Driveway aggregate

Danny Mulcahy

Hi all
Im trying to come up with a plan for my drive.
Its a gravel drive and in need of maintenance .
As it is its slopping towards the house so needs either digging out or raised at the house side .

My question is what aggregate could i get that when packed would allow most of the water to run off rather than soak in .

I was thinking of a path along that side of the house but that will hamper the turning angle so was wondering is there a type of gravel base that will allow me to change the level of the drive without digging .

Any help advice greatly appreciated

Regards
Dan

Sleeper12

Why wouldn't you want it soaking into the ground?

I needed more parking space so add more concrete. More than 2/3s of the front garden is now driveway. I ran a French drain under the driveway. Now all of the run off water goes back into the water table rather than putting more stress on the rainwater drains. It's better in the water table than the drain.

Danny Mulcahy

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Why wouldn't you want it soaking into the ground?

I needed more parking space so add more concrete. More than 2/3s of the front garden is now driveway. I ran a French drain under the driveway. Now all of the run off water goes back into the water table rather than putting more stress on the rainwater drains. It's better in the water table than the drain.

A lot of water runs in from the fields on the other side of me . A french drain may be on the cards if I cant get the angle I need on the drive . (not yet done a proper measure of the area yet )
The reason Im not looking for it to soak in near the house is Im worried about damaging my foundations as the water tends to lay around that side of the house in the months of heavy rain.

Im thinking if possible to slop the drive away from the house rather than towards it via packing it with some sort of aggregate.
This should be an easier DIY job versus digging and finding my levels that way

Its a large aera Im working with hence no money for tarmac or concrete and looking at possible DIY remedies

Sleeper12

That makes sense. In my little bubble I was picturing a regular Dublin housing estate drive. Never occurred to me that you'd have fields around you

I have a drain near the house with 4"waste pipe running under the drive depositing the water as far away from the house as possible. At this spot we dug down 6 or 8 foot and filled most of this with stone and rock to ensure good drainage. Its in 10 years and never came close to backing up even in the worst weather.

Lumen

I think your plan is doomed. Getting a driveway right is best done with heavy machinery.

I have managed to fix potholes in my gravel driveway using a lime-gravel-dirt mix and a plate compactor, but I wouldn't try anything more ambitious.

A good driveway is all about that base. The surface dressing is the icing on the cake.

Danny Mulcahy

@Sleeper12....I came from a housing estate in Dublin and sometime wish I was back there when it comes to issues like this !!!!!

@Lumen...I agree 100%.Its been a job on hold near two years in the hope of getting the funds to get it done professionally..If I really wanted I could have raised the cash or borrowed but like most there is always something that comes along to eat your money away!!
It will eventually be done right but with the rain coming back its on my mind to get something done so it will do no harm to the house in the mine time.
Quite possibly doomed but willing to give it a go if it gives me some time .

Im thinking a narrow path with french drain running parallel to it but that means renting a mini digger .something ill do if I have to but if I could get away with some type of aggregate and a wacker plate id be happier.

My no digging wacker plate plan may be a no go anyway depending on my levels which I haven't looked at properly yet .

Really looking for advice on the types of aggregate and the differences between different types of mixes

Lumen

Don't try to landscape your way out of this, drainage is way easier.

Just put in a drain at the bottom of the drive to take run off from the drive itself and then additional drains at the sides and top to stop water running on to it. Those drains can be off the driveway so can be easily dug by hand.

The last thing you want is an impermeable driveway because that increases the risk of overloading the drains and you're just creating more soakaway issues elsewhere. Plus I think there are regulations (SUDS?) which discourage that.

listermint

Do you have pics of this I'm trying to get imagery in my head to properly advise.

For one I'm not necessarily seeing how an existing gravel drive could have an impact on the house .. structurally. It should have plenty of permeability for water

Danny Mulcahy

The drive runs behind me and around to the shed on the opposite side of the house.
My plan was to pack it up and leave it run off down the drive.
The big shadow in the pic is half the problem. I've a quote from a tree surgeon to get ride of them

listermint

Is water pooling? If so , where abouts

Danny Mulcahy

Yes it's pooling in a couple of spots along that wall and behind me along the cobble locking

Danny Mulcahy

listermint wrote: »

Is water pooling? If so , where abouts

What are you thoughts on it?
Any ideas on a way out of it??

Markcheese

Possibly a daft question, but, what's under the gravel where the water pools, and also what's under your cobble lock? does water drain through the cobble lock.? Or flow off...
Usually the more you pack down stone and its base layer, the less quickly water will drain through..

Danny Mulcahy

Not sure what's under the cobble locking. It does drain. Not the quickest off memory but must watch out for it the next time.

The drive and cobbles where put down before I moved in.

The drive was topped with pee gravel when we moved in. Not much left now though. The ground is solid enough.

Markcheese

Just wondering if the water is pooling by the house because the drainage is poorest there..
. . As in... The base beneath your gravel, and the earth beneath that is really packed...
Maybe a few deep French drains would help, or if you've somewhere to drain the water to, drainage pipe

Danny Mulcahy

Markcheese wrote: »

Just wondering if the water is pooling by the house because the drainage is poorest there..
. . As in... The base beneath your gravel, and the earth beneath that is really packed...
Maybe a few deep French drains would help, or if you've somewhere to drain the water to, drainage pipe

Yes was first thinking a french drain .
Then was thinking a path up the side of house with a french drain running parallel with it .

Was now thinking of changing the levels of the drive and let it flow off down the drive . that leads to the original question of what gravel to use that will allow it flow rather than soak .

The photo above isnt the best but top right is the start of the drive and it runs downword to the gate .
I was picking this method if possible to save myself time on digging. looking at the cobbles Im thinking Ive 3inches to bring it up to slop it towards the gate drive . its about 4 inches in the pic which would leave me an inch of possible decorative stone to go on top of a new base to change the level