How to add paving to driveway?

[paulabr20]

I have been advised to add some pavers to my driveway grass to help the wheels of my swinging gate track over the driveway. 

Currently the grass is lower than the concrete driveway path and the wheels on the gate get stuck getting up over edge ledge from the grass in between.  See pictures for reference. The pavers would only go as far as needed for the wheels to track over. Not all the way up the driveway. 

What kind of pavers should I use and how do I install them? Do I need gravel under the pavers? Best way to measure height of pavers needed? See photo for placement reference. 

 

note the pavers won’t actually be weight bearing unless on the odd occasion someone drives off the path accidentally. 

 

[EricL]

Hello @paulabr20

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your driveway paving project.

Your first assessment is correct, if the grass is lower than the current driveway you'll need to add gravel to increase the height of the paving block you'll be using. In this particular instance, since you are not driving over the paver it won't be necessary to go overboard on the preparation of the area to be paved. I recommend using Brighton Masonry 400 x 400 x 40mm Charcoal Mypave Paver along with Ki-Carma 20kg 10-20mm Drainage Gravel or similar.

Measure out the space you wish to cover with the pavers, use a builders line and some timber sticks to mark the area where you'll need to remove the turf. Once you've removed the turf, fill the area with drainage gravel and some Brunnings 20kg Landscape Paver Sand or similar. Use a Trojan 205mm Tamper or hire a small compactor to level the area. 

I recommend testing the paver to make sure that it levels off with your driveway. You can keep adding sand or gravel until you reach the proper height. Once you've reached the correct level, I suggest testing the gate over the pavers to make sure it swings over them without too much effort.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to pave a pathway. 

Eric

[paulabr20]

Eric thank you for your detailed response. I feel pretty confident in doing this now. Cheers!

[ironchieftain]

Hi Eric,

I have similar situation with a narrow old concrete driveway that I would like to extend by 0.5m each side. You mention not to go overboard with the ground preparation for pavers since there is no intention to drive onto them. Could you advise please how should I prepare the base if I am planning to drive on the pavers?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @ironchieftain,

You'd need to excavate around 150mm of soil and compact the area. We have compactors for hire. Then, you would add 100mm of roadbase and compact that. You'd then add some sand to bed your pavers into and lay them. To achieve a flush finish with the surrounding area, you'd adjust depths to suit the thickness of your chosen paver.

The key takeaway is that the area needs to be compacted with a suitable medium so you don't see any subsidence under the vehicle's weight. Also, ensure your selected pavers are suitable for a car to drive over them.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell