DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Removing pea gravel from large area

4K views 42 replies 7 participants last post by  wrbrb 
#1 ·
Does anyone have any tips or a process they use to separate small pea gravel from soil? I have an area about 14' by 26' and I want to plant grass. It has everything from several inches of gravel on top of the soil, to gravel mixed into the soil. I'm planning on using a shovel and wheelbarrow to scoop up and move the gravel, but what about separating the gravel from the soil where it's mixed in?

I figure I only need to remove enough to get grass to grow, so maybe a half gravel half soil situation would be okay for that? I will still need to be sifting a lot of areas, I think.

I know there is 1/4" x 1/4" hardware cloth, or actual smaller window screen material, but I'm looking to buy something locally that is maybe closer to 1/8" squares

Or if there's a better way to do this, please let me know. There is probably not enough vertical space to add more fill on top, so I think I have to sift and move it.

 
See less See more
1
#5 ·
At times Im lazy(smile).
Grass grows in my gravel driveway.
If it was me...
...I'd remove any larger stones, size that would cause damage if flung by the mower.
...Level the area.
...Plant grass seed.
...Add enough top soil to cover the seed. Don't need much.

HTH...Don.
Thanks for that input. I think I'm going to make a sifter out of 2x6 and 1/8" hardware cloth, shovel up and sift the actual piles of gravel. But then in places where the gravel is compacted into the soil and not too dense, I'll probably just put the seed and some top soil on it and see how it does.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Just as a separate test, I filled the hole with a garden hose. After about an hour and a half, it was half empty. After three hours it was completely empty. So I'm guessing that's decent drainage time.

Edit: apparently this is called a perc test and I need to fill the hole with water again and check that it has drained within 24 hours so I will do that now
 
#20 ·
This is the low point on the entire property, and is blocked by a property line, house, garage, and driveway. In my opinion they built the "new" (1970s) garage way too high, and they raised the soil level around the house. During storms, water infiltrates the crawlspace and I am trying to put an end to that. I am already routing a couple downspouts along the property line all the way to the front yard in 4" PVC, but I would like to add a couple more downspouts and/or a sump pump to that. So I was thinking a dry well would handle surface water that flows to this area, and the grade would keep it out of the crawlspace.
 
#21 ·
Any plans for draining the well when needed?

A pump and buried tube to the nearby storm drain is needed too.

Sounds like a good plan so far.

ED
 
#23 ·
That might work.

I think that I would add 2 inches of Good topsoil on the surface, to give my lawn a chance to get established.

This will also take most of the low spot away, to better direct any water to the well, and away from the crawlspace.

You do know that you will need to mow around the well and the channel drains?



And with that tiller, be extra careful near the edges, and those pavers, It can grab those and really twist your arms.

ED
 
  • Like
Reactions: wrbrb
#24 ·
Well I'm making some progress. This is my plan now:

Capture runoff from grass/drive and newly-tilled area in a surface drain and the dry well inlet.

Direct the surface drain and one downspout into the dry well.

Dry well overflow to daylight, picking up another downspout along the way.

Future ability to tie sump pump from basement into system prior to dry well and prior to first downspout.

Sky Plant Purple Building Flower


Tilling by smashing with shovel and boots (in progress):
Road surface Grass Brickwork Brick Groundcover
 
#30 ·
So the buildings are not equal height at the foundations?

Then you will need a step down on one side to achieve a relatively level walking surface.

Your decision where though.

ED
 
  • Like
Reactions: wrbrb
#31 ·
So the buildings are not equal height at the foundations?

Then you will need a step down on one side to achieve a relatively level walking surface.

Your decision where though.

ED
Correct. For some reason they poured the garage foundation about 6 inches higher than the top of the house foundation. The garage foundation actually appears to have a horizonal "seam" as if it was poured in two 6-inch layers for a total of 12 inches.

I appreciate the confirmation, however obvious it might seem, that a step down would be necessary to create a somewhat level walking area. I think I will add the sunken 2x6 border on three sides and then gently slope to the middle.
 
