Hi,
I'd like to build a small parking lot in my backyard without any roof or walls, just to park my car there. I think the cheapest solution would be a "do-it-yourself"gravel parking spot. Does anybody know what is required for such project? I suspect it's more than just ordering and spreading gravel there.
Do I have to build any foundation for that ?... etc...
Any answers or suggestions will be apprecaited.
Thank you,
Vadim
Why not just park on the grass. If you ever kill the grass and it gets muddy, then you can add the gravel.
Why wait? Shouldn't be too long before the grass is dead.
R
Rico, Rico, Rico. You missed the answer I was waiting for from you -- you've been in the big city for too long.
The correct answer is: First, find out where your septic tank is.
First off you probably want to avoid plain gravel as the round stones shift all over the place and cause mischief. Look for a product called "road base". That is a mixture of crushed rock and sand with a little clay mixed in to get it to stick together. Several inches of this kind of material should do the trick.
You also might consider concrete pavers, not as cheap as a dump truck full of rocks but a little more aesthetically pleasing to some.
It seems like he only has one car to park, and I don't know how much of the time it will be there.
I'm pretty sure I've seen grass last for years like that.
Ummm, why would my septic tank have anything to do with the OP's parking situation...? :)~
Rgravel driveways always get muddy, no matter what you do. I added 500 bucks worth of new gravel to a 65 foot driveway within 2 years mud.
proobably overkill for this poster but a neighbor had a mud free driveway.
he had it dug out with bulldozed a foot down, had a cheap layer of asphalt laid, then added a foot of gravel. 15 years and zero mud. no extra grravel needed.
Cheaper than laying asphalt under it, use good quality landscaping fabric under the gravel. (Don't cheap out with too little gravel, or the fabric will get exposed in patches and you'll get mud where it wears through.)
Not if they re put in properly. The house I built in 1998 still just has gravel in the 100 ft driveway..NO MUD
Place we re in now..2004 to date..no mud
To do it right means removing 4-6" of soil and compacting gravel in that place.
Personally, unless it would be long term parking, I would suggest using those concrete things that allow the grass to grow up between them. The link is to some plastic version.
It has to be installed properly. It was probably done by just dumping gravel and spreading it. If the soil underneath is poor then there will always be mud as the gravel sinks into the ground.
Hey Joe. I just posted about that particular manufacturer's ridiculous claims. Purportedly the plastic grid can support 97,000 PSF.
I don't support manufactorial (yes, I just made that up) fraud. There are plenty of other manufacturers of both concrete and plastic permeable pavers - it's not necessary to reward the wicked.
R
Some type of border will help contain the gravel, no foundation needed. Use a bow rake to spread out the gravel--a string with level will help get it even. Expect to replenish the gravel over time if you don't use a border.
Now the damper. Be sure and check your local codes. Here in Tulsa gravel parking spaces aren't allowed. Parking areas have to be hard surfaced.
Bill Gill
You'll want a base of a kind of rock that has many variations in name depending on your area.
some call it AB3, some call it "crush and run". Anyway, it's the gravel you see with lots of powder in it. It will make a jim dandy base and if you compact it as you spread it, and it will help to water it as you do it. This stuff sets up like concrete and then you can put some nice "3/4 clean" (what it's call in our area) on top.
Another urban myth. If the tank is at the proper depth, there's no reason to worry about driving over it. The only concern would be accessing the cleanout plug.
It has to do with putting down a proper base of AB3 or crush and run. I'll bet that's what you did, right?
time to move.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.