DIY loose stone parking pad - which stone size?

[JeanM]

Let's imagine a parking pad that's made of loose stone, set on a level base of weed fabric covered with paving sand. It's bordered by granite cobblestones or similar. This is where you get to park your campervan at home, and you get to maintain the area all year 'round. (If the stones migrate throughout the yard, into the grass, you're the one who has to put them back where they belong.)

Would you rather have 3/4 washed stone in your parking pad? Or inch and a half washed stone? Or some other kind of stone?

Is one safer for your tires than the other? Is one less appealing to the local wildlife? Is one easier to rake leaves off of, walk on in sandals, etc?

Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions!

[mkguitar]

get something heavy enough so that you can use a little leaf blower with out causing a shrapnel storm.


mike

[booster]

As was mentioned, larger stays put better, and personally I like the crushed rock that it is a bit jagged best as it kind of locks together compared to slippery river rock types.

[JeanM]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

get something heavy enough so that you can use a little leaf blower with out causing a shrapnel storm.


mike

LOL, noted We don't own a leaf blower now, but I can't rule that out for the future.

[JeanM]

Originally Posted by booster

As was mentioned, larger stays put better, and personally I like the crushed rock that it is a bit jagged best as it kind of locks together compared to slippery river rock types.

Thanks! With the crushed stone, I wonder if there's any reason to worry about tire punctures due to the excessive weight of the camper? Any direct experience?

[eric1514]

Originally Posted by JeanM

Thanks! With the crushed stone, I wonder if there's any reason to worry about tire punctures due to the excessive weight of the camper? Any direct experience?

I never had that problem when I parked on stuff like that, but if it worries you, go down to some place that sells farm stuff and buy a sheet of horse mat. It's 1" thick rubber usually sold in 4x6 ft sections and you can cut it to fit under your tires.

[booster]

Originally Posted by JeanM

Thanks! With the crushed stone, I wonder if there's any reason to worry about tire punctures due to the excessive weight of the camper? Any direct experience?

I have never heard of any issue with it, and there used to be lots of driveways around here that used it. Of course, maybe some of the decorative stone might be broken up to be sharper so be sure to check that. They used to sell it as driveway crushed rock around here and it was very popular because the quarry was actually within the Minneapolis city limits. When I was kid we would take the trailer to the quarry and get load to "refresh" the rock in our driveway as back then there was no landscape fabric under them and the rock would sink into the ground. Old driveways were tough to dig up sometimes as the rock would be mixed in to several inches or more.


The horsemat is a good thing if you are worried, as would be an 18" square patio paver at each wheel. On a good base, fabric, and sand either should sit pretty well, although the horse mat may bend a bit over time, I think.

[Davydd]

Most common gravel for driveways and unpaved roads is called Class 5 gravel which is crushed limestone up to 1” in size. You drive on it routinely in rural roads, campgrounds, unpaved driveways and campsite. It is used under paved surfaces as well for a base and you may have to renew it periodically. Generally for light traffic 4” will suffice. If you decide to pave later it is a good base. My old house I had a 400 foot driveway that lasted a good 20 years before I renewed it and paved over it with asphalt.

Washed river rock is mostly used in landscaping beds and to preserve its appearance it is usually put over a fabric cover to keep it from grinding into the soil and keep weeds from growing through. Being a looser rock it tends to scatter out into lawn areas. My new house is bordered by river rock and landscaping and I routinely have to toss rock from the lawn back onto the bed and I have no idea how it scatters because I don’t walk on it. Smooth round rocks have a mind of their own, I guess.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Davydd

I have no idea how it scatters because I don’t walk on it. Smooth round rocks have a mind of their own, I guess.

Have you been to "The Racetrack" in Death Valley NP?

[dicktill]

If there is any chance that you'll lay on these rocks and crawl under the camper, I would advise against larger rocks, as they can be uncomfortable to say the least, even with some sort of mat between them and you.

[booster]

Originally Posted by dicktill

If there is any chance that you'll lay on these rocks and crawl under the camper, I would advise against larger rocks, as they can be uncomfortable to say the least, even with some sort of mat between them and you.

Yes, been there, done that with the driveway where I grew up. Painful at best.


As to the class, it is a mix of rock, clay, and some sand and is made to compact a support other surfaces or as standalone use on gravel roads. A layer of class 5 under a couple inches of rock is much better, IMO, as the class 5 is kind of dirty and you can track it in to the van if it wet because of the clay and sand. Crushed rock or paver patios and driveways are often fabric, 2-4" of class 5 depending on the load they will see, and inch of leveling sand and then rock or pavers. The sand would often be skipped for thick enough layers of crushed rock. The low end of class 5 would be for walking surfaces and the high end for vehicle traffic. Class 5 does require compacting to make it dense and stable, so on a parking spot would need to be vibrator compacted in most cases. Class 5 also requires slope to drain as it is not very permeable.

[InterBlog]

Mine is "whatever the Highway Department uses" in terms of spec. Which I must admit escapes me, but my jurisdiction is different anyway (Nova Scotia). It's crushed, screened (size-sorted), and washed.

I built my private road out of hole-in-the-ground gravel fill, but the pad itself is packed with highway spec gravel because I knew I wanted that to be more robust, with less in the way of irregularities and fine material.

[JeanM]

Originally Posted by eric1514

I never had that problem when I parked on stuff like that, but if it worries you, go down to some place that sells farm stuff and buy a sheet of horse mat. It's 1" thick rubber usually sold in 4x6 ft sections and you can cut it to fit under your tires.

