We want to pave our driveway. It’s easily over 100m² (1,076 sq ft). We have quotes around 6,500€. Now I'm really feeling a bit stingy and wondering if it’s something we can do ourselves? It’s not exactly rocket science, right? Has anyone here done their own paving? Is it possible for a layperson to handle 100m² (1,076 sq ft) on their own?
Driveway
Concrete curbs installed by three people in 2 days (1 mixing concrete, 1 delivering the stones, 1 setting the stones)
Otherwise, gravel is spread over our 30cm (12 inches) of crushed stone base, leveled, and paving stones laid with 3 to 4 people in an active 3 days. It’s reasonable to allow an extra day.
Concrete curbs installed by three people in 2 days (1 mixing concrete, 1 delivering the stones, 1 setting the stones)
Otherwise, gravel is spread over our 30cm (12 inches) of crushed stone base, leveled, and paving stones laid with 3 to 4 people in an active 3 days. It’s reasonable to allow an extra day.
S
SteffenBank9 Feb 2017 06:40kaho674 schrieb:
mmh, well, the base is already stabilized and there is gravel on top.Is the gravel compacted yet? If not, it definitely needs to be compacted. It’s best to start with the edging stones, then you can see if more gravel is needed or if it’s sufficient as is. With some effort and helpers, this shouldn’t be a problem. Work step by step, leveling and laying the stones. Ideally, have 3 to 4 people. Most time is lost when the person laying the stones runs out. So, place the pallets with the stones as close as possible to the driveway and have at least two people handing you the stones.
SteffenBank schrieb:
...Most of the time is lost when the person laying the bricks runs out of them. So place the pallets with the bricks as close to the driveway as possible and have at least two people handing you the bricks.Exactly! Once you have a section leveled, laying the bricks goes really fast.
Just to clarify: I misunderstood initially—I thought that at the questioner's site, gravel was provisionally dumped on the building plot and then compacted to serve as a temporary driveway. Regarding sand: what some here call gravel, I still consider sand, in which the stones are laid. It is clear that the jointing is done later with much finer sandbox sand. Anyway... anyone wanting to pave will find plenty of videos on YouTube demonstrating the working steps.
A
angoletti19 Feb 2017 11:22Hello everyone,
I’m going to be a bit unpopular now and recommend thinking this through carefully because it’s not just a matter of “laying a few stones and everyone is happy.”
Excavating the parking areas during the house’s groundwork and filling them with gravel was a good first step. However, the gravel is usually installed up to the final level of the future courtyard/parking area so trucks can easily access the site during construction. Assuming 8cm (3 inches) of paving plus 3-5cm (1-2 inches) of bedding sand, you will need to remove about 12cm (5 inches) of gravel again. Of course, this gravel was compacted beforehand and has often been in place for 1-2 years. Good luck removing that by hand. For 100m² (1,076 sq ft), that’s about 12m³ (15.7 yd³) of material. Compacted gravel weighs around 1.7 tons per cubic meter, so you can do the math yourself.
After scraping off 12cm (5 inches), the area needs to be compacted again. For a parking lot, a lightweight 120kg (265 lb) vibrating plate from a hardware store won’t suffice; it’s better to bring in heavier equipment to minimize future settling.
Next, set the edging stones—it’s not difficult. Have a good breakfast and get going. Since some gravel usually needs to be removed from underneath the edging stones, it’s best to use a tamper to ensure a firm base. Slope and drainage are, of course, considered during planning.
Then add the bedding sand; for 100m² (1,076 sq ft), that’s about 5m³ (6.5 yd³), or 8-9 tons. Two people can get this done in half a day. Insert screed rails, level the height, and use a screed board to level the surface—this day is done.
Laying the paving stones is the most technically straightforward part of the job. Don’t forget to tap them occasionally with a rubber mallet; this usually takes a day.
Afterward, cut the stones to fit as needed, so you only need to rent the stone cutter for one day.
