Benefits of a Gravel Driveway
When it comes to our driveway, we want what’s best for our car and for our feet when we walk across it. Gravel is one of our best selling products, and there’s a reason for that. Gravel makes a great material to add to your driveway for lots of different reasons. With a huge range of different sizes and colours, let us guide you through why gravel might just be the best option for your driveway.
Benefit #1
Low Budget Option
Compared to other options that you can use on your driveway, such as resin, tarmac or paving, gravel is the cheapest option. Our gravel starts at £37 (exc. VAT) per bulk bag which holds around 850kg (just under 1 tonne). Most driveways won’t require more than 1 bulk bag, depending on the size. To work out how much you need for the size of your drive, use our online calculator.
We recommend using a 10 or 20mm gravel for driveways; anything smaller can get stuck in your tyres!
Benefit #2
Easy to Install
With our delivery service, you can choose to either purchase gravel in a bulk bag which can then be collected or delivered by us, or you can choose to get this delivered as a loose, tipped load. If you choose to order this as a loose tipped load, we can arrange to tip the gravel straight onto your driveway if it is ready. You will need to lay a sub-base layer such as scalpings or Type 1 Limestone 40mm to dust before the gravel is placed, this would need to be 150mm deep for a driveway. So in total, a gravel driveway with the sub base underneath shouldn’t take longer than a few hours to lay, depending on the size of your drive.
10mm gravel should be laid at a depth of at least 25mm, and 20mm gravel should be laid at least 40mm deep
Benefit #3
Low maintenance
Gravel driveways require minimal up-keep. Generally, gravel will stay put as it is, but occasionally there may be some pot holes that appear. It’s best to keep a small amount of gravel that might be left over to ensure you can fill these holes as soon as you see them. Raking the stones is also helpful to work through any weeds or debris that need picking out. Fresh gravel might also need adding every 1-2 years.
Benefit #4
Adds an Attractive Garden feature
Whether you have a front garden or not, this makes a very attractive addition to the front of your house. With lots of different colours to choose from, it makes a more unique drive than just plain black tarmac. The rain also brings out their lovely colours!
Benefit #5
Alerts You of any Visitors
While we’d like to think the only guests and visitors we may have on our drives are harmless and friendly, sometimes this isn’t the case. When you pull up on a gravel drive in your car or walk across it, it makes a light crunching sound. This is nice to be able to tell when your invited guests have arrived, but it’s also a good indicator of any uninvited guests. Due to the noise it makes, it also makes a really cheap deterrent for any passing opportunists!
Benefit #6
Environmentally Friendly
As gravel is a permeable material, and so is the scalpings or limestone used underneath, this means that even drainage of rain water will occur once this is laid. Other surfaces such as concrete or tarmac aren’t permeable, meaning that you’ll have to rely on nearby drains to drain any rain water. This can also cause problems if your driveway doesn’t slope down towards a drain or is a completely flat surface. This has an element of being better for the environment as it means the water is draining into the earth as opposed to water drains which can get flooded through periods of heavy rain.
Cons…
Pot holes may occur
If the driveway is getting a lot of use either by foot or by cars, it can mean that holes are more likely to appear which will effect the smoothness and the appearance. By keeping extra gravel, and topping this up every 18 months, this reduces the risk of holes appearing.
It can get dirty
Gravel has the tendency to get dusty and capture dirt, this means that in the dry Summer months, dust may start to appear more on your car or the outside of your house, and result in more frequent cleaning.
Have you been considering a gravel driveway? View the range we sell here and feel free to send us a query through our contact form or give one of our friendly customer advisors a call!
Photo attributions:
Low budget – <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background
Man delivery – <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/business-card”>Business
Earth with hands – <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/hand”>Hand
Visit one of our depots to see the range of gravel and shingle we sell, and to get the best advice, as well as price!