Concreting over a gravelled drive

[gedclarke]

I have a large drive covered in gravel that I want to concrete over. Beneath the thin layer of gravel is a layer of asphalt followed by brick and finally earth. The top layer is about a foot thick before getting to clay/earth.

The question I need answering is... can I concrete straight on top of the gravel or do I need to remove it?

I assume I do not need to remove the hard surface layer of asphalt and brick?

The drive was used as a hardstanding for heavy vehicles so is very strong.

I would be grateful for any advise.

 

[gday2uk]

You need a solid base for the concrete to lay on so may be best to bag up the stones for use elsewhere. But, do you really want 100mm of conrete on top of what is there now? That is why you dig down to get decent levels. Also if it is a large area you'll need to do it in sections so as it doesn't crack when set.

 

[Richard C]

From your post, not sure if what you’re doing is relevant but you should be aware of this;

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115316438436.html

Not a drive expert by any means but if you want it to last, I would not lay a concrete base for vehicle traffic over gravel; or even asphalt come to that!