Gravel drive

[n944]

I posted this elsewhere and then couldn't find it so having to post again.

Hi Tony, fantastic site!

I am in the process of installing a gravel drive. The area is just under 90sq m. The area is rectangular with neighbouring boundaries on either side providing 'edging' - is this approach ok to butt up to the neighbour’s boundaries rather than placing edging? There is an area of 20sq m between the drive and the house which will be decked (I know you're not a huge fan of decking but the missus insists!). However, I'm not planning on putting down the decking for another couple of weeks so what would be good as edging to keep the DTP 'in' - I've been thinking railway sleepers but would be grateful for some guidance.

I have read through various pages on your site and excavated just over 200mm. The soil seems hard in some places and soft in others. I am planning on excavating the softer parts and replacing with hardcore. I am then planning on using a wacker plate to compact the sub grade then to lay a geo fabric just in case my drive starts to look like my neighbours'! I am planning on using Terram 900, what are you views on the 900 and will it also work as a minor weed prevention blanket? The excavated area is fairly flat so will the geo fabric be fine over it, its a little bumpy here and there which of course I will try to level but it doesn't need to look like a bowling green does it?

After the geo fabric I plan to put down 180mm of DTP1 before compacting it with a whacker. Do you know of any DTP1 suppliers in the Bucks area and how much should I be paying?

After the DTP1 I intend to put down maybe 15mm of gravel before using the vibrating plate again and then topping it up with another 10-15mm.

Am I missing anything or does the above sound ok, I’m pretty much a novice so don't want to make any school boy errors!

And lastly, although the drive is rectangular and seems like a 'straight forward' project, I would appreciate any help with setting out, what basics I should employ in measuring and getting my lines and levels etc.

I would be grateful for any help and once again this really is an excellent site.

[Tony McC]

Edgings are only necessary where there is no other rigid boundary, so if it turns out that the neighbour's wall is a boundary, that will do just fine and dandy with no need to install additional edgings, unless, of course, you want to.

If you need a temporary edging, then a railway sleeper is fine, if you have one lying around, but if it was to be a matter of going out and buying one, I'd suggest using a straightforward timber edging as a cheaper alternative. For summat that only has to last a couple of weeks, even a line of bricks or kerbs laid 'dry' would be adequate.

Terram 900 - no problem. It's not quite as tough as Terram 1000 or TDP115, but it will not compromise your efforts. Actually, I'm surprised you found it, as it's usually much easier to source T1000.

DTp1 in Bucks - any aggregate supplier or Builders' Merchant should be able to help.

Setting-out - there's a section on the main website, and that is developed more fully in my book (plug plug), but I really don't have the time to type up a discourse on triangulation and level transfer just at the moment.