Fequently Asked Questions

Why do Fencing & Posts crack?

Due to circumstances outside our control posts may crack and bow due to shrinkage and moisture – this damage can also be caused by rain, soaking and drying of clay soils and invasion of tree roots. Fence lines need to be kept cleaned at all times.

Why are my Plants and Trees slow at growing?

Plants and trees are sometimes slow growers – you may have some that grow quite quickly and others that may be a bit slower to bloom. If after 3 months you are concerned with any plants please do not hesitate to contact us.

Can you Prevent Sub-Soil Ground Movement?

Building and living in the hills can always be an issue with sub-soil ground movement so driveways, paths and garden walls may crack at times. Small cracks and movement are quite normal, especially in the hills areas. Tree roots can also cause cracking.

Irrespective of the careful and professional attention we pay to earth works, we can only minimise subsoil ground movement. We cannot completely prevent it.

Note: Bulb plants have been noted in the hills areas with spores that can lay dormant for up to 5 years. These spores can lay under the bitumen and suddenly erupt to cause damage to the drive.

How do I avoid Grass Stress?

Grassed areas these may stress in the summer months and may require fertilizing and a bit more water over the warmer months.

What Maintenance is required for Automatic Solar and Farm Gates?

Automatic Solar and Farm Gates may need adjusting due to shrinkage of gate posts.

There is 3 month maintenance programme included during the warranty period.

On expiry of the warranty, maintenance can be done through DCW Enterprises (Danny Woodhams) who can be contacted on 9492-0500

Mulch Queries

Mulch will eventually go a light grey colour

The mulch we use is recycled green waste, so it may have a small amount of plastic mixed in with the product.

Our mulch may produce small mushrooms at times.

Our mulch is composted so any contained seeds would have been destroyed. However you may still get weeds from air-borne seeds landing on the mulch after it has been spread.

Reticulation Maintenance

Reticulation will need to be checked for the first month and periodically during Summer, please ensure that it is switched off during winter.

We will test all reticulation to ensure that it is working and is left in acceptable working order before leaving the site. It is then up to the owner to do ongoing checks. Reticulation can and will malfunction with leakages and blockages and will require ongoing maintenance.

Drainage

If not completed by Creative Driveways, drainage will need to be addressed before the Winter months to minimize the flow of water to retaining walls, driveways and pathways.

Puffballs

Q: Why is there a growing lump in my driveway?
A: This could be a Puffball.

Q: How do I treat/stop this Puffball?
A: There is no single solution. Contact Creative Driveways and we can arrange a site meeting to assess a remedy. 

Q: Why do I have a Puffball with my high quality Driveway? Is this avoidable?
A: Unfortunately Puffballs are unavoidable. Even Government built roads have problems with Puff balls  - see the photos below of a 14 year old Government constructed road with a recent outcrop of Puffballs. The Puffball spores are light and once airborne, spread easily. Puffball spores can be dormant for over a decade before they start growing. You many not realise that you have dormant spores until they activate.

Q: What measures do you take in driveway construction to reduce the likelihood of Puffballs?
A: We use a main-road grade road base instead of using local gravel. This is because the local gravel is more likely to be contaminated by Puffball spores. If we see a Puffball on site we would dust it with copper sulphate powder.

Q: Do you guarantee your Driveways to be Puffball Free?
A: No, we cannot guarantee a PuffBall free driveway... nobody can.