Grading new land.

[dave1949]

I vote for getting the driveway sooner rather than later. The fabric is a one-time expense for a driveway you will use for years. The better retention of stone with fabric over time, will go towards offsetting the cost of fabric up front.

Nothing is more frustrating when trying to build and heavy trucks will not attempt your driveway for fear of getting stuck. The drivers aren't going to get yelled at on your account. :laughing: So, then you delay and hope for dry weather. That is not a plan.

 

[MacLawn]

Second to above. Do it right from the start - hmmm, wonder how I know that??:mur:

 

[paintman161]

Thanks for all the opinions, think i will invest in the fabric. What if i use asphalt millings? Seems like a much cheaper option and its pretty stable.

 

[Birdhunter1]

If you put down 2" size rock and have the trucks drive over it all summer while building your house then once the winter comes and it freezes and thaws go in next year and add 1" dirty rock you will have a super solid base and a nice smooth surface for years.

At $15-16K I don't know how long of a driveway you have to build but if I were looking at that cost I'd be shopping for a tracked bobcat and do it myself, I don't know what your equipment experience is like. I rented a Bobcat T 300 to do my driveway and had my dad on a tractor and we knocked out over a 1/4 mile driveway in 3 days, then leveled out a pad for the house and other stuff.

 

[paintman161]

If you put down 2" size rock and have the trucks drive over it all summer while building your house then once the winter comes and it freezes and thaws go in next year and add 1" dirty rock you will have a super solid base and a nice smooth surface for years.

At $15-16K I don't know how long of a driveway you have to build but if I were looking at that cost I'd be shopping for a tracked bobcat and do it myself, I don't know what your equipment experience is like. I rented a Bobcat T 300 to do my driveway and had my dad on a tractor and we knocked out over a 1/4 mile driveway in 3 days, then leveled out a pad for the house and other stuff.

The drive is about 750' and its not just for the driveway thats for the pole barn pad, which is being raised 4-6' from grade to match the house. i have not heavy equipment experience and dont trust myself to do it right.

 

[Birdhunter1]

4-6' is a big pad when you figure on sloping the perimeter. Does it have to match the grade of the house? My shop is 200' from the house and about 5-6' lower than the house yet still WELL above grade around it. Since everything is on top of the hill where I live I don't have water issues. A bobcat is pretty easy to learn with, rent one for a day and you will be amazed I am sure.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

You gotta put the fabric in first or the stone that is laid in before hand is almost lost. The fabric acts as a bridge bascially and spreads the load out much farther than the actaul stone does. This does two things, It supports your stone and it keep the stone from being "filled" with dirt. Over time the stone will keep getting pushed down into the dirt because the dirt cannot support the weight, and the dirt will come to the surface because its being displaced by the stone. this is made even worse by adding water to the mix, the driveway will soon not drain quickly and will become even softer resulting in faster degradation if driven on. We can cut our stone usage down by about 50% if we lay in geo-textile when laying out the areas. This is for supporting 80,000lb trucks and up. It may seem expensive, but its far cheaper than the stone will cost!

 

[paintman161]

You gotta put the fabric in first or the stone that is laid in before hand is almost lost. The fabric acts as a bridge bascially and spreads the load out much farther than the actaul stone does. This does two things, It supports your stone and it keep the stone from being "filled" with dirt. Over time the stone will keep getting pushed down into the dirt because the dirt cannot support the weight, and the dirt will come to the surface because its being displaced by the stone. this is made even worse by adding water to the mix, the driveway will soon not drain quickly and will become even softer resulting in faster degradation if driven on. We can cut our stone usage down by about 50% if we lay in geo-textile when laying out the areas. This is for supporting 80,000lb trucks and up. It may seem expensive, but its far cheaper than the stone will cost!

I agree, think i will put it down first then put milling on top of that.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I agree, think i will put it down first then put milling on top of that.

your talking about road millings? Be careful, my dad works for a contractor that does a large amount of paving and milling in pa, and its not allowed to be placed as the top layer in a road. It has to be recycled or used as fill and have a cap placed over it. Probably someone is afraid of the DEP finding a leachate that leaked off into a stream. I have heard that it makes an excellent base due to it compacting very well and having some tackiness from the asphalt left in it.

 

[paintman161]

your talking about road millings? Be careful, my dad works for a contractor that does a large amount of paving and milling in pa, and its not allowed to be placed as the top layer in a road. It has to be recycled or used as fill and have a cap placed over it. Probably someone is afraid of the DEP finding a leachate that leaked off into a stream. I have heard that it makes an excellent base due to it compacting very well and having some tackiness from the asphalt left in it.

It was suggested to me by a local builder which uses it a bunch and never had an issue with it being a problem. Actually a lot of gravel yards now sell old millings here in ny