This may not be a problem for many homeowners, but for those of us that live in the country, driveways can become big issues. Even if you live in the city or suburbs, and you have recently built a home, you may experience similar problems. Recently cleared land means all sorts of fun stuff you might not have expected.
If your drive isn’t paved, you may be finding that as the weather warms and the ground begins to thaw your driveway is becoming soft. This can soon lead to quite a mess. If at all possible, try to park elsewhere and avoid using the driveway while it is soft.
Our driveway is about 250 feet long and most of it is gravel. However, we “extended” it by driving up further to park, but we haven’t had a chance to have another load of gravel added. We planned to do that this spring, but we shouldn’t have waited. Hindsight is always 20/20, but with talk of a mild winter, we figured it would be all right.
As I pulled into the driveway this morning, I found that it is very soft. My tires made some ruts, and now I’m going to have my work cut out for me. What should you do in this situation?
First, don’t allow the ruts harden. Take a shovel and push the elevated clumps along the side back into the rut. You will need to tamp the material down well. Apply some sand to soak up any excess moisture.
I have a little bit of gravel that was left from another project and I’m going to apply it to the affected areas until I get a full load of gravel. Since it’s supposed to be sunny and warm today, I’m just hoping that it will help dry things out a little.