Pea Gravel Patio Help
wesp15
8 years ago
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littlebug zone 5 Missouri
8 years agolittlebug zone 5 Missouri
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Building a Pea Gravel Patio
Comments (40)I don't know how big your yard is, but I would start small, with the gravel, meaning, just big enough for the seating at first--the point being, you can always expand, but you will never remove the gravel once you've got it in (I'm making assumptions about what you will or won't do in the future based on human nature, the nature of gravel removal, and your post!). Also, will be an issue for the next (owner?)--if you will be responsible for future sale of the property, then that is one reason to avoid some forms of home improvement that may be seen as drawbacks. If you are the least bit inclined to "gardening" and to enjoy a bit of greenery, you might be able to plan and install some pockets of groundcover for the same price as covering everything with gravel--it is possible to build up soil areas without a lot of digging and leveling, particularly for planting one of the tough groundcovers (not for growing tea roses right away!). There would be some upkeep to establish the plantings but again, you could start small-- an area 3x3 or 4x4. You might approach your yard by mapping out quadrants or areas and tackle one or 2 , but leave the rest bare until you phase in the whole plan. The return would be that you would not be trying to establish a lawn from scratch under poor conditions but you would have some green space. You haven't said whether you have any trees in your yard or overhanging your yard--leaves, cones, acorns, maple seeds-- but that is an issue for pea gravel--you don't want a lot of gravel if there is going to be a lot of organic debris falling on it, requiring constant raking and upkeep....See MoreUses for Extra Pea Gravel / Builders Sand?
Comments (3)Yah, it's pretty much clay underneath. Since I posted, I've dug up about a 3' x 4' area about a foot deep, put about 6" of pea gravel in there, and am contemplating putting a small paver installation there. How is the harder clay soil good for the garden beds?...See Moreconverting a pea gravel patio to stone, brick, or concrete?
Comments (1)I think if I was placing brick pavers or field stone I would most definely want to use the 1B (pea gravel). Because the 1B is smaller, the percentage of voids after compaction is less. This means that you have a lower likelyhood of the 1B settling after construction. If it was me I would probably use the 1B as base under concrete also. The key to success with this whole project is proper compaction. That is why one contractor told you to they wanted to put concrete under the brick pavers. That way the pavers could not settle. I would certainly not remove the material. Stone reaches 70% compaction at the time that it is dumped, not to mention its been sitting for a while settling. Its pretty compact. Just to be on the safe side I would make the contractor go over the area with a tamper to compact it ever further. You have to think about what elevation you want your walkway at, then go down 4" for the thickness of the concrete/ fieldstone/ brick pavers. That will be the elevation of your stone. Think about if you have enough stone in place, after compaction, to achive that. If the awnser is no, then compact the 1B you have, and add the stone or sand that the conctractor of your choice wants to use, then your paving material. I hope this helps...See MorePea gravel paths...help needed
Comments (4)Landscapers are generally NOT designers though they are called on all the time to perform this service and many of them offer and advertise it. To be fair, some landscapers have quite the knack for design and become quite good at it. (Specifying what should be used as a garden floor is a design function.) We hear all the time here about people wanting to use pea gravel as a garden floor. Pea gravel is more or less rounded stones, so if you like walking in a pool of marbles, it could be the perfect solution. However, most people greatly dislike walking on a floor that moves and sinks beneath their feet with each step. A good gravel floor should be fairly firm and hard beneath one's feet. Creating it requires gravel with a mixture of stone sizes, down to dust, and stone shapes that are angular, not rounded. You could actually improve the walkability of the pea gravel by adding sand over the top. Over time, it would settle in the voids between the pea stone and prevent it from shifting as the voids fill. Because it would happen over time, it would mean adding sand over time. As the voids fill up, it would be good to end up adding sand that is angular in nature and has small chips in it. (What is sometimes called "paver base" or "limestone screenings.") Things are called different names in different parts of the country, so anything that is like a course, dusty sand would work.) Consider that by adding another material to the existing pea gravel, it would change the appearance. Determine ahead of time what would be tolerable. If grade permits, after the pea gravel voids are filled with sand, you could cover the whole thing with a new material (at least two inches) of a proper, packable, granular stone mixture....See Morewesp15
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mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)