#32 ·
I think that I would build a block retaining wall, instead of the PT that you suggest.

Might not be in your budget though.

These blocks will look better for longer and can be capped with more of those 2X2 brick steps that you already are using as a walkway and step out of the shop door.

ED
 
  • Like
Reactions: wrbrb
#33 ·
I do think that's probably out of my budget right now. I had been thinking about it more this afternoon while surveying the area, and now I'm wondering about just digging down 1-1/2 inches on the left side, doing a 2x2 type border on that side, and only exposing an inch and a half of the foundation on the right side. I know more exposed foundation is desired, but excavating 5-1/2 inches of additional soil from this space seems like a ton (pun intended) of work... I'm not sure which approach I'll end up going with.
 
#8 ·
At the rental store they have a tool called a HARLEY RAKE.

It is used by pulling it with a riding mower, and it digs a few inches at a time, separates the gravels from the dirt, puts the dirt back, puts the gravel in an onboard bin to dump elsewhere.

They are also sometimes self-propelled, no towing needed.

ED
 
#9 ·
Does this soil look like it has too much clay for a dry well to be effective, or would it likely work if when I keep digging there isn't much more clay than this in the mix?

And separate question, does the object in the last photo look like potentially 1970s landscape fabric? I found it while digging, a couple inches below the pea gravel.







 
#10 ·
Take some of your soil, place it in a clear jar, fill the jar almost full of water, cap it.

Shake the SNOT out of the jar.

Set it aside for 2 hours, then look at the settlings, Solids will be on the bottom, clay next, sand next then silt.

The top layer will be the organics.

Then you will know the approximate percentages of your soil.
As for that mystery material, it looks more like a bag for electronic equipment protection from static electricity to me.

ED
 
  • Like
Reactions: wrbrb
#15 ·
I see that you say it is tilled, By what?

If that mess were mine, I would be renting a garden tiller, and till it just like a garden is done.

Then it will be mixed well, and lumps broken up, and easily raked by hand.

The area looks small, you should be done in about an hour.

ED
 
#19 ·
Do you have a problem with standing water, or excess flooding in storms?

I am wondering why you want the dry well?

ED
 
#22 ·
Thanks for your feedback. I was thinking an open bottom dry well like the 50 gal type from NDS, surrounded by gravel. This is a 14'x26' area and their online calculator suggests one should be enough.

I thought I could just let it seep into the ground, and then if I needed to route the overflow pipe on the top over to the downspout system I could do that?

 
#25 ·
Would it make sense that, if the brick walkway and the bottom of the siding on the house to the right are level, and I want to both introduce drainage in a swale in the center of this space and also keep it relatively level so people can walk around on it, I might need to go down much further with the soil level?

I mean if my goal is also to expose maybe 4 to 6 inches of foundation (red lines in the image below), and slope say 2 more inches over 8 feet to the middle of the 16 ft-wide space, wouldn't I need to do something like the following?

I'm thinking dig down and do a 2x6 "edge" on the left, near, and far sides that might act as kind of a ledge that you would need to step down past. The bottom of the 2x6 would then be level with the bottom of the exposed portion of the house foundation. Those would be my starting points on the left and right sides, and then I would slope down two inches toward the center from each of those starting points.

Does that approach make sense?

If I don't do that, I'm thinking I would have a very uncomfortable steep V-shaped surface down to the swale, or a flatter ground but a deep swale people could trip on when walking across.

Or would I just do a shallow sloped ground and a deep cut in swale but fill it with decorative rocks/gravel or something to help keep it from being a tripping hazard?

Are there any benefits to one approach over the other?

A) Step down with gradual grade to very shallow "swale"
Road surface Grass Asphalt Composite material Groundcover


B) No step down, gradual grade until I get to the center and then cut in a deep swale (somehow prevent this from becoming a serious tripping hazard):

Plant Grass Slope Wood Terrestrial plant
 
#27 ·
I realize my paragraphs of stream of consciousness writing can be confusing. :)

But either way, if I'm directing water to the center of this area via swale with a dry well, perforated pipe to daylight, whatever...

