Gravel Drive

[Mike Saunders]

I woild like to know from anyone who has laid a gravel grive suitable for light traffic. I already have a sound crushed limestone base. What I need to know is

Advice on depth and type of material to use advantages/disavantages etc

Should I put some of that special fabric over the base to stop weeds etc. Some are already growing in the base due to contamination Does this affect the depth of the gravel? (Moves around more?)

Drainage. Mostly on a slight slope but there is one area that is lower where puddles can form after heavy rain

Maintainance. Mud on tyres, fallen leaves etc. Does the gravel need replenising every few years etc

Anything else I have missed

Many thanks in advance

Mike

[Richard Faulkner]

In message , Mike Saunders writes

It's a pain in the neck to walk on

[Uno Hoo!]

And tends to spread everywhere. You get it in your garden, on the pavement outside your house and it will required regular 'raking' to correct the movement caused by car tyres. My sister has a gravel drive and regrets it to this day!

Kev

[Steve Walker]

[Homer2911]

suitable

It's also a damn good burglar deterrent due to the noise it makes when walked on!

[The Natural Philosopher]

It doesn't really work. Mud and organic debris gets on top of any garvel, and seeds blow in.

Use path clear every year to control.

Tough. Use deepre greavle and rake...

no, it last about 20-30 yeqas, but it does eventually get packed with mud and debris, and need a thing top coat.

Tarmaxc?

I have the same job to do, again.

Gravel is not maintenance free. get used to it.

[look]

Gravel is a cheap quick way of providing a drive, it is also not too permanent if you want to change your mind later.

Have a good look at different sizes of gravel , on the first area I did the size was far too big. !

If you can get a lorry load and keep some excess for topping up later all the better.

Think how you are going to contain it at the edges.

It does need raking occasionally to keep it looking its best tho'.

Robert royall at which net

[p00kie]

Part of my drive was gravelled by the previous owners. The car got bogged down in it, it was like walking up a pebble dune on a beach ... tough going! Plus it was the public loo for the local feline population! Soon after moving in I had that area block paved .... so much easier to drive, walk and no poo! Anyone ever asks me about a gravel drive ... I'd say never!

[Rick]

We used "slate scalpings" 200 quid a lorry load from the quarry, it packs down and binds together. Looked good for the first year or two, now we have had so much "sheep/cow/tractor doo dah" on it, we can't sweep it all off, and its back to being an uncleanable muddy mess. We are currently looking at concrete.

Rick

[andrewpreece]

I must say I had a few initial problems with my gravel but nothing to put me off. This business of gravel acting like a difficult to walk on shingle beach was solved with a bit of clay subsoil to act as a binder. I think the use of geotextiles causes problems since it removes contact of the gravel with the binding soil below, and the sand layer to protect the textile acts as a lubricant. If you go to National Trust properties I think you'll find they don't use geotextiles ( though they quite often use fine gravel which is not so good near a house as you traipse it in ).

The local cats went on a sh***ing spree when I first put gravel down, but when I added the binder they gave it a few half-hearted attempts and gave up,as they don't like hard work.

I have a theory that slate scalpings may be too flat to allow dirt to percolate away - and I wonder what they're like to rake over if you want to refresh their look? Having said that I don't get much in the way of sheep/cow/tractor doo-dah on my drive!

I'm still glad I put down gravel, despite the steep learning curve. There are plenty of houses with smart brick drives around me, but in a way, they have a very suburban feel to them which I don't fancy ( add a perfect front lawn to get the full surbuban feel ). I get a nice bucolic feeling crunching down me mellow golden gravel drive, with the odd clump of fleabane or campanula growing at the side.

Andy.