Gravel drive edge - laying kerb or sleepers on type 1
Discussion
Hi folks,
Our drive / parking area is coming on it is basically a rectangular parking area at the house front.
It was on a slope so required a lot of levelling. I would quite like to use sleepers or similar timber to edge it but not sure what the best way to lay / bed the timber would be? I could use kerbs but not seen ones that are cheaper that I like the look of.
If anyone has any pictures of cost effective drive edging or sleepers please post!!!
Our drive / parking area is coming on it is basically a rectangular parking area at the house front.
It was on a slope so required a lot of levelling. I would quite like to use sleepers or similar timber to edge it but not sure what the best way to lay / bed the timber would be? I could use kerbs but not seen ones that are cheaper that I like the look of.
If anyone has any pictures of cost effective drive edging or sleepers please post!!!
I'd avoid timber from a rotting point of view. Even tanalised stuff doesn't last for ever.
My personal preference is for a line of drive blocks bedded down in a trench of sand/cement.
Slightly different as it's front garden and not a driveway but this is what I did. Blocks came from Wickes and were 19p each.
If you want more of a ridge to stop overspill then you can place blocks on their end.
My personal preference is for a line of drive blocks bedded down in a trench of sand/cement.
Slightly different as it's front garden and not a driveway but this is what I did. Blocks came from Wickes and were 19p each.
If you want more of a ridge to stop overspill then you can place blocks on their end.
like a smack hag's teeth.
LOL
I've just edged a widened drive using round top edging kerbs (50x150) on a conc found and backed up with conc. Not quite to highway standards but OK in a garden (I hope).
Have used sleepers to create a raised bed and will be using more to create a retaining wall around a new garage. Laid them longitudinally "on edge" but
need to find a better of keeping them together before they start to slide. There are long screws I need to look at.
New sleepers (not really sleepers as railway sleepers are bigger than 2400x200x100) are easy enough to cut with a chain saw but it can be difficult to cut neatly. Incised sleepers are supposed to be better protected. Got a good price for a "bulk" buy of sleepers from Buildbase. Jewson did the edging kerbs at about £5 each when buying a few which worked out slightly cheaper than the sleepers but there's more work involved in laying them.
Don't buy from a garden centre....
LOL
I've just edged a widened drive using round top edging kerbs (50x150) on a conc found and backed up with conc. Not quite to highway standards but OK in a garden (I hope).
Have used sleepers to create a raised bed and will be using more to create a retaining wall around a new garage. Laid them longitudinally "on edge" but
need to find a better of keeping them together before they start to slide. There are long screws I need to look at.
New sleepers (not really sleepers as railway sleepers are bigger than 2400x200x100) are easy enough to cut with a chain saw but it can be difficult to cut neatly. Incised sleepers are supposed to be better protected. Got a good price for a "bulk" buy of sleepers from Buildbase. Jewson did the edging kerbs at about £5 each when buying a few which worked out slightly cheaper than the sleepers but there's more work involved in laying them.
Don't buy from a garden centre....
Skyedriver said:
like a smack hag's teeth.
LOL
I've just edged a widened drive using round top edging kerbs (50x150) on a conc found and backed up with conc. Not quite to highway standards but OK in a garden (I hope).
Have used sleepers to create a raised bed and will be using more to create a retaining wall around a new garage. Laid them longitudinally "on edge" but
need to find a better of keeping them together before they start to slide. There are long screws I need to look at.
New sleepers (not really sleepers as railway sleepers are bigger than 2400x200x100) are easy enough to cut with a chain saw but it can be difficult to cut neatly. Incised sleepers are supposed to be better protected. Got a good price for a "bulk" buy of sleepers from Buildbase. Jewson did the edging kerbs at about £5 each when buying a few which worked out slightly cheaper than the sleepers but there's more work involved in laying them.
Don't buy from a garden centre....
Bleeding eck, £5 each, that's taking the Jewson lot!!LOL
I've just edged a widened drive using round top edging kerbs (50x150) on a conc found and backed up with conc. Not quite to highway standards but OK in a garden (I hope).
Have used sleepers to create a raised bed and will be using more to create a retaining wall around a new garage. Laid them longitudinally "on edge" but
need to find a better of keeping them together before they start to slide. There are long screws I need to look at.
New sleepers (not really sleepers as railway sleepers are bigger than 2400x200x100) are easy enough to cut with a chain saw but it can be difficult to cut neatly. Incised sleepers are supposed to be better protected. Got a good price for a "bulk" buy of sleepers from Buildbase. Jewson did the edging kerbs at about £5 each when buying a few which worked out slightly cheaper than the sleepers but there's more work involved in laying them.
