Laying Decomposed Granite for Driveways

[JDub]

Been doing a few searches and depending on what website you read you get differing opinions on how it should be layed.:eek:

Website one:

Lay 75-100mm of roadbase and compact, then add 50mm layer of deco granite stabilised with off white cement.

Website two:
Lay minimum 100mm of deco granite (no road base required). This site actually states if you lay deco granite over a hard area such as existing concrete driveways, it provides no flexibility and it will eventually crack.

What is the best option?
What is the cheapest option LOL?

It is quite a big area


(David Im still going to come and have a look at yours, will give you as call my PM's arnt working:confused: )

Cheers
Joel

[DavidG]

Lay ~75mm over the dirt and water it down.
That is all I did and it is ok until I skid the tractor wheels on it. That will dig it up a bit.
Did not wash out in the rain but does stick to the tyres when wet.

You can see it in the pix.

This is my incoming wood heap. Red gum for turning.
Still a bit more to bring in yet.

The TLB (tractor loader backhoe) has been driving backwards and forwards across the Deco granite with only a little marking of the surface.
Some of those half rounds of log go in excess of 300Kg.
That is a 20 litre drum of end seal, in the foreground.

[JDub]

Thanks david,

A friend of mine has just done it (he is a carpenter/landscaper), he layed 100mm of crushed concrete then 100mm of the red deco granite. Looks good.

Might just bite the bullet and do it properly (with the base course).... sigh. Damn my anal nature. why cant I just be half arsed LOL

Cheers
Joel

[Zed]

my neighbour had small pebbles on his driveway, everytime he drove in it sounded like the gestapo had arrived to arrest some poor bastard until he just installed a concrete one which is black :eek: but at least its quiet now.... make sure you tell your neighbours to thank you for not using pebbled drive instead of decomposed granite.

that looks like angophra (sydney redgum) in the photies ? correct ??? theres some size there....

I reckon your on the money - road base, compact, deco granite.

[DavidG]

Zed
E:blakelyi
It is common round Canberra. This was a 100+ year old tree the gov condemmed and gave the owner 12 mths to get it down.
Solid as a rock all the way through. Would have stood for another 100+ years.
Was just over 900mm at the base (minus bark).
Would have loved to have slabbed some but my chainsaw is only an 18".

JDub
You need a solid base if your ground is soft. Mine was very hard.
If you use the red granite it will need cement as it never sets.

The yellowy brown gunk that Corkill has at this time sets like a brick. Not all will do that so you need to check where you are getting the deco granite from and see how it holds together.

[JDub]

JDub
You need a solid base if your ground is soft. Mine was very hard.
If you use the red granite it will need cement as it never sets.

The yellowy brown gunk that Corkill has at this time sets like a brick. Not all will do that so you need to check where you are getting the deco granite from and see how it holds together.

Yer I intended using the yellowish one anway as I prefer the look.

Does the corkhill bros one actually have the cement premixed david or does it just naturally set harder?

Do you happen to remember the cost per cubic metre? I suppose I could get off my lazy behind and give them a call myself

[DavidG]

JDub
The ability of it to stick together depends on the mix of gunk (fines and coarse and clay particles) in the deco granite.
This depends on the pit it is coming from.

Luck of the draw but the browny yellow seems to stick the best.
The red ends up down the street every time it rains.

I spread mine with my backhoe (little) and packed it by back dragging the bucket.

Only took a day (in total) to dig out and lay, including the garden.
Forgot the cost but I used about 8 metres of the granite in two batches.

I did one layer then waited a week of packing and watering before I put the top layer on.