parking space: pavement vs. gravel

[W.D.]

I'm considering adding a one-car parking space adjacent to the driveway in the front of my home (where I'm having trouble growing grass anyhow). I initially thought I'd pay someone to pave it for me but am now thinking that I could just throw some gravel down, bordered by railroad ties. I'm thinking that this would:

1. be more aesthetically pleasing
2. require less maintenance (i.e., no cracking concrete)
3. be better for drainage (our front lawn slopes downward to our house)
4. be cheaper and something I could do myself

Any thoughts on the pros and cons of pavement vs. gravel? If I were to go w/the latter, is it as simple as dumping some gravel on the lawn (after killing weeds/grass)? Any helpful comments are appreciated. Thanks!

W.D.

[Phisherman]

Concrete is better than asphalt. Asphalt is better than gravel. Gravel is better than dirt.

I guess what is most pleasing is subjective. Concrete is less maintenance than gravel. A concrete area will direct water towards a drain, gravel will allow muddy water to flow wherever. Gravel is cheaper than concrete, and you'll know that if you ever sell your house. Concrete offers more use than gravel (riding bicycles, playing basketball, dumping mulch, etc.)

[Me]

Consider your neighborhood as well- if there are other gravel drives and rain is infrequent, than maybe gravel is the way to go. My personal preference is brick pavers...

[Joe Bobst]

No, you'll wind up with rocky mud every time it rains. Do it right, dig out about 4" of the dirt and use it to fill in low spots on your lawn. Then get a load of unwashed crushed white rock and fill in the area. The limestone fines in the gravel set up almost like concrete after some time and make a very sturdy driveway. Our local contractors use it a lot in road building. HTH

Joe

[Chet Hayes]

What is the existing driveway made of? If it's paved, then I'd definitely pave the parking spot. I've never been a fan of crushed stone for this application. The stones wind up in the lawn, in the street, migrating to paved areas, etc. And if you live in an area with snow, either blowing or plowing moves stones around too. I'd go with asphalt, cement or pavers.

[dadiOH]

Another possibility is washout...what is washed out of concrete trucks. Around here (central Florida) it is free for the hauling. Once spread, it sets up a bit and is much more consolidated than crushed rock will ever be. Not nearly as good as concrete of course.

-- dadiOH _____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[default]

If you've got the money, there's a new, specially porous pavement that they use where they don't want a water-impermeable surface. Gravel isn't really low mantenance.

If you go the gravel route, dig out all the topsoil, and put in a bed of mixed larger and smaller rock, and cover that with gravel.

[jtees4]

Kids throw gravel.

*-------------------------------* NEVER FORGET!!!

[Jeff Cochran]

Put a weed block down before the gravel, and plan on higher maintenance. Gravel moves, and edging it is impossible. Get a load of gravel delivered, not the bags from your local box store.

Jeff

[Childfree Scott]

Concrete is way more aesthetically pleasing than gravel.

[Philip Lewis]

I needed a pull around on my driveway. (Two drivers, don't want to block the other car in....) The ground is under shade and didn't have much vegetation... I used concrete bricks to make parallel "tire" paths. Just dug them in and put them in place. The plan was to reset/level them after using them compacted them in the ground. Havn't really needed to do that yet. A few cracked when i was trying them out before burying. None that are set in place have cracked though.

I originally wanted to go with bricks, but the price was too high.

"Bricks" are way more aesthetically pleasing than concrete. ;)

Of course, you can always stamp the concrete to make it nice looking.

[Scott]

Since no one mentioned this... It makes using your snow blower real interesting; if you use one.

[Will Niccolls]

Another consideration: Some localities require a permit for new driveways or aprons to the street. Mine in particular requires "dust free" surfaces, so gravel isn't allowed. They also require a bond for the apron construction.

My preference for beauty and durability? Concrete pavers:

or there are other brands also.

Will Niccolls

[Phisherman]

Next time a woman steps on gravel in spikes, make sure your home insurance is up to date.