Putting gravel over lawn - any landscape experts?

[Pablo]

I have a section in my yard where I have a firepit, and just recently got a bunch of the Costco Adirondack plastic chairs which are HEAVY. Mowing and trimming here is a real pain. (PS: The Costco Adirondack chairs are nowhere near as my other Polywood chairs despite also being plastic and a similar design, but we wanted cheaper chairs near the fire incase they get melted by embers)

I'm planning on making it gravel, so I don't have to mow, and when something shoots off the fire, it doesn't burn the ground. Note that I say lawn, but this is just really weeds at this point

The red line would be approximate area I'd be making gravel

View attachment 215431

I'm thinking of getting this Blackstar Gravel

https://texasgardenmaterials.com/product/black-star-gravel-3-8-price-cubic-yard/#

I do not want the lawn to end up growing into the gravel easily, so my plan is to make a trench around the area, and then pour a concrete barrier around the whole thing a couple inches high. Then I can put some fabric down and fill to the top of the concrete barrier with gravel. For Drainage, I would drill holes in the form and throw some 1 inch PVC conduit through it, so the water can escape

Does anyone think my plan is dumb?

Dig the sod up. (rent a sod cutter)
Dig down to the depth of your brick/rock edging barrier. Follow the contours.
Two layers of HEAVY weed cloth
Edge install
Fill with 3/4" drain rock (really easy to walk on and does not drag out) 3/8" seems small.....just saying.....

Easy!

In work photos from early this month.......I needed a brick run!! But you get the idea. All done now. Multiple fires already. Path done too.

 

[SHOZ]

I cut a lot of sod out this spring. Used a long handled ice scraper. Cut it into bricks twice the blade length and one blade wide. After they sit a couple days they come out really easy. I used the sod to fill low spots.

 

[ecotourist]

For a weight bearing area (chairs etc) agree with removing the sod and digging out a few inches of soil. Replace with gravel.

The best and simplest grass or weed killer is a single layer of cardboard. We have a gardener and she has used cardboard in several places to kill everything underneath. She puts it right on top of grass we want to kill. We've generally put a good layer of mulch on top of it (but crushed stone would work well too).

The disadvantage of landscaping cloth will be when you go to remove it. It gets really stuck down. Cardboard will be long gone.

 

[rayg]

Cover the ground with 6 mil poly before pour gravel.
End of story.
Works great.

 

[SHOZ]

It's not so much the plants getting below the gravel to root as it is sprouting and growing in the gravel as a medium.

 

[burbguy82]

Having trouble envisioning your concrete barrier idea. Is that what will hold the gravel in?
I would dig 4 inches down, weed barrier, gravel, tamp it good with a hand tamper or plate compactor. Outline it with pavers or your concrete footer idea. If I had my tractor close by it would be a fun few hours.

+1 this person knows what they are talking about.

 

[Pablo]

+1 this person knows what they are talking about.

Except define gravel. Pea gravel? NO. Gets everywhere. Crushed rock? No. Doesn't drain well, compacts, sticks, et.

IMHO 3/4" drain rock or decorative rock is best for walking over a compact lower layer.

 

[doitmyself]

Except define gravel. Pea gravel? NO. Gets everywhere. Crushed rock? No. Doesn't drain well, compacts, sticks, et.

IMHO 3/4" drain rock or decorative rock is best for walking over a compact lower layer.

LOL, men discussing rocks!

Definitions/availability vary across the country. For us, "gravel" contains a mix of coarse and fines while "stone" is just the rocks of whatever size you specify.

I like crushed "stone" over round stone because the round stone tends to move around under foot (marbles) but the crushed stone locks in a bit, but still drains well.
Michigan 1 inch crushed stone:

 

[burbguy82]

Except define gravel. Pea gravel? NO. Gets everywhere. Crushed rock? No. Doesn't drain well, compacts, sticks, et.

IMHO 3/4" drain rock or decorative rock is best for walking over a compact lower layer.

Yeah, but after you remove the grass a couple of inches down, and put fabric, the grass will not come back. The gravel aspect is what it is, really you could put play sand.

If it was me I would use 57 or 59 washed stone.

 

[Pablo]

Those options look better than what I see here for what we called crushed rock (around 1/2-3/4" minus). It does interlock and make a near paved surface - for our long driveway out to the road, it's great. No way would I want that in a sitting area. Not attractive and sticks to everything and as I said water will pool up on it.

Use what you like. Yes round pea gravel does move and shift and gets dragged and kicked everywhere. OUR 3/4" stuff doesn't move so much, quite beautiful when wet especially and does compact a little because there are enough flattish stones to make it feel firm.

 

[Sumboodie]

Roundup should be illegal!

Propane torch all the way

And start a forest fire?

 

[mr_boring]

Just an alternative thought, if you are already thinking concrete, then use a 75/25 blend of concrete and gravel for a solid patio floor. I don't know if concrete fellas will agree with me, but I've mixed and poured plenty with that ratio of gravel to concrete and I know at least one of those patios is in use today, close to 20 years later.

At my old church, the Pastor wanted to lay a sidewalk from the church to the banquet hall, and I told him we could do it mixing that much gravel to concrete. He wasn't digging the idea until he priced concrete, then he was all for it. He was worried it would look janky, but I showed him some pictures and it really looks good.

You can use the cheapest gravel on the planet or use something you find to be pretty. The surface ends up with a nice texture too, you aren't trying for silky smooth.

If you ever decide to remove or move it, that's the downside to using concrete.