Menu

An Attractive Driveway


About Me

An Attractive Driveway

Once my spouse and I found our dream home, we needed to sell the older fixer-upper we currently lived in. To successfully sell our house quickly, we needed to complete a few remodeling projects. We wanted to attract the largest number of potential buyers as possible to our home. One great project to complete before putting your home on the market is paving your driveway. This project will immediately enhance your property’s curb appeal. For families with multiple drivers at home, installing a circle driveway is also a smart idea. On this blog, I hope you will discover the steps a paving contractor takes to give homeowners beautiful new driveways.

Preparing Your Soil For Pavers

Outdoor patio spaces can enhance your ability to entertain. If you are looking to add a patio to your home in the near future, you have likely considered using pavers as a flooring option. Pavers are durable and easy to install, but you must ensure that your soil is properly prepared before installation. Soil that isn't prepared correctly could lead to an uneven paver surface in the future.

Here are three precautions you can take to ensure your soil is prepared before installing your patio pavers.

1. Dig Deep

Before you can install your pavers, you must dig up the ground to prepare a spot for them to rest. Digging deep enough is an essential part of soil preparation. A good rule of thumb to follow is to ensure that you dig past the root level of the vegetation in your yard.

Starting your preparations below the root level will allow you to prevent plants from growing up through your pavers and into your patio area. The root level varies from one area to the next, but you should be able to spot where the root line ends in your yard as you begin digging.

2. Prevent Weeds

It's possible for weeds to sprout up between your pavers, even when you dig below the root level of the vegetation in your area. To keep weeds at bay you need to install a barrier that will prevent them from getting the sunlight they need for proper growth. This can easily be done by adding a landscape cloth to your soil. Landscape cloth is made from a synthetic material, so it will remain durable over time.

As an added bonus, landscape cloth can help control erosion. This means that the addition of landscape cloth to the soil beneath your paver patio will keep paving stones from slipping out of place.

3. Keep It Dry

Wet soil can contract as it dries, causing your pavers to buckle and become uneven. To avoid this problem in the future, it's important to add a layer of gravel as you prepare your soil for paver installation. Gravel can help with water drainage by wicking water away from the surface, and safely away from your pavers.

As you choose a drainage gravel, be sure to look for crushed rock that is about one to two inches in length in order to maximize the drainage benefits gravel can provide.

Taking the time to prepare your soil by digging deep, laying landscape cloth, and packing in a layer of gravel before installing patio pavers will help ensure your new patio remains level for years to come. To find out more, speak with a business like Bonneville Asphalt & Repair.