How to Create a Pebble Based Driveway That Won’t Break the Budget

Are you looking to amp up your home’s curb appeal? Are you tired of your house looking like every other one on the block? People often jump to the conclusion that they need to add landscaping features, patios, and porches, but did you know that you can make some cosmetic changes to your driveway that will change the entire look of your home?

Pebble based driveways are becoming the latest landscaping request thanks to the fact they are environmentally friendly and don’t tend to break the budget. So how can you go about creating one of these eye-catching driveways? Let’s take a closer look.

Why Choose a Pebble Driveway?

There are all kinds of things you can do to your home to help it stand out, but if you’re looking for a big impact then you want to look at your driveway. Think about how much space your driveway takes up, it’s a huge feature off the front of your home. Any change you make to it is going to be incredibly noticeable.

Pebble based driveways, also known as gravel driveways, allow you to customize the driveway’s look by choosing the color scheme of the pebbles and the general size of them. What’s also great is that this pebble-based driveway tends to work with all styles and ages of homes. It looks just as great with an old Victorian home as it does with a modern brick bungalow.

If you’re the type who is concerned about choosing environmentally-friendly products for your home, then you’ll love the fact that this one is eco-friendly. You’ll even find it’s cheaper than a lot of the other driveway options out there, especially considering you can do it yourself.

How to Create the Driveway

Speaking of doing it yourself, a pebble-based driveway is definitely an eco-friendly project that you can tackle all on your own. What’s great is that you need little to no experience in landscaping in order to pull this driveway off and show off some rather professional looking results. The process consists of a number of steps that you will want to follow. While some may take shortcuts, these steps are meant to ensure the driveway retains its structure and functionality.

1. Mapping Out Your Driveway

You’ll want to begin by mapping out the layout of the driveway. You can use a thick twine to do this. Simply plant stakes at either end and tie the twine around the stakes. You’ll basically be building a driveway template. If there’s any grass or debris that’s sitting in the template, it will need to be removed. For large areas, it may be necessary to explore machinery options depending on your motivation and digging skills.

2. Get The Right Measurements

Now that you’ve mapped out the driveway and cleared it, you’re ready to move on to the next step. This one is incredibly important as it involves measuring. You need to get the measurements right so that you’re sure to order/purchase the right amount of pebbles. As a general rule, you’ll probably want to create a couple of layers of pebbles as this helps to make the driveway more structurally sound. It is suggested that each layer be between four to six inches in depth.

3. Ordering Your Pebbles

Once the area is measured you’re now ready to order the pebbles and set up delivery. This isn’t something you’ll want to pick up on your own as it’ll be a pretty large amount of pebbles that you’ll need. Ideally, you’ll want to pick stones and pebbles that are two to three inches in size.

Next you may want to think about how you plan to spread out the pebbles when they arrive so you’re prepared. The tools you’ll most likely need are a heave-duty shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a metal rake. Professionals recommend that you have each layer delivered on a separate day so you have time to spread it evenly each time.

4. Make Sure The Ground Is Prepared

Before the truck arrives, take a little time to go over the dirt on your driveway and make sure that it’s even, there are no pits or potholes, and that there’s an adequate slope for proper drainage if possible. You may also choose to lay some sort of barrier that will help to control the weeds.

In some cases, depending on where you live, the driveway may need a layer of gravel placed down before the pebbles and stones are delivered. Once the gravel and pebbles are in place, it may be necessary to install something along the sides of the driveway to keep the pebbles contained. There are all kinds of options here including wood to larger stone barriers that can be hidden against the grass.

When you’ve smoothed out the layers, you’ll have a lovely pebble driveway.

Your Masterpiece is Ready

With just a bit of planning and some hard work, you’ll soon have a masterpiece of a driveway that you can enjoy. Perhaps, the best part about your pebble driveway is that it’s eco-friendly and didn’t break the bank.

Jimmy Stanley

Jimmy Stanley founded PSI Paving in 2004. Their expert team of paving contractors are considered the best in the business. Honesty is a hallmark at PSI Paving, so you can rest assured that our team will take great care every step of the way to give you the outcome you want.