![]() Gravel is also generally not recommended if you live in an area with lots of snow and rain. If you have an expensive, low-to-the-ground car, a gravel driveway may not be the best option for you, as gravel can damage the undercarriage of your vehicle when it is kicked up. While gravel may be a great driveway option for some, it is not for everyone. ![]() It will be worth it in the long run as your project will have a longer lifeline and look much better than if you skip this step. Compact individual layers as you lay them down by tamping with a machine or hand-operated roller.ĭo not skip this step just because it will add some time to the project. This is a complaint some people have with gravel driveways-the shape being lost-but it can be avoided if you make sure the base layers of gravel are compacted.Įach layer should be about 4 inches thick and have gravel pieces smaller than the layer below it. Your driveway should be composed of various layers of gravel, but unless each layer is compacted, the driveway will not retain its shape. The best sizes of gravel for a driveway and for a garden path are not the same, so you should also keep in mind what you will be using gravel for when you purchase it from a home improvement store, a gardening store, or even from online. When in doubt, ask someone at a store for help. Make sure to pay attention to the size of gravel you are purchasing before you buy gravel for the project. The total thickness of your driveway with layers of various-sized gravel pieces should be about 12 inches. Pieces on the final, top layer should be no larger than a golf ball. Round-edged pieces are unable to lock in place with adjacent pieces, but sharp-edged pieces can be almost as solid as a single large rock. These pieces should be angular and have sharp edges. Unless your base layer of gravel pieces is at least 3 inches to 4 inches in diameter, you can expect them to shift and sink when the weight from vehicles is placed on top of them. Make sure to use side forms than add to, rather than subtract from, your home. Pick a color scheme that makes sense with the rest of your entranceway. Make sure you pick an option that will secure your gravel driveway and give the area a sophisticated look. ![]() You can get creative with the side forms. This will make it difficult to play in your yard and can damage a lawn mower or other devices if you are using them in a yard that has gravel in it.Īnother possibility is to lay a retaining wall of brick or concrete block rather than wood to prevent your gravel from spreading beyond the boundaries of the driveway. Gravel that is spread on a surface without secure wooden forms or edges will eventually be squeezed outward from the driveway and will scatter on adjacent surfaces such as sidewalks, lawns, patios, or even a nearby street. To keep this from happening, install a layer of geotextile fabric between your subsoil and the bottom layer of gravel.Īgain, do not skip this step, as burdensome as it may seem, because you will regret it in the long run when your DIY gravel driveway has a short lifespan instead of lasting years. Under these conditions, your gravel will soon become buried in a quagmire. This fine silt can cause the gravel pieces to lose their friction and begin to separate and weaken. It can even become a mud hole when silt from below is forced up into the gravel. Poor DrainageĪ driveway that is not leveled for proper drainage will eventually be damaged by eroding water. Remove your topsoil and pile it somewhere nearby where you'll be able to use it later. You will need to remove all topsoil and strip the soil down to hard rock so you will have a more dependable bed over which to lay your gravel driveway. Many people skip this step, but it is incredibly important in order to ensure a proper gravel driveway that lasts a long time and does not have issues.īuilding a driveway on soft soil that has roots, leaves, grass, weeds, and other types of debris creates a spongy surface that asks for trouble down the road. Don't even think of spreading gravel until you've prepared the ground where you'll be laying it.
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