My driveway's like a paddy field!sub-base down

All forms of block paving, brick paving, flexible or rigid, concrete or clays, new construction or renovation
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pir8ped
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:04 am
Location: Devon

Post: # 58136Post pir8ped

Hi,

I dug up my knackered old concrete driveway to replace it with blocks.

Unfortunately it has rained heavily before I could get the sub-base down. I've levelled it anyway, but doing this has turned it into slurry - it's all clay.

I appreciate I can't put the sub-base down till it's dried out, but it would be nice to be able to get to the house without waders. The ground is on a slope, but the slurry doesn't seem to be drying at all really, and there's more rain on the way.

Any suggestions to help dry it out or otherwise enable me to get on with the project?

Thanks
(great and informative site by the way!)
John

Tony McC
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Post: # 58141Post Tony McC

Scrape off the worst of the wet, sloppy stuff and then put down a construction geotextile (NOT a landscape fabric) over which you can spread a bit of granular sub-base to use as a walking surface.

The geotextile will prevent mixing of the mud and the stone, so you lose nothing while waiting for the weather to improve.
Site Agent - Pavingexpert

pir8ped
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:04 am
Location: Devon

Post: # 58142Post pir8ped

That was quick!

Will do - cheers!

seanandruby
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Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:01 am
Location: eastbourne

Post: # 58173Post seanandruby

As the boss said "scrape." Don't dig it, you should always leave a surcharge on when digging out clay, then last knockings and dry weather dig the last out before the sub base.
sean

Tony McC
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Post: # 58191Post Tony McC

Good point, Sean
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