Question
My parents have a cement driveway that can be tricky to back out of. When it rains the grass and  ground around it is extremely soft. Is there anyway to toughen up the edges aroud the drive. I was thinking sand or gravel I saw the grass mesh kits but i was hoping for something simpler.


Answer
I can not offer the best advice without more information like drainage patterns, grades, soil types, soil type depths, compaction, etc. However, in general you should be able to excavate the soft soil down below the frost depth in your area(varies around the country) and replace it with compacted aggregates (small pieces of crushed granite typically). It won't look that good but will support the cars. If you keep the width of the gravel consistent and parallel to the driveway it may appear as decorative gravel strips on either side of the driveway rather than a patch job. Just remember don't use peagravel or large loose gravel types. You must use crushed gravel which is over 50% fines and small chips and only a little bit of gravel that is slightly bigger than a quarter. This also must be compacted when installed. Use a small hand guided plate compactor which you can rent locally.

Good Luck


Sean J Murphy, LA,ISA, LEED AP
Please check out my blogs and articles on landscape topics like this on my websites.
http://www.seanjmurphy.com
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