# Looking for guidance on gravel driveway.



## Tammy1 (Aug 31, 2011)

I'm finally at a point where I'd like to park my car on something other then grass/dirt. I'm looking to install a gravel parking pad. I'd love any tips you might have. 

I've been searching on the internet and it says the base should be 12 inch thick. WHAT!  That's not every going to happen at my place. I need something that I can do with a shovel/wheel barrow and small lawn tractor. I understand that I need to remove the top soil but I was think only 3-4 inches and not 12. 

What kind of material would be best for the edges. I thought a 4 inch concrete border but it's just an idea. I also thought 4x4 treated but it seems like they might be a maintenance nightmare.

Do I really need a weed barrier lining?

It doesn't have to be pretty nor last forever.

Thanks for your help and time!


----------



## 4tu (Jul 24, 2018)

It all depends on your soil if it gets spongy you need to lay a base of larger rock and press it in with some weight some small vehicles are not heavy enough to do this.

You might find using concrete pads or driveway stones a better option, as runners for your tires and a trail to your vehicle door or doors. Depending on vehicle weight as to size of pads but I would just use the thicker pads 2 inch X16X16. or those pre-made brick you want them level with the ground so you can mow your grass. 10 make 13.3 a good length would be about double. 16 inches is about from your elbow to your finger tips plenty wide for even an average driver to drive up on, and you could put up guide markers you can get fancy and make a side walk to your home the nice thing is pads last if you decide to make a porch or walk somewhere else just pick them up fill in then seed with grass. where as gravel allows grass to grow once it laid fat chance other than an archaeology dig to remove it or gather it to move it someplace else. -- what if you decide later that's where you want a garden ? If pads are too heavy driveway pavers might be an option just remember that larger surface area floats smaller will sink another thing is for pavers you need a sand base and your soil still may need some more stability or your pavers will get all wonky.

Pads act like a float on the water the amount of surface area unless you have spongy soil will hold up quite a bit of weight 

Gravel is tricky my land is sandy loam and if it rains a lot it gets sloppy so every so many years I have to buy a dump truck of gravel and keep building up. gravel if it is loose can turn an ankle if it rains for days on end you'll sink in it just like if it were mud because it's on top of mud. pads are better if it gets out of kilter just re-level by removing dirt or adding dirt. One last thing you can do pads in stages


----------



## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

You also want to consider how you will clear the snow off the driveway in the winter. Snowblowers and gravel driveways don't mix well especially if there are people or windows nearby.

If you use a snow plow, the plow likes to push the rock into the yard where you pile the snow. In the spring, you'll have a lot of gravel that you'll have to rake back into the driveway.

A weedbarrier (geotextile fabric) is nice, not so much to keep the weeds out, but to keep the rock from being pushed into wet or soft soil below the rock. Without the geotextile fabric, you'll eventually end up with a dirt driveway again.


----------



## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

Pictures would help...…..


Depending, it can vary from dump gravel and spread to a full blown job.

Also depends on local availability of materials and costs.

The amount of prep and work you put in to it determines how long it will last and how good it will look.

I like #10 chat.....crushed #10...screenings....quarry dust.....there are many names for the same thing, basically it is crushed limestone and is very fine 1/4-1/2 inch to dust.

If you are driving on it now, you should have a good idea of what you are working with as far as ground softness.


Keep in mind, once you start dumping it is hard to go back......remove or have removed what you want now, once the dumpin starts it is hard to salvage that and remove if you want to add a deeper base later.


I have seen people dump 3/4 inch minus down on the grass and be happy and some people endlessly fuss with rock and are never happy.


I would suggest googling up some pictures of rock driveways to see what you will be happy with.




















Just be aware with the less base, the more you might have to spruce it up each year












There are 2 styles people use depending on location....that's why a picture would be helpful.....dig down and fill or build up on top..…….you can do a no edge or do containment. Examples above are no containment. I prefer the smaller stuff I talked about above when doing no containment as it does not become deadly projectiles when using yard equipment....


