How To Lay A New Driveway

How to Lay a New Driveway

by

Lee Lazarus

Most folks have developed an interest in making a new driveway for themselves. The reason may include the fact that the cost of labor tied in with the cost of materials is just too expensive. Laying a new driveway therefore becomes a thing to consider, especially if you are willing and ready to do it yourself with simple and clear directions. Below are directions to laying a new driveway on your own.

Base preparation

It is important to find out the strength of the ground you want to put your driveway on. This is important because even as the driveway is intended to be used by people on foot it will also be used by a car. The ground foundation by use of a peg can be determined as far as steadfastness is concerned. This is what you do; under standard circumstances the driveway will be in the boundaries of 200mm of would be materials. So basically on an area of square meter 200, dig using a peg and if the ground is hard enough, the peg will have problems going beyond 6 inches. Now you can dig out the full square.

However ensure that in the process of digging you dig out the soft areas because they ll cause the driveway to slump. Let the base strength be even on the whole outline. In particular cases you may be required to use more energy to keep adding soil on top to harden the ground but it is worthwhile so as not to regret later on.

Laying stones

After the foundation is set you get into the business of laying the stones on the dug out base. The cheapest stones to place are the scalping stones which are leftovers from the quarry stones. It is also easy to place more than the broken brick hardcore which is the most common. You are advised to create a vertical dig out on the boundaries of the square. This is in a bid to make sure that when a car or feet steps on the stones placed on the base it will not spill over to the sides therefore wasting the stones. Be sure to calculate the area carefully so that you get the tones of scalping stones you need. It is advised that you be careful to order them when dry as they weigh more when wet. Also make sure that you check for the soft spots using a vibrating plate before the stones are safely placed.

After the scalping stones are brought most truck drivers will not mind and are in fact adept at hauling the stones in to the square dug out. But beware; if you have not strengthened the base the truck may get stuck.

Using a shovel or rake, after the stones are filled, put to level the stones on the would-be driveway. If you don t do the leveling well it will leave spaces that will fill with water which is a remedy of future problems. You can use timber to make the level flat. Depending on personal wants and tastes, you can add a few slabs here and there to create a clean finish.

This article was written for LocalQuoter by Lee Lazarus. Lee is an online journalist who regularly writes for LocalQuoter. LocalQuoter is a home improvement quote site, providing three quotes from local suppliers on

new driveways

, as well as providing

upvc windows

& doors.

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How to Lay a New Driveway