Gravel Driveways Benson

Gravel grids and stabilisation

Loose gravel moves. On a flat, well edged drive that is manageable, but on a slope, in a turning area or where cars pull in and out daily, it ruts, thins in the wheel tracks and migrates onto the road.

Gravel grids solve it. Interlocking cellular panels are laid over the sub-base and filled with gravel, so the stone is held in its cells rather than pushed around by tyres. The drive still looks like gravel and still drains, but it stays put.

Worth considering if:

• The drive slopes, even gently
• Cars turn on it rather than just driving in and out
• It is used daily or by more than one or two vehicles
• You are tired of raking gravel back into place
• The drive runs down to a road or pavement

We will tell you at survey whether your site needs grids or whether a well edged conventional build will do the job.

Choosing your gravel

We use angular gravel for driveways rather than rounded pea shingle. Angular stone knits together under weight and stays where it is put, where rounded stone rolls, migrates and ends up in the borders and on the pavement.

On colour and finish, the usual choices are:

• Golden and buff gravels, which suit period and stone properties
• Grey, silver and granite, which suit modern and rendered houses
• Flint and mixed aggregates for a softer, more traditional look
• Self binding gravel, which compacts to a firmer surface and holds together better than loose stone

We bring samples to the survey so you can see them against the house and the existing paving rather than picking from a screen.

Edging and containment

A gravel drive with no edge is a gravel drive that slowly leaves. Containment is not optional; it is what keeps the surface where you paid to put it.

We edge in:

• Block paving borders, which also tie the drive into a patio or path
• Concrete or stone kerbs and setts
• Timber or steel edging for a lower profile finish
• Haunched edging against lawns and borders so the gravel does not creep into planting

If you already have a drive that is losing gravel onto the road or into the beds, edging it properly is usually a smaller job than replacing it.

Benson Gravel Repair & Re-levelling

Existing gravel drives usually need one of three things:

• Topping up, where the gravel has thinned, but the base underneath is sound
• Re-levelling and raking out, where ruts and hollows have formed in the wheel tracks
• Rebuilding or stabilising, where the gravel has sunk into the subsoil because there was never a membrane or sub-base

We will tell you which of the three your drive needs, and we will say if topping it up is all it takes rather than selling you a new drive. Call 01491 371335 today.

How much does a Gravel Driveway cost in Benson

We survey before we price. What moves the figure:

• Area: Gravel is the most economical way to cover a large drive, and the bigger the area, the better the rate.
• What is there now: Breaking out and disposing of concrete or tarmac adds to the groundwork.
• The ground: Soft, wet or made-up ground needs deeper excavation and more stone.
• Grids: Stabilised drives cost more than loose gravel, and are worth it on slopes and turning areas.
• Edging: Block, kerb, stone and steel all price differently.
• The aggregate: Standard gravels sit well below decorative and self-binding options.
• Access: A drive a machine can reach costs less to build than one where everything comes by barrow.