Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Tear Drop Driveway!

Well the Cabin Kickoff has gotten pushed back by a month, we won't start now till first of April instead of March as my Grand Father has become quite ill and my Dad needs to be with him for now. We don't think he has much longer and figred we would push things back just in case. Meanwhile here a few pics of my driveway now completed and stumps ground down. No gravel yet but that will be next. In the last pic where the sun is coming in, is my pond and the cabin will be going right in front of it. I am getting excited!

Man, I do...and I don't...miss that stage of development. It looks real good, RC. What's the plan for the gravel in the driveway?

RC, I would dig out the driveway 4-6 to hold your gravel in. I did this with mine it helps alot. I actually put down 6" minus first for a base basically riprap. Then when that packed and dirt came through I covered it with 3" minus now when it thaws this spring I should be able to coat it with 2" minus then just maintenance and it should be good for life.

Hey thanks guys,

Bski- I can get 1.5 to 3 inch limestone here for $7.50 a ton. I was going to have about 28 to 30 ton dropped by truck slowly driving around the drive as they drop it. Then get to spreading. I am not sure how much i am going to need?? Its about 450 feet all the way around and back out to the entrance. As cheep as I can get lime rock I can get another 28 ton if I need it or whatever.

BK - That's sound like a good idea I hadn't thought of that. I was wondering how I could keep the rock from spreading out to far on the edges. We may have to look into that! I am not sure if I can get 6" rock or not, but that makes since using a filler first! Thanks for the ideas.

Normally, a core is cut (similar to BGK describes) and the larger aggregate is laid in and run down/packed by the heavy trucks and dozer/equipment that spreads it. There will be other heavy equipment trucks as this project progresses, so you want to take advantage of their "power of compaction" to create a very firm sub-footing. The fancy, lighter grades of finish gravel should arrive after all the smoke clears and the likelihood of another heavy truck coming thru is minimal.
We used "oversize", basically large river rock with clay fines

Completed driveway after the sub-footing is packed in and dressed

Wow! Ski is there anything you cant do??? I can get equipment no problem. I work for a Heavy equipment company. So I pretty much can get what I want for the weekend as long as I give them a week notice or so. Thanks for the advice guys, and the pics Ski I apprecaite it!

RC if you can get someone who has a road roller with vibrator to pack your gravel driveway it will last alot longer, the guy who put in my 800ft. driveway through the woods had one and after 8 years of extreme temps. it's still in great shape.
He also put a special fabric down under the gravel.

http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/I/Road-roller/p/sm/1040639740.htm
http://www.usfabricsinc.com/geotextileapplications/drivewayfabricgeotextile

The fabric is the only thing i didnt do. I wish i would of now, but 850' of driveway is a pain in the ass, Also i have 2 culverts to deal with.. I put the 6"-8" exactly for the reasons mentioned above, YOu couldnt even drive over it for a couple weeks but once the concrete and lumber trucks started coming in it sunk and leveled in no time. Then after the main part of my house was done i added the 3", My driveway is as smooth as can be with a couple light areas, But this spring i will have the spreader trucks come in and lay a even 4" cover of 1 or 2 inch minus then i should be good for years to come except for hole maitanance which i have a big pile of 1" minus for..
Let me tell you RC do it right or it will never be right and you will always be dumping rock on it.. Ive got buddies who dump tons of rock on there drives every year because they half assed the foundation now they all hate me cause mines like gravel concrete.. If you know where a rock quarry is sometimes you can get 8" In something called belt scraps, its basically what falls off the conveyers, 8" to fines its perfect for a base but impossible to drive over with a regular car at first. This is what i used for a base..I made my drive way with a John deere tractor dragging a disc set to 6" deep i drug it 4 or 5 times to the width i wanted then just scooped the broken up dirt and laid it down next to my house where my future dream shop will be built. Also 7.50 a ton probably dont include delivery Sometimes they try and screw you on delivering.. You have anymore questions about driveways let me know trust ive been down that road and do it right the first time so you aint doing it every year.. Good Luck Buddy..

Also RC they have spreader trucks kinda like salt spreaders for rock they can lay it 1" to however many you want. Its a pretty slick setup. I havent used one yet but my neighbor does every year and its the way to go, Little bit more of a cost but no need for a machine to spread so you save.. Just thought id throw that out there..

Thanks guys I did not know making a gravel driveway was such a big deal!!! I have a funny feeling I am going to learn a whole LOT through this whole process of building a cabin!!!

It's not a big deal if you don't want to do it correctly..... But, do it right and do it once.

Yeah it doesn't effect anyone but me right!! No big deal! I will do it as right as I can that's for sure!! I don't like to do things half/A$$ and if it's a money issue lots of time I will wait till I can do it the right way if it takes more money.

Thats the same attitude i have on everything. Thats why its taken me 6 months so far to build my aeration system lol..

I'm generally not that patient. I often do a crummy job and redo it several times.

LOL!! I love it

RC you anywhere close to Searcy or Bebee? I went and visted realitives up there a few weeks ago. I notice that they use shell rock for many of the country drive ways and gas well sites. Crushed limestone road base is the norm in these parts. I just finsihed my short drive way a fews weekends ago.
http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=248000&#Post248000

Hey rocky,

Yes my land is about 45 miles from Searcy in Batesville. Yeah I can get lime stone cheep, cheep!! That is what I am going to be making my driveway with. I can get it for 7.50 a ton.