help picking a gravel

[abbie8084]

we have one parking space that is paved and the other vehicle is parked in the yard aka mud pit... we want to put gravel in it but im not sure which is the best for this muddy of an area the ruts are about a foot deep and the entire area is mud. I need something that won't dissapear.please help

 

[Craig Clayton]

You need to remove the top layer of mud to get down to a sub base. Then depending upon what is available in your area ie limstone screenings, A gravel ,B gravel or what the local supplier suggests. Put in more than you want as final grade because it will settle. You can wash it down with a garden hose or your car or a base plate tamper.

Craig Clayton

 

[crazyal]

There's a rental company near here that sells geotextile road fabric by the foot. Full rolls are 300' plus long and most supply stores only sell it by the roll but if you ask around you can find someone who sells by the foot.

Level and compact the ground the best you can, it helps if the ground is dry. Then lay the fabric down and cover with a crushed gravel. I personally like gravel that includes the fines (very small stone and dust). Try to get at least 6" of gravel on top of the fabric.

 

[Egon]

Maybe get some drainage established so the mud pit goes away. Then think about the parking pad.:thumbsup:

 

[Johnp33]

The deeper you dig the better and the base you want large rock, then smaller rock, then the limestone. You want to tamp every layer, with water as a lubricant. As suggested have the level a little higher than the final level you want. Even them you want extra to fill and level after a year or so.
Just a thought!

 

[Combustix]

Maybe get some drainage established so the mud pit goes away. Then think about the parking pad.:thumbsup:

+1 mud will stay and eat your gravel till you solve the water issue.

 

[VA MTN MAN]

The fabric mentioned earlier is the cheapest and best solution.put it right on the mud and six or eight inches of crushed stone will hold it forever.the fabric will keep the mud from migrating up into the rock. We have built roads over swamps with this and never had a failer.

 

[Johnp33]

I worked where they built roads for logging and we never had any fabric at that time. If you have a drainage problem then, as suggested that needs to be addressed. When I built my last 2 shops I used a fabric covering my drainage pipes but they were surrounded by a lot of rock.
The way to build things change but big rocks give you a good base.

 

[VA MTN MAN]

The fabric is a fairly new way to do things. In the old school way you would dig down a couple feet through the topsoil and fill with a larger base then top with a smaller crush or finish stone. We started using the fabric in places where the dirt was bad two or three feet deep. This made the fill of gravel too expensive and we found the fabric works so well we started using it in more applications. In our area gravel has gone up so much in the last few years we use the fabric anytime just a finish gravel wont work. We can buy what they call a driveway kit 15x50 fabric for around 75 dollars or a 300x15 roll for less than 400 dollars. Less than a load of stone. I would never have believed how well this works untill we started using it. If you use it make sure you overlap it about 3feet anywhere you tye two pieces together.

 

[KYErik]

Is the fabric similar to tyvek house wrap?