Gravel driveway subbase - Sub grade level

[stephen seymour]

Hello, hoping to get some advice. I'm going to lay a small gravel drive way on my front lawn. It's going to be enough space to park one car and I've only got space to drive in and out straight (no turning etc)

I've dug out 150mm over the area (by hand) but have been left with some areas well above that (75 mm-100 mm in places). Would anyone recommend using a wacker plate over the ground to flatten out the sub grade before I put the base down or would it just level out when compacting the sub base?

The plan is 100mm of type 1, cellular grid on top, then of course gravel.

Thanks for the advice

Steve

[mickg]

a vibrating plate will not make the ground go level, you need to remove the earth before you add any hardcore

you need to have lines from top to bottom of the driveway tied to steel pins or timber stakes knocked into the ground, the lines are set at the finish height the gravel will be laid at, then you measure down from the line so the amount you dig away is parallel with the line which in your case is 150mm, if you put insulation tape round the pins if the line comes off then you still have the correct height you require without having to go through the same process again, then you use the same lines to lay the Type 1 to exact 100mm

hope this helps

[Tony McC]

....and laying the cell panels straight onto the sub-base is asking for trouble unles syou have the skills to get your levels snooker-table accurate!

You need a 'cushion', a bedding layer of finer material such as 6mm gravel or grit sand, to give you a more level and accepting bed for those cells.

See... Cell Pavers Installation Study

[stephen seymour]

Many thanks for the advice. I forgot to mention I'd be laying a bed of sand on top of the type 1.

The reason I asked about the vibrating plate is because I was out there today with a pounder going over the raised areas and it was, after a while, getting those raised areas down to the depth I'd like, but as you can imagine it was too hard work and I gave up!

Steve

[mickg]

>>>>but as you can imagine it was too hard work and I gave up
welcome to our world

[Tony McC]

Good for the pec's though!

[stephen seymour]

Thanks mickg, is there any info on this site showing the method you described as I cant find any. I've never used a whacker plate before but I'm surprised that it can't compact a lumpy area of soil down 50mm!

Best get the spade back out

[mickg]

you will be hard pressed to get 150mm loose MOT Type 1 compacted more than 25mm let alone compact existing lumpy soil 50mm

the lines info is what we all use on a regular basis, the only link I can find showing detail is this one
digging off to a line

[lutonlagerlout]

Good for the pec's though!

lats boss lats
LLL

[Tony McC]

lats boss lats

??? I don't think I have any of them. Didn't realise you were a Gym-Bunny, LLL! :;):