Replies

1. 
   Catskinner | Apr 18, 2004 08:25am | #1

   If you already have a good base and good drainage, any fully-fractured product that is made out of a fairly hard material should work fine. I find the 3/4" to work best, smaller is like driving on ball bearings, bigger is too hard to walk on.

   Drainage is the key, though. If you've got that worked out, pretty much anything you do should be fine. What part of the country are you in?

   DRC

1. 
   WillMoor1 | Apr 18, 2004 05:40pm | #2

   Thanks for the response.  Yes, the base is solid, almost like concrete after a couple years exposure, and the drainage is good.  I live in central Texas where it's hotter and drier than hell in July, August and Sept, rains buckets in March, April and May, and is fairly pleasant the rest of the year.  There are rare times in the Spring when I have water standing on the base after a very hard rain but I figure the entire yard is saturated.  Crushed granite - locally produced - is used quite a bit here for driveways, about 1/2 to 3/4", but I ran into something called "decomposed" granite the last time I went to the landscape supplier - it's smaller, probably 3/8 to 5/8", but the supplier told me it was getting more popular and is about half price of the crushed, about $25 a yard, compared to $50 for crushed.  The decomposed also had a wet, clumpy feel to it like it was mixed with sand - the crushed was completely dry.  Just wondered what the difference is and if the cheaper would compact and stand up to vehicle traffic.

   W. (not to be confused with a doofus Texas wannabe with the same initial) 

1. 
   Catskinner | Apr 18, 2004 06:18pm | #3

   Will, I'd go with the crushed, even if it's more expensive.

   I spend a lot of time with both products. My experience with the decomposed is that it will continue to do so (decompose, that is) under wheel traffic, and in not much time you end up with a slippery mess. Even digging in the decomposed, it looks like rock in the ground, half the time the force of pulling it up turns most of it to dirt.

   I'm just familiar enough with your climate to know it is so severe that a little planning will save a lot of money and frustration. Anything you can do to create drainage before you top the driveway will help. If you can run another lift (4") of a well-compacted state-spec base course graded to pitch the water off at a 3% slope (more or less) before you top with gravel, I think it would be worth every penny.

   DRC

2. 
   Catskinner | Apr 18, 2004 06:19pm | #4

   Oh, and I really like your signature line. <G>

   DRC

3. 
   UncleDunc | Apr 18, 2004 08:29pm | #5

   I agree with Dave on the decomposed granite. I was climbing one time on a mass of decomposed granite, and it's scary stuff. Several times I had to pluck off half a bushel of it, one handful at a time, and toss it down the hill before I got to a handhold that I trusted.

2. 
   davidmeiland | Apr 18, 2004 09:15pm | #6

   I have about 100 feet of driveway made of crushed rock. It's quarried and crushed a few miles away and people say it's shale, although I don't know what that really means (looks like a mix of stuff including granite). We laid out a base of 2" minus (you already have a base) and then topped it with 5/8" minus, which has a lot of fines in it. It was gate spread from the truck and then evened out with a backhoe. Driving on it has compacted it nicely and it was cheap, easy, and fast compared to concrete, and looks appropriate for the property (I don't live on a golf course). The best part is that I can move it around as needed (blade it into a pile, build or trench etc., and then re-spread it). The worst part is that I spread it right up to the porch steps to get us out of the mud, and since that part doesn't get compacted it sticks in the lug soles of my boots. So, we track a few rocks into the house, and I guess that's better than mud, but I need a different surface there. I suppose you could partially solve this by compacting it mechanically, but the rock I have won't turn into a tight, hard surface, ever. Your mileage may vary. I think of decomposed granite more as a landscape rock, not as paving.

   The quarry owner appreciated selling me $1100 worth of rock, and has since accepted concrete spoils from me for re-crushing at no charge. Since garbage costs 11 cents per pound here that's a huge bonus.