Gravel down an alleyway

[mackandmutley]

I want to section off the side of my house for my dog to have his own space away from the kids as well as doing his business away from the're playing. It is 13m long by 1.6m wide and originally had a concrete path running along its length but only 600mm wide, the rest being dirt.I broke the path up with a breaker and spread this hardcore all over the area.
My question is how do i get from here to the end finish which will be a pea shingle finish over the area which wont have a million weeds growing through it. Do I do what I did on the front drive and wacker plate this hardcore and then 2-3 ins of lean mix followed by the gravel or is there another way?

Many Thanks

 

[MickBee]

Two points: (1) if it's only a dog-run it doesn't need to be as heavy-duty as a driveway; (2) to avoid having a million weeds growing through the pea shingle, it may be worth putting down a layer of weed-control fabric between the soil and the pea gravel.

This means taking up the broken hardcore that you have spread out (sorry) and putting down the weed-control fabric, then putting the hardcore back, followed by 1" - 2" of pea gravel. You need enough depth of pea gravel to cover the hardcore.

Bear in mind that this will not stop all weeds. Some air-borne seeds will come and root in leaves, mud, the dog's droppings etc. It should stop deep-set weeds, though.

 

[mackandmutley]

Would I not need the lean mix then?

 

[MickBee]

Would I not need the lean mix then?

A layer of sand about 1" deep, filling in the gaps in the hard core, would ideally be better than just putting the pea gravel directly on the hardcore. A more solid construction is needed for vehicles which put greater forces, downwards and sideways, on the surface than feet .

A useful site for paths and drives is http://www.pavingexpert.com/