Driveway Wash Out

Hi everyone,

Can I get some ideas on what I can do to stop my driveway from washing away when it rains?

It is a gravel (Paddys River) mix that is 60m long and 6m wide. I have compacted it and it has survived the last 10 years fairly well. Only problem that I have is that the left wheel track constantly washes down the gutter when it rains and I am forced to shovle most of it back when it drys out. It has gotten to a stage now that it is mainly dust.

I tried to throw some cement dust down but that turnes jagged after a while and shortens the tyre life as well as my soles when I check the letterbox.

Thanks
Grant
 
prunster

We had a d/way with simular challenges back in Dubbo. I ended up paving it but in your case I'd rotary hoe in some cement powder and then compact it with a wacka packa. that would have to hold together surley.

By the way u must be close by we r on Bonython hill in Gordon!

Regards

Ed.
 
Thanks Mr Ed. Would take an enormous amount of effort to do all that but I guess we will have to keep that option in mind. It is a battleaxe block which accounts for the length. Need to clean up the whole length anyhow, so a mini backyard blitz on the driveway will be a good excuse.

We are directly opposite Thomas the Tank Child Care so I guess we are almost neighbours.

Cheers
Grant
 
You could replace it with Lilydale Toppings (I think also called reconstituted granite). Sets like rock but still looks "gravelly". Not entirely maintenance free, but might help.
 
Lillydale topping is great as per Kevmeister's post... it sets hard & still looks great... if you need it to have extra hold & have less washing away (especially if the land isn't level) you can sprinkle some cement prior to compacting it (will give you that extra hold)...

Cheers,

MannyB.
 
(I think also called reconstituted granite).

prunster, this is what I used. Had mild washouts, the trick I found with it was to use a heavy duty roller to compact it and whilst you are doing that, water it as well (but not too much as it gets real sticky).

The problem with the roller is you will need to have it delivered by truck. An ordinary wacka packa dosn't pound in enough weight, which is what I suggested in the prev post.

Damn d/ways they are expensive to do in concrete or pavers but that's about all that really works properly.

Just had a thought you could try and get some pre used pavers, my father inlaw got two trailer loads when they did some work in civic, got them for nicks, you would need a lot though 60 m x 6 m that's 360 m2 wow.

Ed.
 
In my opinion laying pavers without proper substrate preparation (eg. concrete) would be a waste of money. If the rainwater is heavy enough to wash gravel away it is going to substantially degrade the surface under the pavers quite rapidly in my opinion.

Plus, pavers used for car surfaces will nearly always subside after a while due to vehicle traffic.

This means to lay pavers properly you'll face the cost of concrete and then the cost of the pavers.

May as well just use a concrete (perhaps a decorative finish such as slate-look) or for 60 metres possibly asphalt (looks OK with a brick edging).

I don't see why you need to lay a 6 metre wide driveway for 60 metres, however, unless you expect for two cars to "pass" in your driveway. A 3 - 3.5 metre wide driveway and plantings either side will be much much cheaper.
 
Well if budget permits, something that is cheaper than concrete & paving is to tar the driveway (which is quite durable), its very popular in the USA, for some reason it hasn't picked up here (can achieve good results by having it coloured as well)...

MannyB.
 
We did lay the gravel onto the driveway and used a roller to compact it about 10 years ago. It has stood the test of time pretty well but the washout is occuring on the left wheel rut for about 15m or so. We have used cement powder and the like to try and slow the process down but it seems to have left ragged areas that require refilling.

I guess we may even need to redig the area and try again. It is annoying and a littel strange that the washout is only appearing in the one area and not the entire length. Thankful for full mercies I guess.

The driveway is slightly uneven which explains why the left rut is the only affected area. It so slight that you really do not notice it when driving on it but if we tried to level it, I think that it would look strange. The washout is from the council supplied driveway (whatever you call it from the road) up. Even the concrete from the road is on a slight pitch and the rest of the driveway just follows that same pitch.

Overall, the problem is not big, justy annoying. We may just bite the bullet and take the advice of you guys and redig for a reinstall with more cement dust. Hopefully, the problem will be solvered. ( is that solver ad still running?)

Thanks guys,
Grant
 
Prunster,

as you are getting problems re-occuring at the same spot, you may need to look at where the water run-off is going &/or possibly chaning it a little to protect it from the run-off (adding a little drain?)... if you can do that, you may notice that that part of the driveway may not have these problems & may last a little longer...

Cheers,

MannyB.
 
Originally posted by manny
Well if budget permits, something that is cheaper than concrete & paving is to tar the driveway (which is quite durable), its very popular in the USA, for some reason it hasn't picked up here (can achieve good results by having it coloured as well)...

MannyB.


Manny

I'm interested in this - how can you colour something that's black?

Jas
 
Hi Jas,

not sure how they do it, but we have some tarr'ed areas here at work & they look great in the lovely redish colour (teracotta/red scoria stone colour)... I'm not sure of their colour choices, but I have definately seen bichemen (tar) other than the standard black...

Cheers,

Manuel.
 
To be honest, I had discounted bitumen as I thought that it would cost too much. Rule number 1, never assume anything. Will invstigate that option and while I am at it, will see what is involved with colours etc.

Get back to you all on that one.

Thanks for the tip guys and gals.

Cheers
Grant
 
Could anyone tell me if bitumen needs as much preparation as pavers or is it like concrete where you simply pour where you want it.

Macca
 
You need to prepare and compact the ground for ashphalt however it is not nearly as long lasting as concrete. 10 years vs 20 years is the standard.

Cathy
 
I was thinking about this last night, and the driveway getting washed away is the symptom, not the problem. The problem is water (too much) going where you don't want it to.

Consider surface drains along and/or across the driveway at various points to collect the water rather than letting it become a torrent down your driveway and take your gravel away.
 
Originally posted by Kevmeister
Consider surface drains along and/or across the driveway at various points to collect the water rather than letting it become a torrent down your driveway and take your gravel away.

I have considered this method but it would require quite a few traps to stem the water flow and even then time would be required dig out the gravel washed into the water trap.

I am still waiting for a couple of companies to get back to me about asphalt/bitumen driveways. This method does appeal to me more that other options. It also allows the children to ride their bikes/scooters as well without having to go out onto the road.

Grant
 
May as well just use a concrete (perhaps a decorative finish such as slate-look) or for 60 metres possibly asphalt (looks OK with a brick edging).

I don't see why you need to lay a 6 metre wide driveway for 60 metres, however, unless you expect for two cars to "pass" in your driveway. A 3 - 3.5 metre wide driveway and plantings either side will be much much cheaper.

After so long, I thought I would update this forum on the outcome of my dilema.

We decided to bitumise the area and in fact, used the brick edging with plants down the side with a narrower driveway. Turned out very neat and we are extremely happy with the end product. As I mentioned before, never assume anything. I assumed that this would be way out of reach to us as a result of cost but it was extremely affordable. Three years later and it still looks as new as is it did when it was laid. Very happy customer here.

As to colouring, the contractor says that they just add a colour dye to the mix and is very popular but does add extra cost to the end product.
 
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