What Is Involved in Paving a Driveway?

Preparation

• It is essential to create a building plan for a driveway before you excavate. Consider various courses for the driveway, including winding, straight and circular paths, and chose the one that best fits the existing features and flow of your front yard. Decide on the width, noting that 10 feet is wide enough to accommodate one vehicle and 16- to 24 feet comfortably fits two. Based on the size and budget of the project, choose a paving material that best complements the home. Options include laying bricks, pavers or stones.

Dig the Foundation

• Excavating the site is the most physically challenging part of the process. The minimum depth for a driveway foundation is 12 inches. While you can do this with a shovel, renting an excavator is faster and does most of the heavy lifting for you. The bottom of the foundation should decline 1 inch deeper for every 8 feet of length toward the curb for water to drain away from the home. Once the digging is complete, stabilize the subsoil by going over it several times with a compactor machine or hand tamper.

Build Up the Base

• A proper gravel base not only supports the pavement, but absorbs ground tension and enables moisture to seep away. The best material to use for the base of a driveway is 3/4-inch gravel. These irregularly shaped rocks wedge into each other when compacted. Pour the gravel in three 3-inch thick layers, compacting the rocks between each layer. Once the base is at least 9 inches thick, pour course sand over them and rake it out until you have a 1-inch thick sand bed. (see ref 1)

Lay the Pavement

• Whether you're pouring concrete or laying pavers or other materials, begin paving the driveway at the curb so you're working up the slope. Install edging restraints around the inner walls to hold sand-set materials in place. Place the pavers or stones on top of the sand, and butt them against each other. Create your own pattern or follow a classic basket-weave or herringbone design. Once the entire driveway is paved, sweep sand into the joints to keep the individual pieces in position.