When building a gravel road or driveway there are a few steps necessary to get to the final desired result of a nice smooth surface that will support the vehicle traffic.
First in the process is the layout of the road to determine the length and width. Once this is decided upon then the thickness of gravel needs to be determined. If the driveway is going to support heavy vehicles then a 12" or 16" lift of gravel is the best thickness. After this is determined, the next step is to remove the vegetation and topsoil material.
With the Topsoil removed it is very important to check for unstable material that is under the topsoil known as Silt. This is an unstable material that doesn't support the weight of a vehicle. What is required if this material is found is to excavate it out and put stable material back in. This can be Pit Run material, Sand or Hard pan clay.
Once the Sub-base is stable, the next step is to roll out Geotextile which acts as a barrier from the clay or other materials such as sand pushing up and mixing in with the Gravel. After the Geotextile is rolled out then the Gravel can be spread out on top. Depending on the vehicle traffic, 2" down limestone will work as a good base before putting the final layer of 3/4" down limestone on top for a smooth surface. If there is a deep excavation or heavy trucks then placing 6" down limestone is the better material to start with for the base.
This picture below shows the finished result. In this circumstance, the final product was 1/4" down Limestone. There are pros and cons to having this as the final topping on a driveway. The con to this is that 1/4" down limestone is known to become dusty and also track in on shoes in wet weather. But the positive features of 1/4 down limestone is that it is easier to walk on, as well as there are no stones on the surface. This material also packs very hard and becomes the closest to having a paved driveway.
Call us today to get your new driveway installed, or old one refreshed!