If you don't have a dropped kerb, does it damage the car to drive onto and off your drive over the edge of the pavement.?
To explain, we're considering a corner-position property which has been extended such that the garage is now close to a curved boundary and hence doesn't have a straight driveway from the garage to the existing dropped kerb. Removing a few of the side fence panels would make it possible to drive straight out, but it would be over the pavement at a point at which it curves round into the side road and hence doesn't have a dropped kerb. I think it would be safe to do so because it's a quiet estate and the side road is a cul-de-sac.
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L\'escargot.
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It wont do your suspension any good and I think it would be illegal.
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I wouldnt want to drive at sustained motorway speeds on repeatedly kerbed tyres. You could put a chunk of wood in the gutter to ease the step if you are happy to drive on potentially damaged tyres.
Edited by Old Navy on 30/10/2007 at 08:38
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I would leave this one off the list Mr. Snail. Somewhere out there is a property just for you without any snags or possible horrors in the future. May take a long long time to find it but believe me it is there - you just have to find it.
Easier said than done I know but good luck with the search. Prices are going to decline so you will be on a winner eventually.
Happy House Hunting Phil I
Edited by Phil I on 30/10/2007 at 09:17
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It would contravene local authority regs,.dropping the kerb also involves reinforcing the pavement as it is not designed to take the weight of a car.Tarmac will dip,flags will crack-usually PP is needed and it could cost around £1000 to get it done properly.
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Rather than just discount the property conpletely on such a small issue, would it be more sensible to look into the possibility and cost of gettign the undropped kerb ... dropped?
I know my ex brother-in-law did this in the past, no idea how much it was though.
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"doesn't have a straight driveway from the garage to the existing dropped kerb"
Is it really that far using the indirect route? It must be palatial! :-)
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The art is brakes/clutch control over the non dropped kerb ,get it wrong and it can do lots of damage depending on the car,my local ford rep has just returned his 3 month old c-max with a flattened sill for doing what you suggested,he was moving out of the way of an emergancy services vehicle at snail pace as well
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Is it really that far using the indirect route? It must be palatial! :-)
The current owners had the original garage converted into a bedroom and added a new (attached) garage on the right.
When looking from the road ........ The new garage is offset to the right of the original garage/drive and the dropped kerb. The right-hand side of the dropped kerb is in line with the left-hand side of the door of the garage. The side fence is on the right of the garage and follows the line of the side pavement (the house is on a corner) and curves round in front of the garage and ends up in line with the left-hand side of the garage door. The radius of the fence is too small (I think) to enable a car to be driven in an "S" shape when reversing out of the garage without catching the front wing/bumper on the fence at the start of the "S". I haven't (as yet) been allowed to attempt the manoeuvre because the garage is full of furniture/junk.
I was considering the possibility of removing some of the fence panels nearest to the road which would effectively increase the width of the drive on the right-hand side.
If only I could do a sketch for you .......
The location of garage is the only drawback to the property. One of it's many virtues is that the garage is big enough to get a car in ~ and you can't say that about many properties with single garages in our price range. I'm not ashamed for wanting to use the garage as a garage and not as a junk room!
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L\'escargot.
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Outgrown your current shell? ;-)
"If only I could do a sketch for you ......." How about a link to the estate agents website?
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>>How about a link to the estate agents website?
So that snailey gets gazzumped again?
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If I recall correctly from an enquiry I made several years ago, the local authority had a fixed fee of several (not that many) hundred pounds to install a dropped kerb.
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It is certainly worth enquiring about a dropped kerb with the local authority, but they are under no obligation to say yes and being on a corner, may say no.
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As long as the sills don't hit the kerb and you go up and down really slowly I wouldn't worry about it doing any damage to the car, although it would be easier with a block of wood in the gutter as a step.
As mentioned before there is a legal side to driving over path, even with a drop kerb, you need permission from council I think.
My F-i-L had his drop kerb extended as it only went as far as halfway along his double width drive and the council did it for nowt.
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Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed
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Another thing to bear in mind is that without a dropped kerb, you'll find it tricky to stop people parking in front of your egress. Admittedly less of a problem on a corner, but even so.
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How high is the kerb? They vary enormously.
In a normal car with normal tyres correctly inflated it is possible to climb kerbs without doing any damage. The thing to avoid obviously is nipping the tyre wall between the wheel rim and the edge of the kerb. So unless the kerb is very low indeed the approach speed has to be very slow and carefully judged, and first gear engaged to climb, not bang, onto the kerb. Preferably too the driving wheels should be at about 45 degrees to the kerb when climbing it, and the driver should remember that there are four dangerous bumps to be smoothed out, not one.
Of course you can drive off a kerb at any speed without doing any damage to tyres.
Edited by Lud on 30/10/2007 at 15:18
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Check with the LA for the cost of them dropping the kerb etc.
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LA? los angeles maybe?
larth artloud
limping apostles?
the mind boggles
or even Luton Airport
Local Authority!
Edited by PoloGirl on 31/10/2007 at 00:27
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I cant imagine driving carefully up up or down a 3" or 4" kerb would cause as much damage as driving over similar depth pot hole at 25 mph. We have plenty of the later left over from our great britsh summer.
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Creating a new vehicular access would surely require planning permission?
How about buying a Hummer? 4" kerb? P'shaw...
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