Steps in Building a Gravel Driveway

A gravel driveway is known for being affordable and durable. One can have this driveway in no time by just following the correct procedures.

The first step in building a gravel driveway, path or patio base is to find out how firm the ground is underfoot. This project is written mainly for a drive or path, but the sub base preparation is the same for a patio.

Next in building a gravel driveway is from the surface of the proposed drive, one will have approximately 200mm of material forming the driveway, so as an exploratory measure dig down 200mm for an area of about a square meter. Drive the peg in here and if it is too hard to do after 150mm or 6 inches, then the ground is firm enough for the driveway. One can now excavate out the full area of the drive.

Excavation in building a gravel driway can be done by hand, or one can even hire a digger from a local tool hire store. The digger is quite expensive, one will usually get a free driving lesson from the company when they deliver it but check this at the time of hiring, but by hiring diggers, it can save days, so it is a little bit of practical. One will probably need to hire a skip also.

If while digging in building a gravel driveway you will find areas which seem softer than the rest, dig these out. The base one in building a gravel driveway layer is flexible and will sink into soft areas of soil making unwanted dips in the drive. Try and find a base in building a gravel driveway, which is solid throughout the entire area. Admittedly this base structure in building a gravel driveway can be topped up from time to time, but a little time and effort spent now can save a great deal later on. This does not apply to patio bases where one will not be able to get to the sub base later so it is vital that one will fill all soft spots at this stage. Weeds can fight their way through the most compact of materials and a few pounds spent at this stage will save so much trouble later on.

In building a gravel driveway the stone that are used for the base is called the scalping stone. This is what is left when any particular quarry stone has been used for the purposes that it was excavated for. It is one of the cheaper forms of base and much easier to lay and level than the old traditional broken brick hardcore.

One has a choice at this stage in building a gravel driveway. One should be able to dig the side of the drive or path down vertically and when the base is in it will obviously keep the soil or lawn in place as shown in the top image. The shingle, or the gravel, when laid on top, is very much likely to spread when walked and driven on and one may wish to contain this. In building a gravel driveway, if one has a lawn either any side of the drive or path, stray shingle cannot only damage the mower, but the mower can easily throw stones out. This can be very much speculative and dangerous.

Remember, in building a gravel driveway, when the scalping is laid, add the shingle, gravel or patio slabs. There are several kinds and varieties of shingle and gravel and this is purely a matter of personal taste, mood and styles.

By having the proper procedures, one can have a perfect gravel driveway that everybody will surely love. Also, building a gravel driveway is easy and less costly.