden and the fenced in bit onthe bottom left is the bin store. That's a tree in the middle

As you can see, parking isnt ideal - the right hand side is allocated to the 4 flats (eg me!) and the left is for the house next door. This arrangement often means clambering over badly parked cars to get to my flat and obviously we're always blocking eachother in!

The tree is dead/dyin so is coming out, leaving me with a bit of a blank canvas:

couryard-blank.png


Now as much as I'd love to leave it like that and just trust people to park 4 cars along the back, it aint going to happen - someone WILL park more cars behind them, causing a nightmare.

So I'm trying to come up with an arrangement that:

- Is enforceable, eg people cant park anywhere other than allocated areas
- Makes the best use of the space
- Is aesthetically pleasing
- Isnt completely bonkers - none of the structures creating that area are going anywhere :)

So, any thoughts? It's an odd shape so I'm really struggling
 
kill that tree, with fire!

Iv dealt with several that way.
 
Lol, it's being cut down soon :)

It's a bit difficult to explain, but the whole area used to be part of the garden next door and the wall along the bottom used to run all the way along. The owner of the house converted part of it to flats (used to be a nursing home :D) and that end of the garden was dug down to the level of the road. That meant they had to build a concrete base around the tree because the ground is about 3' lower than it was - so it's going to be expensive to remove! I'm almost inclined to leave the base there and fill it with smaller plants - would keep the parking semi controlled (as it is now) and stick a BBQ in the area behind

It's a nasty hardcore surface though, so it's being tarmacced or possibly gravel.
 
[TW]Fox;17608075 said:
Build an underground parking complex accessible using a lift.
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While there's no budget per-se as it's being split between everyone, lets call it £2k~£4k :)
 
If you get gravel you get a good crunch when you drive on it.

Dont let anyone go doing wheel spins though cos it goes everywhere :)
 
iaind said:
While there's no budget per-se as it's being split between everyone, lets call it £2k~£4k :)
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Build a car stacking system similar to that found in many New York City parking garages. A small lift can position a car into a box type structure.
 
Gravel is cheaper too and IMO looks better, some nice slate or something

I just cant think where to stick the cars :(

Context...

829dcfa35929fa02dce205ea25a16a37b76d61a6.jpg
 
Build a gated entry system which only allows cars with a keyfob to enter. Then only give the keyfobs out to you and the bloke down the road with the nice car. Let everyone else park on the road.
 
[TW]Fox;17608120 said:
Build a gated entry system which only allows cars with a keyfob to enter. Then only give the keyfobs out to you and the bloke down the road with the nice car. Let everyone else park on the road.
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Was thinking more along the lines of a normal gate + padlock or chain link fence, but the road is a single car width alley - too narrow for a gate to swing out and not enough space in the courtyard to swing inwards
 
Hey Mark - that Jag has been sitting there with a for sale sign and cobwebs on it for months now - you'd be doing me a favour if you bought it off him :D
 
How much are electronic bollards with a keyfob compared to the equivalent electronic gates?

That tree is larger than what I first thought. Concrete base around it? Doesn't look too dead in that picture.
 
If its cheap we will have it :)

Electric gates cost me 1100 quid for 2 lots, 4 gates, plus the gates.

So half that i suppose.
 
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Bollards arent too pricey. To be honest it's the neighbour I'm worried about, this is our "front garden" but it's just a parking area for him which is fenced off from his garden so he'd be the one trying to stuff too many cars in there. He's got that jag, an E39, an A4, his 2 kids have a car each and a van. Which is why I'd like a solution that cant be circumvented, so bollards are an option but its where to put them that I cant figure out.

The tree is bigger than it looks there - it's taller than the buildings. You can see the level of the garden and how it's been dug down, hence the concrete base. There's loads of dead branches on the top half and there are tons of leaves coming down all year around. Tree surgeon said the roots are being compacted by the base and the massive rocks on top of the roots

The Jag, I think he wants 4kish for but its been there months so no idea how desperate he is. It's a sport IIRC, with leather, nav etc. It's a 2.0 though :( Come and buy it, I'll buy you a pint :)
 
Imprinted concerete can look nice

drivewaysandindianstone105_000.jpg


Roughly twice the price of block paving however and does need resealing every couple of years to stop the concrete cracking

and of course if your car drops oil or some other stain, you can just remove the offending part of the driveway as its all one big piece.

Blockpaving however has a nasty tendency to grow weeds and look shabby after 5 / 10 years as the colour of the blocks fades

Alternatives are of course gravel that we have already mentioned or just normal concrete or Asphalt which are obviously cheaper than both.
 
[TW]Fox;17608516 said:
Buy all the other flats. Gravel carpark over. Sell Accord. Use carpark to store your new collection of BMW's.
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Have I ruined one of your threads with silly suggestions and you're getting revenge, or have you just had too many sweeties tonight?
 
Gravel is the best by far as long as some **** dont spray ot all over the grass.

I got this rake thing i use to get gravel off the grass, its very good. My partner was going to go for blue gravel, but we talked him out of it.

Plus that crunching noise, all jokes aside, it is a very pleasing noise.
 
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