How to Make a Gravel Driveway
Gravel is a popular construction material used for everything from walls to roads. Gravel is very simple and very easy to use, and you do not need to have a sophisticated knowledge of engineering and construction to use the material for your home design projects. Here’s an easy way to use gravel to build your driveway.
Why Use Gravel?
Gravel is an assortment of small rocks and pebbles that forms the basis for concrete and other materials used for construction projects. Gravel loads are usually taken from quarries, where loads of broken-down rock are prepared for delivery to consumers.
While some people think of gravel as a temporary paving material for driveways, a well-built gravel driveway can be a permanent solution for your need to have a driveway, especially if you need to build a driveway across a longer distance than usual. Here are some of the advantages of a gravel driveway:
Drainage. If you’re building a driveway along a slope, gravel provides the necessary drainage to prevent soil erosion during rains and storms.
Traction. Gravel is the ideal construction material to provide traction and grip for driving on steep slopes.
Cost. Unlike asphalt and concrete, gravel is more affordable and requires less effort to lay and to set.
Tools and Materials
To make your own gravel driveway, you need the following materials:
Gravel
Sand
Clay or any other loose kind of soil
Shovel
Measuring tape
Stamping plate or vibrating plate
Calculator
Rake
Steps
Follow these steps to build a gravel driveway:
Measure the length and width of the driveway. You’ll need to multiply the values by each other to know the size of the driveway is in square feet.
Depending on the kind of soil your driveway stands on, decide on the depth of the driveway. Most driveways standing on clay usually need to be half a foot deep.
Multiply the depth of the driveway by the size of the driveway in square feet to determine the size of the driveway in cubic feet.
Multiply the value in cubic feet by 1.5 to determine how many tons of gravel you need to fill in driveway.
Dig out the soil on the driveway to your preferred depth. Make sure that the ground is completely solid. You may want to dig extra inches of soil on soft spots until you hit a stable, solid point on the ground. Pack the ground in using a stamping plate.
Lay some clay or loose soil on the newly-dug surface. Make sure to pack the material tightly with a stamping plate to prevent erosion.
Mix some sand with the gravel to keep the driveway surface level. It’s much easier to work with gravel mixed with sand than to use pure gravel.
Lay the gravel over the foundation of the driveway as evenly as possible. After the gravel has been laid out, you need to level the material with a rake or a shovel.
Test the driveway to see if it will hold up to the weight of your car.
Building a gravel driveway does not have to be a task for construction workers, nor do you need an extensive knowledge on geology or engineering to build your own gravel driveway. With these tips, you can build your own gravel driveway without having to pay much money for a construction crew to build it for you.