How to Install a Gravel Parking Strip, Part 1 - Site Preparation - DIY!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- During the COVID-19 stay-at-home order, we decided to install a gravel parking strip. Instead of hiring a professional landscaper, we did all the manual labor ourselves. I recorded video of the entire week-long installation process from which I assembled two separate videos: Part 1 - Site Preparation, and Part 2 - Spreading the Gravel.
The total cost of this project: $630:
2 each 100' Rolls of Vigoro Heavy-Duty Weed Control Fabric and staples: $94
2 each 50' Rolls of Vigoro Heavy-Duty Edging and 24 stakes: $107
10 Yards of 5/8" Minus Crushed Basalt Gravel: $429
Our Gravel Parking Strip project involved 10 stages:
1. Call Before You Dig (homeowners call 811).
Although I was only digging about a 6” depth to remove sod, there were underground utilities and a community waterline, and I wanted them marked before the heavy gravel truck delivered the gravel.
2. Remove a 9 ½' x 72' strip if lawn that borders the busy road into our community. Fortunately, two of our neighbors gladly took the sod.
3. Level the dirt and remove soil to a depth of 4" along the edges of the lawn, the concrete driveway and street.
4. Install a heavy-duty weed control fabric.
5. Install a heavy-duty plastic edging to separate the gravel from the lawn.
6. Receive delivery of the gravel.
7. Spread the gravel.
8. Hose down the gravel to settle the dust.
9. Drive back and forth over the gravel in our car to compact it.
10. Make adjustments to bumps and dips in the gravel and compact again.
I hope that you enjoy watching this video and that my gravel parking strip project experience will help you with your gravel project!
I've been doing this for about a dozen or more years now. A few tips, sod cutter #1, tac the fabric as you lay it out, use landscape pins instead of staples, use a hammer and cut some length of them when using in hard ground, pound edging stacks in about 3/4 way down the edging and at a 45. Forget the connecting peace, cut a slit on the underside of the round part of the edging, squeeze it and slide it into the other edging about 6" or so
Great work Randall ! Men like you are a rare breed these days.
So refreshing when the host does not play up to the camera, spend half an hour talking about themselves and trying to be funny. Well done - and what a beautiful place you live in.
Thank you for the complement! At my age, nobody, including myself, wants to see me up close!
Great video - thanks for the tips. I admire all of the hard work you and your wife put into this project! After watching this, I’m very grateful my project is just for one parking spot! 🙂
Much more interesting to see this gentleman than modern young and dump video bloggers
Takes me back to old youtube, when people made videos to be helpful and not to make it their job
I've stripped sod for a few flower beds the hard way, and I can't recommend enough; just rent a sod cutter if you're doing a large area. It is so fast and easy, and saves your energy for all the other labor yet to do. The sod cutter also gives you nice uniform strips of sod that you can sell or relocate easy enough. I was able to sell the sod to pay for the rental; win win!
That neighbor should have been there helping!
A better joining technique for the edging. Cut about a foot of the rounded top edge off, overlap the two one foot sections and use the joiner piece on the inside of the rounded section. Pound stake into overlapped edging. Hope that helps for future projects.
You give me hope that I can do something similar, though only half the length, by my garage for a trailer. Not much a diy’er, but never too late to learn. Thank you, sir.
Great video randall.respect from across the pond
Man I can't get my wife to help me do anything no matter how many arms I need to hold this or that. You're lucky.
Thanks for making this! I'm considering doing this myself and now I'm definitely moving forward with the project
Should’ve had your neighbor help remove the sod since he’s reaping the rewards.
Great video, I have a small home driveway with stones and has become dirt, also has this black strip stuff. Its been horrible as vehicles have hit it, bent it and hard to pull up. I was thinking of redoing drive, but quote was over $3000 for 11 metres, so thought i might try myself. Your video inspired me to do it lol. Thanks. I hope your strip worked out well.
Nice job. Great thinking in making it oversized. You never know and while you’re at it, why not.
Beautiful views and great job .. looks very smart x
Looking good! Instead of the plastic edging, I've always thought that a square piece of treated lumbar would look good. Although now that I think about it, there is probably a risk that the mower would chew it up
All the professional landscape black plastic edging I have used in my decades of gardening, has a connector that goes inside the hollow edge to connect them. I use long pins or even tent stakes pounded at an angle into the lawn side for those unruly curves, or slice into one side and fit it that way (as mentioned in another comment below). I do not recommend using anything that puncture the fabric, but instead use bricks to anchor the nonwoven heavy duty fabric, otherwise all punctures will allow roots to wiggle into the holes from the lawn side and come up into your gravel bed (from experience).