Finally, joint the stones with sand and run over the surface again with the vibrating plate, making sure to use a rubber mat underneath. Add more jointing sand if necessary, and you’re done for the day.
Don’t get me wrong—I’ve done this myself: over 100 linear meters (330 ft) of 8cm (3 inches) thick edging stones, some requiring 40cm (16 inches) thick larger stones, and 200m² (2,150 sq ft) of paving. To keep it challenging, we chose 60x40cm (24x16 inches) stones—each weighing 36kg (79 lb) and a total of 36 tons (40 short tons)—which only worked with a vacuum lifter. This took nearly five weeks, working every evening and weekends besides a full-time job, and of course, we had all the necessary machinery—from tampers and vibrating plates to an excavator. As long as you work carefully, know what you’re doing, and have no back problems, it’s doable.
But describing it casually as if it’s a quick side job—like it’s done around here—is not how it actually is if you want to do it properly.
I’m going to be a bit unpopular now and recommend thinking this through carefully because it’s not just a matter of “laying a few stones and everyone is happy.”
Excavating the parking areas during the house’s groundwork and filling them with gravel was a good first step. However, the gravel is usually installed up to the final level of the future courtyard/parking area so trucks can easily access the site during construction. Assuming 8cm (3 inches) of paving plus 3-5cm (1-2 inches) of bedding sand, you will need to remove about 12cm (5 inches) of gravel again. Of course, this gravel was compacted beforehand and has often been in place for 1-2 years. Good luck removing that by hand. For 100m² (1,076 sq ft), that’s about 12m³ (15.7 yd³) of material. Compacted gravel weighs around 1.7 tons per cubic meter, so you can do the math yourself.
After scraping off 12cm (5 inches), the area needs to be compacted again. For a parking lot, a lightweight 120kg (265 lb) vibrating plate from a hardware store won’t suffice; it’s better to bring in heavier equipment to minimize future settling.
Next, set the edging stones—it’s not difficult. Have a good breakfast and get going. Since some gravel usually needs to be removed from underneath the edging stones, it’s best to use a tamper to ensure a firm base. Slope and drainage are, of course, considered during planning.
Then add the bedding sand; for 100m² (1,076 sq ft), that’s about 5m³ (6.5 yd³), or 8-9 tons. Two people can get this done in half a day. Insert screed rails, level the height, and use a screed board to level the surface—this day is done.
Laying the paving stones is the most technically straightforward part of the job. Don’t forget to tap them occasionally with a rubber mallet; this usually takes a day.
Afterward, cut the stones to fit as needed, so you only need to rent the stone cutter for one day.
Finally, joint the stones with sand and run over the surface again with the vibrating plate, making sure to use a rubber mat underneath. Add more jointing sand if necessary, and you’re done for the day.
Don’t get me wrong—I’ve done this myself: over 100 linear meters (330 ft) of 8cm (3 inches) thick edging stones, some requiring 40cm (16 inches) thick larger stones, and 200m² (2,150 sq ft) of paving. To keep it challenging, we chose 60x40cm (24x16 inches) stones—each weighing 36kg (79 lb) and a total of 36 tons (40 short tons)—which only worked with a vacuum lifter. This took nearly five weeks, working every evening and weekends besides a full-time job, and of course, we had all the necessary machinery—from tampers and vibrating plates to an excavator. As long as you work carefully, know what you’re doing, and have no back problems, it’s doable.
But describing it casually as if it’s a quick side job—like it’s done around here—is not how it actually is if you want to do it properly.
S
SteffenBank9 Feb 2017 11:35If compacted crushed stone needs to be removed, it is definitely tough, I agree with you. When it comes to the edging stones, that really isn’t a problem, and spreading 8-9 tons of gravel isn’t either. If necessary, you can also rent a small skid-steer loader for 1-2 days. Obviously, you won’t finish that over a single weekend, that should be clear.
For our terrace (almost 40m² (430 ft²)), my father and I took nearly 3 days to complete it.
For our terrace (almost 40m² (430 ft²)), my father and I took nearly 3 days to complete it.
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