A base of this stuff, crushed with fines and covered in crusher dust,fines or whatever name your local place gives the dust is not bad.










The more work you put into it, the longer it lasts...….also depends on weather too and where you live...….


----------



## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

Is the área in question already compacted from parking on grass and dirt? Id just mow low, put down geo textile and some gravel and go on to the Next thing. 

The geo textile is important to not lose the gravel.

Good luck!


----------



## 1948CaseVAI (May 12, 2014)

Your questions seem to indicate that you already know the answers to your questions, but you just don't like them. If you do not mind that it will look ghetto sooner rather than later then just suit yourself - it is your land and parking! But if you want it to look nice for a longer time then do it right. The choice is all yours and none of us has a stake in the outcome. 

BTW - you are correct that ground contact for the treated 4x4 would be a nightmare. Modern treated does not mean rated for ground contact. You can get those rated for GC, but the cost is a lot.


----------



## Tammy1 (Aug 31, 2011)

My soil is clay. I forgot to add that in the first post. The driveway is the highest place on the lot. It's hard as a brick in summer but in spring it is a sink to your ankle muddy mess any where there is not grass. 

You have really given me a lot to think about. My place use to have a U shaped drive which over that last 5 years was let go. Most of it is grass now but I hit all that rock when I'm putting footers in. Took me 3 times as long to get one hole dug going through that layer upon layer of gravel.

I never thought of using concrete pads....I like the ideal of them being movable and I just happen to have a ton of sand left over from the build within 10 feet of the driveway. The garage is not being built until 2020 so I was planning on doing the drive up to the garage but if I use pads it will keep the area more flexible. Hum....need to think about this. Thanks for the help and the pictures!

I'm actually really lucky. The gravel pit is only 1.5 miles from my place so it makes getting gravel very cheap. Looks like I can get 4 inch covering of gravel delivered for less them 200 dollars. But it is all one size. May need to do different sizes and increase the budget.


----------



## oldtruckbbq (Aug 8, 2016)

I have sandy clay loam on my place. I had the top layer of organic material removed, then had a layer of clay/gravel fill brought in. It is nice and hard, and I only have a couple places that get a little soft after torrential rain. I'm going to have another layer of clay/gravel mix put on, then have a skim coat of gravel put over that. Our problem here is that due to environment regulations a couple of the larger quarries in the area have had to cease operations. The excavator I'm using has access to a spot he can get some good gravel from, problem is that after 3 months his lawyer and a couple property owners' lawyers haven't been able to hammer out an easement so he can get to it. Hard to get gravel, and the remaining quarries have jacked up prices.


----------



## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Sounds like you have clay; brick hard when hot and dry, a mushy mess when wet. Same stuff we have around here. I'd cut out 6"-8" of the existing sod and earth to the proper grade, lay down 6"-8" of #2 (large) stone, then top it off with 6" of #53 (1.5" down to fines) stone, grading and compacting it all. You will still have to periodically re-grade and repair.


----------



## Meinecke (Jun 30, 2017)

I have a gravel driveway and with our New jersey monsoon/constant rain this year it is barely something useful left
Also snow blowing is a real pain...
I will def go to concrete or paving soon...or something more lasting which i havent come across yet...but gravel...no way


----------



## wkndwrnch (Oct 7, 2012)

We extended current gravel driveway. Like you, we have clay soil. Dug down to hard pack base with a tractor,used fill rock for a sub base then a lime/crushed gravel mix. (B-19 or 304 here)Now it is just a maintenance issue. More gravel mix,using a blade on the tractor to spread after the driver left .I did get 10 tons delivered(1 truck load this year)So much better than the mud we would lose our boots in!


----------



## flewism (Apr 2, 2007)

Bottom line going down 3-4" won't be enough. We have a 175' gravel drive and I put in a 40' by 16' parking area off one side near the house for trailers and my kids cars when they starting driving 12 years ago. I when down 8-10 " with fabric and it is still doing fairly well. I now have to weed kill as we are getting some growth thru it. About every 3 year we get 8-10 tons of gravel dumped to resurface the whole drive.

