Inexpensive alternatives to a gravel driveway?
Question:Need to make a driveway that won't wash away. We drove out there the other day after the rain and the ground was really soggy and marshy. It's near Galveston Bay and the soil is loam and clay. No bedrock. What could we use besides gravel? Would oyster shells work? We could probably get tons of that for free.
Answers:
I am from Texas..around Austin..but lived in the florida keys for 6 years and the Florida panhandle for 9...All the hurricanes we had left the oyster shell driveways..I been thru 19 hurricanes..and lost one house..but no oyster shell driveway was ruined or washed away..I believe in them!
I wouldnt trust oyster shells to not wash away. try recycled concrete, it's cheap. it is called RCA. I just got 7 yards for a piece of my driveway delivered in May for 76 dollars.. not so bad...
Unfortunately in that type of soil anything that is in small pieces will wash away and or sink several times until the base underneath is built up by the materials you are using. If you have a company come and put in a solid driveway ...you will find it a bit pricey because they will have to use alot of substrate materials as well as "tamp" down the earth due to it's softness. You say it's also soggy and marshy which indicates that it lies in a water prone problem area so you would need to provide some good drainage also to keep the soil drier and not crack a solid driveway. It most likely cannot be done in a cheap way that will give you long lasting quality.
I own a concrete business and we have literally tons and tons of gravel and RC products that we give to home owners everyday if you have at least a half ton pick-up,call your local interstate concrete,I bet you can get it for next to nothing or free.
well...depending on how patient you are, you could use straw. Back in the stone ages they would work straw in with mud to make bricks and stones.
You hit the nail on the head with Oyster shells. You can go just about anywhere and get them (I dont mean to point out the obvious but an Oyster House Restaurant will deff. help you!)
I don't know where you live, but I get medium limestone gravel for $25/ton delivered.
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