Removing gravel and Tarmacing drive

[alan0259]

Hi all,

About a year ago I had half grass and half tarmac in my front garden.

The grass was a bit of a mess and so decided to extend the drive.

We dug out all of the grass and a couple of inch of mud, put membrane down and put 3 ton of gravel on top.

All was well for a few months and then it started to pour down with rain.

The car started to sink and has chewed bits of mud up.

I've looked into it and found out I should have put a compacted hardcore base down first

Now the plan is to tarmac the section where the gravel is currently.

The question is, can I pull the gravel away, dig out most of the mud, put the original gravel back down and use a vibrating roller on this to use as hardcore? Then get a tarmacing company in?

If I can use the gravel I've already bought it won't cost as much as I'm thinking...

This is the gravel I've got, cotswold buff...

Thanks

 

[alan333]

You could try it but it won't compact together as good as hardcore. It'll probably turn to mush again complete with your new tar.

For light traffic on a driveway (no heavy vans etc) I'd dig out a minimum of 4-6 inches, compact it then lay the tar, ensuring a fall for rainwater to run away.

You could perhaps mix your existing chips with your new hardcore tho.