Also I had a compact with loader, and a tiller to dig out our hard clay when I put the parking pad in.


----------



## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

Whats every payin for 10 tons delivered ?


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I prefer crushed over over plain gravel. It locks together and makes a firmer base than round gravel. I 3/4" minus on my driveway and an inch really stiffened up the dry part of the driveway. On the bottom where water stands after a rain that rock disappeared and needs to be replaced.

Definitely weed barrier or some kind of geotextile would keep the rock from disappearing into the ground.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

shawnlee said:


> Whats every payin for 10 tons delivered ?


I think I paid about $520 for 33 yards of 3/4 minus including delivery about 10 years ago. The pit is about 15 - 20 miles from my farm.


----------



## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

shawnlee said:


> Whats every payin for 10 tons delivered ?


In my area the gravel is running $6 ton... At the quarry. Delivery is same for ten ton or twenty. Right at $200. A ten ton load cost $260 delivered and spread. A twenty ton load delivered and spread is $320. I buy the big load.


----------



## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

We do the way the state does here, 2"-3" Rock, once it is packed start putting what they call Dirty Base. Packs down hard.

State does this on Woods Roads and has always seemed to do well.

big rockpile


----------



## wkndwrnch (Oct 7, 2012)

shawnlee said:


> Whats every payin for 10 tons delivered ?


$200 SW Ohio,great local guy,barely had to use the tractor on it after he left,put it right where I wanted it


----------



## FreeRange (Oct 9, 2005)

fishhead said:


> I prefer crushed over over plain gravel. It locks together and makes a firmer base than round gravel. I 3/4" minus on my driveway and an inch really stiffened up the dry part of the driveway. On the bottom where water stands after a rain that rock disappeared and needs to be replaced.


Was it the crushed gravel that washed away after a rain? We have a spot in our driveway where the base washes after a rain and we're considering a locking type rock there.


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Testing 1 2 3


----------



## learner-57 (Oct 29, 2016)

May I suggest a "gravel grid" product? Haven't used it myself (haven't had need yet), but I've read and heard very high recommendations for several different brands of this kind of product. Just search 'net for "gravel grid" to see what's out there. I've heard (from some) that it can reduce some of those constraints for your kind of use. And geotextile fabric underneath is pretty important from what I understand, no matter how you put the gravel on.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

FreeRange said:


> Was it the crushed gravel that washed away after a rain? We have a spot in our driveway where the base washes after a rain and we're considering a locking type rock there.


I should have been more specific. The crushed rock got driven down into the soil below. I didn't get washed away. That's why it's a good idea to put down the barrier material before you put down the crushed rock. If I had done that the rock will still be at the surface.

Another important point is to put "water bars" in your driveway so that you divide up the volume of water running down the driveway and weaken it's ability to erode.


----------



## FreeRange (Oct 9, 2005)

fishhead said:


> I should have been more specific. The crushed rock got driven down into the soil below. I didn't get washed away. That's why it's a good idea to put down the barrier material before you put down the crushed rock. If I had done that the rock will still be at the surface.
> 
> Another important point is to put "water bars" in your driveway so that you divide up the volume of water running down the driveway and weaken it's ability to erode.


By water bars, do you mean drainage pipe under the driveway? We have that.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

FreeRange said:


> By water bars, do you mean drainage pipe under the driveway? We have that.


A water bar is a low ridge that runs diagonally across the driveway. It diverts the water off the road and reduces the amount of water that runs to the bottom. Usually they are placed at intervals so there will be several in a 100' length of driveway.

You can make them any size that you want.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterbar


----------



## Redlands Okie (Nov 28, 2017)

Water bars, think very small speed bump


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

If you wanted to pay the extra cost you could even put in gutters with grating instead of water bars. That would eliminate the bump from the water bars.


----------