I plan on using gravel forms (ie - geocells) to help hold in the material and add more strength since my city ordinance is not allowing anything 5ft from border, and while I can ignore the ordinance, I would hate to sink thousands into a driveway expansion only to have the city make me tear it out. Lastly, Preen granules every spring and non-selective weed chemicals as soon as weeds appear.
Great video!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing job. Really well done. Love how neat and tidy you were removing the grass--that would definitely be me haha. But thank you for sharing, this is great inspiration for us eventually doing the same to our muddy driveway :)
Thank you for the video! Been searching for a while on how to. You did an amazing job!
I’m glad you found my video helpful. Thank you for commenting!
This was so informative!! Thanks!
You can use a heat gun to straighten the plastic edger.
I just use a Mexican. They are great roofers and sheet rockers too.
I got the same fabric barrier.. shiny side up. I just have to fill a area next to my driveway that collects water, 105" by 43" I'll fill it with all purpose gravel and put a few stepping stones on it..
That's so awesome!! I'm wondering if you noticed any frost heaving issues with the barrier?
Good tip about the rolling motion with the spade.
I bet the neighbors are eyeballing your new parking spots for when they have a party.
This is most helpful video ever, am ready to do this thanks
Love this thanks for tips. This area of my yard drives me insane appearing eroded, neglected, and had to chuckle.. of course the one part of your project (unwinding weed liner).. wind gust appears.
Thanks for your comment! I always try to include a chuckle or two in my videos.
I removed sod and I feel your pain:)
Thanks for sharing 💕
Awesome work!
If ya heat those ends, they can be worked pretty good.
Good video
awesome just what i’m looking for
Doesn't the joiner go on the inside of the edging?
Yes, it goes inside the tube in both sides.
That's what I was thinking.
Good Man! I see you called in locates. Even though you weren't digging down more than 6 in or so (technically not required in Texas where I live) it's better to be safe than sorry. Cable drops are about the only thing you would have to watch for digging at that depth. All other utilities should be much deeper. Typically at least 12 in for water services and 36 in for most others.
I know it's hard to keep grass growing along the asphalt. I get it. But I think it looks better than adding a wide gravel shoulder or sidewalk or bike path beside the road. It's just a matter of opinion. I appreciate someone caring about their lawn and all the hard work you put in.
I need to approach projects this calmly and peacefully. There were multiple segments where I would've been busting my back and swearing up a storm. :(
If you only knew... Thanks for your comment!
@poshko41 Amen. I have been working on this too and it's made a huge difference to DIY projects. I now go into them expecting surprises and mistakes, and I remind myself that nothing is an emergency. Just work your way through it and try to chuckle when you screw up something. Good luck!
I looked to me like the pipe you were using as a driver was just about the right size to slide inside the joint.
I bet I know who this guy voted for
Of couse a gale blows as soon as you try rolling fabric!
I feel his pain with that wind. Definitely makes it challenging.
It starts at 2:39
❤
if you use a heat gun, would it soften it enough to straighten the ends?
Stick broom handle in paper roll
atleast you tried something new and wasn't scared to show us bud
The coupler is internal
Connector is suppose to go inside NOT the outside! And have the stakes pounded in!
It's better to shovel dirt after wetting it.
Man you shoulda rented a sod remover!
Yes, I should have. And I should have hired a landscaper to do this for me. But, then it wouldn’t have been a DIY project! Thanks for your comment!
Great work! Can I ask how you control weeds coming up thru the new pad? Thank you
would you use plastic edging again if you were to do this again? Seems aluminum or steel may be good alternative. Great job on the sod. I'm doing this now and it's no fun.
Yes! I would definitely use the plastic edging again for this particular application. Maybe not for a more decorative garden edging though. Since the installation of this gravel strip, I have accidentally driven over the edging many times, as have heavy construction trucks resulting in absolutely no damage. The plastic springs back up! And neatly trimming the grass using a battery-powered string trimmer is easily done by taking advantage of the smooth round top of the plastic edging. The string just brushes the rounded top of the plastic edge without damaging it or shredding the string. A metal edge may not be as friendly.
Thank you for your comment, and good luck with your project!
I can surely appreciate all the hard work you put in, but for the life of me, can not understand why you needed the underground service locator there to mark the services? After all, you are creating a "parking pad".....in any case thanks for posting!
Doesn’t the city or county own the easement? Just saying....
Weed barrier is a waste of time, it holds dirt over time then it becomes a weed planter, just use Roundup(with a mask and gloves)
Heat gun try that lol
dude, the "joiner" piece goes inside the tubing part of the edging!!!!
Makes sense, but there were no instructions. Anyway, I can't change it now, and it is doing the job as is. Thank you for your comment!
👍
My soil is clay so I had to resort to using a mattock
4 days of cutting sod by hand ? Rent a sod cutter smh
I don't think I like that edging