The question I have now is, what do I do in the situation where:

  1. one side of this narrow area is about 6 inches lower than the other side
  2. i want them both sloped down slightly toward the center
  3. i want people to be able to walk around on this area without feeling a drastic slope
A) make a step down into the area on the front, left, and back sides of the space, then use a gradual slope

B) no step down, use a gradual slope (although steeper on one side than the other, and then cut a deep swale to join the "offset" between the different elevations, which becomes a bit of a tripping hazard, so maybe I fill it with decorative rock (regardless of whether it holds perf pipe or solid pipe with catch basins to a dry well)

Which would you choose?
 
#28 ·
C). Move some dirt from the high side to the low side.

Making them both the same height, with drainage centered over the area, and away to offsite.

ED
 
#29 ·
C). Move some dirt from the high side to the low side.

Making them both the same height, with drainage centered over the area, and away to offsite.

ED
Thanks for the suggestion -- the problem with that is if I move the dirt from the high side to the low side, the foundation on the low (right) side gets covered up and I don't want to necessarily go through the whole damp proofing of the foundation and removing siding deal. So I suppose either I have a strange uneven space that slopes the same percentage from either side and people struggle to walk on without feeling like they're in a fun house, or I make this into a cool retro sunken patio lined with the pressure treated 2x6... or am I overlooking something? Might not be the worst look, especially if this is already a low point and I'm catching water here?

Property Plant Wood Brickwork Grass
 
#34 ·
Just some more brainstorming, I know this is getting a little ridiculous at this point, but do you have thoughts on this approach?

I could use some 2x6 at the current grade, level with the brick walkway, and not have to excavate 5-1/2 inches of soil, and not even the 1-1/2 inches of soil, so there would not be any step down from the brick pathway.

I could grade the whole area toward the dry well catch basin inlet in the center of the area, but then...

Use pressure treated 2x6 to create a trench along the house. Potentially line that with heavy duty sheet poly, butyl taped to the foundation?

I would then have the option of one of the following, tied into the dry well:

- A few hidden catch basins, whose surfaces would be at the bottom of the trench, under nice looking landscaping rock that would be filled all the way up to an inch or two shy of the siding

- A channel drain running the entire length of this area, an inch or two below the siding

- Perforated pipe in the bottom of the trench, wrapped in landscaping fabric and then covered with decorative landscaping rock

Hopefully no water would tend to find its way to this trench system, but if it did it would be captured using one of those methods...

Foolish or worth doing?

Road surface Wood Grass Triangle Asphalt


Building Wood Asphalt Road surface Grass
 
#35 ·
Just some more brainstorming, I know this is getting a little ridiculous at this point, but do you have thoughts on this approach?

I could use some 2x6 at the current grade, level with the brick walkway, and not have to excavate 5-1/2 inches of soil, and not even the 1-1/2 inches of soil, so there would not be any step down from the brick pathway.

I could grade the whole area toward the dry well catch basin inlet in the center of the area, but then...

Use pressure treated 2x6 to create a trench along the house. Potentially line that with heavy duty sheet poly, butyl taped to the foundation?

I would then have the option of one of the following, tied into the dry well:

- A few hidden catch basins, whose surfaces would be at the bottom of the trench, under nice looking landscaping rock that would be filled all the way up to an inch or two shy of the siding

- A channel drain running the entire length of this area, an inch or two below the siding

- Perforated pipe in the bottom of the trench, wrapped in landscaping fabric and then covered with decorative landscaping rock

Hopefully no water would tend to find its way to this trench system, but if it did it would be captured using one of those methods...

Foolish or worth doing?

View attachment 747276

View attachment 747275
You don't need the 2x6 just get in and protect the wood and top of the foundation and you can raise the dirt level against the house.
Wood Brickwork Brick Rectangle Gas

Drywell can fill to the limit you want water to go out over the sidewalk before it can flood the house .
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top