I could certainly do that, and hadn't thought of it - thanks! There's a co-op near enough.

[JeanM]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Most common gravel for driveways and unpaved roads is called Class 5 gravel which is crushed limestone up to 1” in size. You drive on it routinely in rural roads, campgrounds, unpaved driveways and campsite. It is used under paved surfaces as well for a base and you may have to renew it periodically. Generally for light traffic 4” will suffice. If you decide to pave later it is a good base. My old house I had a 400 foot driveway that lasted a good 20 years before I renewed it and paved over it with asphalt.

Washed river rock is mostly used in landscaping beds and to preserve its appearance it is usually put over a fabric cover to keep it from grinding into the soil and keep weeds from growing through. Being a looser rock it tends to scatter out into lawn areas. My new house is bordered by river rock and landscaping and I routinely have to toss rock from the lawn back onto the bed and I have no idea how it scatters because I don’t walk on it. Smooth round rocks have a mind of their own, I guess.

When I googled it last night, I discovered that the size-related labels that my local quarry uses seem to bear no relation to the labels used in the info I found online. Maybe that's a New England thing? Our local will deliver various kinds of stone, sand, and something called "rip rap". There's bulk pea gravel,
3/4 washed, 3/4 crushed, inch-and-a-half washed, inch-and-a-half crushed, 3" washed, 6" river rock... I believe all of it is some kind of river rock?

In the past I've parked on plenty of loose gravel and stone surfaces at campgrounds - all of which were way better than sinking into the mud and having to call a big rig to tow me out, which happened during my very first trip several years ago! But those parking experiences were just a few days at a time, during above-freezing weather... At home, this is going to be where the van sits for most of the winter. Ease of snow-shoveling would be another good reason to invest in a horse pad.

The installation will be done by a professional, but he's asked me to decide what to use as the top layer. It will cover the new parking pad (which is an extension of a paved driveway) as well as the front edge of the deck (on one side). On the other side, the stone will surround a small shed.

I really appreciate everyone's input! It feels like a big decision because it's expensive, and impossible to send back to the store once it's here.

[JeanM]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Mine is "whatever the Highway Department uses" in terms of spec. Which I must admit escapes me, but my jurisdiction is different anyway (Nova Scotia). It's crushed, screened (size-sorted), and washed.

I built my private road out of hole-in-the-ground gravel fill, but the pad itself is packed with highway spec gravel because I knew I wanted that to be more robust, with less in the way of irregularities and fine material.

What a gorgeous spot! Love it!

[JeanM]

Originally Posted by dicktill

If there is any chance that you'll lay on these rocks and crawl under the camper, I would advise against larger rocks, as they can be uncomfortable to say the least, even with some sort of mat between them and you.

That's a good point! I bet we also can't use the jack stands on loose stone. That's not a dealbreaker because we also have a driveway, but the idea of the additional parking area is to keep the van out of the driveway (tiny driveway) when it's not in use for a prolonged period of time, like when it's getting work done.

[JeanM]

Originally Posted by avanti

Have you been to "The Racetrack" in Death Valley NP?

Been there, good times!

Also I can vouch for the fact that rocks migrate! At the school where I used to teach, the foundation gardens were covered with what I think was 3" washed, and we were constantly finding these stones in every possible location despite the obvious "leave the stones alone" rule. Top of the playground equipment, windowsills, math area, bathrooms...

[JeanM]

Originally Posted by booster

Yes, been there, done that with the driveway where I grew up. Painful at best.


As to the class, it is a mix of rock, clay, and some sand and is made to compact a support other surfaces or as standalone use on gravel roads. A layer of class 5 under a couple inches of rock is much better, IMO, as the class 5 is kind of dirty and you can track it in to the van if it wet because of the clay and sand. Crushed rock or paver patios and driveways are often fabric, 2-4" of class 5 depending on the load they will see, and inch of leveling sand and then rock or pavers. The sand would often be skipped for thick enough layers of crushed rock. The low end of class 5 would be for walking surfaces and the high end for vehicle traffic. Class 5 does require compacting to make it dense and stable, so on a parking spot would need to be vibrator compacted in most cases. Class 5 also requires slope to drain as it is not very permeable.

That's good to know about permeability; I didn't realize that any of the loose/crushed stone options were not permeable. Preserving drainage is a priority in this particular situation.

[OregonTrader]

You've gotten good input here.

I'd only add that the surface prep you propose (landscape cloth covered by sand) is typically used for pavers (whether brick-sized or larger). If you are doing gravel (aka crushed rock) you can skip the sand.

The washed rock has the fine particles screened-out. That's decorative, but it won't pack hard and will always be crunchy and shift around. Driveways and parking areas are usually surfaced with 3/4"- or 1"-minus rock, meaning that there are fines and everything up to the maximum size in the name. The washed rock will work, it's a personal choice issue whether you prefer the look of the loose rock or want something that will lock-in and become a harder surface.

Either way, it will be nice to have a home for your rig.

[Road Toad]

We use recycled, crushed, sized concrete.
Most Cities have a recycling facility used to dispose of razed concrete materials.
Ours, In Colorado Springs, provides 3/4 ' and 1 1/2" .
We use the larger in driveways and the smaller in outbuilding floors.
It packs nicely and stays put in rain runoff.
$5 per ton