Don't buy from a garden centre....
Thanks that’s great any pics of the sleepers?
Tonker - I’d love to do them end on but just don’t have the time I’m sure that looks great!
Those flat edge kerbs are option 2 but hoping to get them in brown which seems tricky!
The area was a part of a field and is 12x20m plus so small blocks is not an option, not worried about rot will still get a good few years use the overall effect I’m going for is smart, countryish and low cost - the gravel finish is fairly plain.
I did see those edging kerbs but was just worried about installing time wise I thought sleepers would be quicker but it’s how to hold them in place?
Tonker - I’d love to do them end on but just don’t have the time I’m sure that looks great!
Those flat edge kerbs are option 2 but hoping to get them in brown which seems tricky!
The area was a part of a field and is 12x20m plus so small blocks is not an option, not worried about rot will still get a good few years use the overall effect I’m going for is smart, countryish and low cost - the gravel finish is fairly plain.
I did see those edging kerbs but was just worried about installing time wise I thought sleepers would be quicker but it’s how to hold them in place?
Edited by strath44 on Friday 19th October 10:39
Edited by strath44 on Friday 19th October 10:41
What I’m dealing with!!
The area has to be flattened a bit yet then the type 1 on top which is getting rolled.
This was sort of what I was thinking of:
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/zwKCc2tC[/url]
Skyediver - what depth of concrete did you use?
My options for the founds are a little limited due to the rubble used to build up one side of the area - I was basically just going to use a few inch bed of stiff concrete then haunch them in!
I was hoping there would be some sort of rebar pin I could hammer in with a bracket to screw onto the sleeper!?
The area has to be flattened a bit yet then the type 1 on top which is getting rolled.
This was sort of what I was thinking of:
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/zwKCc2tC[/url]Skyediver - what depth of concrete did you use?
My options for the founds are a little limited due to the rubble used to build up one side of the area - I was basically just going to use a few inch bed of stiff concrete then haunch them in!
I was hoping there would be some sort of rebar pin I could hammer in with a bracket to screw onto the sleeper!?
Edited by strath44 on Friday 19th October 11:05
I used these when I built a sleeper edged patio and large raised bed at the end of my garden. Just dig a hole for the spike and set it in with postcrete. Once the base layer of sleepers was in for the bed I fixed the next layer using 300mm sleeper screws (I was using 250 mm sleepers on their long edges).
https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Landscaping/d130/...
https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Landscaping/d130/...
Thanks that’s what I’m after exactly if I go the sleeper route, I could see me trying to make them as I would need a few!!
Off that suggestion I’ve found these which look good as well https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Timber-Railway-Sleeper-...
Off that suggestion I’ve found these which look good as well https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Timber-Railway-Sleeper-...
Edited by strath44 on Friday 19th October 14:23
What are you having to retain? If anything. Our drive slopes towards the house, and after an issue with holding the caravan on the slope I built a raised area to hold the caravan. The retaining wall for the caravan is built using railway sleepers , or rather the modern version. They are stood on the narrow 6ft length so about 12 inch high, and upto 3 on each other. The bottom one is about 6 inches underground, so abut 2 1/2 ft high. They are screwed together down through them. Behind them I have shingle to a depth of about 3 inches for drainage and behind that soil and roadstone. Only sign of movement is where I tried to reverse the caravan over the top.
No sign of rot after 8 years but I did put several layers of treatment on them before installing them.
No sign of rot after 8 years but I did put several layers of treatment on them before installing them.
Mammasaid said:
Skyedriver said:
£4.45 +VAT when buying more than 3. cheaper than Buildbase who were £7
this is Oban, west coast Scotland
Fair enough, Scottish pricing does take the piss...this is Oban, west coast Scotland
re the Q about concrete thickness, the edging kerbs were on what I would describe as "enough" to hold them in place as they were set on well consolidated Type ! sub base. The sleepers for the retaining wall will similarly be on well consolidated Type 1 but those around the raised beds are just on well compacted sub soil. If they move a little it isn't the end of the world. None of the above will get vehicular traffic.
As an aside, many moons ago I worked for a local authority and used to inspect developers works. Kerb founds needed to be the right size thickness etc. When our own direct labour used to lay kerbs it was a shovel full of concrete mixed in a barrow then thrown on the ground!
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