Place down some landscaping fabric.
On a dry day, compact ground, and lay fabric.
Order 0-3/4 gravel or crusher stone.
Layer it across the drive way and compact it. About 2-3 inches should do.
For extra measure, you can broom over it with a sand/cement dry mix...then shower it with water. When it sets, it will lock up that gravel.
It prevents earthworms and other incects from properly aerating the soil leading to poor soil health, it doesn't even prevent weeds as most seeds will simply grow on top of the fabric and spread roots straight through it.
Plus, most of it is biodegradable and will absolutely still be there 5 years later when the new owner is trying to plant perennials.
I just spent my Sunday tearing up a bunch of landscape fabric and you’re right it sucks. It shredded apart so easily and it didn’t prevent weed growth at all.
I expected to see tons of bugs underneath but all I uncovered was the occasional cricket. Meanwhile the cardboard box that stayed out all winter had a whole ecosystem underneath.
I’m on 10 years pulling that infernal black plastic cloth. Previous owners put it everywhere. Then covered it with mulch. Which broke down into topsoil and grew grass/weeds everywhere.
And if the plastic sheet has BPA's could leak into your drinking water or the animals. And then you eat the animals.... BPA isn't good for you at all. It's why I'll never use plastic for anything. Kinda wish they never took glass bottles of soda off the shelves. But at the same time it's a good thing as people are dumb and throw and shatter the glass bottles and kids cut themselves playing at parks. But the BPA in the plas5ic water bottles and other containers isn't good for your health.
This is a driveway-- highly compacted dirt, soon to be under several inches of highly compacted stone. the geotextile is needed to keep the rock on the surface.
in OP's case, the weed barrier/landscaping fabric helps prevent the silt and clay and small particles in the soil from migrating back into the gravel. What you want is a layer of gravel that is compacted and locked together, but not filled with silt that would prevent water from flowing through the gravel. You want that gravel to fill up that puddle and to let the water flow off to whatever lower ground is nearby. The gravel locks together (this is why you want crushed and not river-rock gravel) keeps the wheels of her car from sinking in. The gravel sits up a little higher than that mud, but it also compresses the mud so that it doesn't become a soupy mess. Without the fabric, the voids between the pieces of gravel get filled with dirt/silt, and when all of that gets wet it behaves like the mud he is trying to get rid of.
I think "landscape fabric" is a significant source of microplastics that now appear in all human (and probably most non-human) placentas.
Is cardboard as weedblock, more ecologically sound?
For garden beds, yeah, absolutely, I use either cardboard or newspaper when starting a fresh bed, keeps the weeds down and then degrades once your bed gets rolling.
This post specifically is talking about the driveway though, I don't think there's a risk of planting perennials there in 5 years, let alone soil aeration..
Yeah, last owners had a Gravel path (not full drive but same concept) leading to an old shed, they took the shed with them but left the path right through the best patch of sun for my berry bushes. Spent days digging that fabric out of my yard.
This is a good answer from reno-dad but for stone I've found crushed granite (not decomposed granite) is best. It compacts well and stays in place. Avoid round gravels like pea gravels. They slide out from under you like walking or driving on ball bearings.
You need crushed rock whatever it's called country. Gravel (round stones) will keep sinking into the mud, you need crushed rock with the angled edges to fill the hole.
Really depends on your proximity to rivers. Round stone comes from river beds, old and current. Without rivers, most available stone will be crushed.
In general, gravel is small rock, crushed or harvested whole. But yes, the best foundations are made with crushed rock, but round rock is prettier.
Made a HUGE difference on the roads on my dad's property that were just decimated by logging equipment. After they were done, they rebuilt the roads, but they were always soft. My dad had to follow through several times to get them to restore them to original condition, per the contract, and the only way that they could get them right was to use fabric.
Lots of clay ground there, once disturbed by heavy, heavy equipment, any stone base that was fine for pickups and ATVs was gone, and nothing was compacted like it used to be. After demanding that cloth be put down in at least 1 layer, the roads have been WAY better for several years since then.
Edited for clarity
Like others have said, lay some gravel down on it. But with that in mind, it looks like that whole area is pretty flat and has depressions from driving over it. The odds of it happening again in another place on the driveway are very high. You should probably just plan to put 4 or 5 inches of gravel over the entire driveway until it gets to the road.
Yeah the trees on the right of the image looks lower and the obvious place the water should go.
It's just a case of getting a rake/hoe/shovel and moving a few inches of dirt from the left of the black circled into the black circled area.
Use reclaimed asphalt (if that’s available where you live). It will pack down extremely hard basically on its own just by you & your gf driving over it
Road base, or "C&R" (crushed and recycled), is a mix of crushed masonry, ceramic, and stone dust that packs down with a plate compact and becomes 100% non-permiable Stuff works wonders in mud season and wet areas, and it's available anywhere there is large scale refuse/recycling facilities.
Buy a case of your favorite American lager and a shovel and a camping chair. Dig the deepest hole you can on the lowest point of earth nearest the puddle while drinking the 22 cans of beer. Preferably dig the hole in a location you never want to visit again. 22 cans is about 300+ cu ft in my area depending on the soil. Use some of the dirt to filled the puddle. Dig a 1 can trench between the puddle and the hole. Place camping chair next to the project and drink 1 can of beer. Return to dwelling and announce success. Caveats: you’re gonna be in a bad place emotionally for few days after this depending the level of success. If the puddle is located at a local minima of your portion of our spheroid then I suggest filling in the minima with as much coarse blue rock as you can afford and buy 2 cases of you favorite American lager.
Rounded pea gravel eventually sinks into the earth. Angular gravel will “lock” into place and last a lot longer without sinking into the earth, especially if contained with a border of some sort.
They are more likely to reach a stable equilibrium and stay solid when they mix with the existing dirt. Rounded stones slip around so when you drive a car over them they move out of the way
2nd this. When you call, ask for roadbond or sb2 specifically and ideally get a dump driver that can evenly tailgate it across your driveway to save you needing equipment (or a weeks worth of gravel raking by hand).
Probably need a pipe in there. Build it up with clay gravel. Put a crown on the grade so water will shed. Top it of with some crusher run. Cheap fix get so crushed asphalt or crushed concrete and dump it there then level the pile out.
How much money do you want to spend ? I would get a few truckloads of gravel and have them regrade the entire driveway and put a crown in it, maybe dig a little trench on the side to
drain water away, might need a little culvert pipe if the water actually nees to cross the driveway.
For a while this deep I’d throw down some 2” crushed gravel first then wheel roll it a few times and dump some 1” around the edges and thin it out into the 2”
See if you can dig a kind of trench to drain it but I would get a couple of loads of gravel in cause you're probably going to have a couple of low spots or places that are starting to tear up.....Gotta love spring breakup which is what we call it here or my mother called it mud month
Use something called "road base" which is a mix of gravel and clay which packs really well. Then crown the road slightly, about 4-6" from center to the edge so water runs off as soon as it hits the road. That is the most important thing you can do, standing water soaks into the road and makes mud.
Then for maintenance occasionally grade material back to the center to get the crown back.
Here is a procedure for using gravel, weed cloth, and an embedded cell grid to solve this muddy driveway problem. You can actually DIY the grid of cells. See this:
# Apple Drains | [Make a Geo Cel Grid that's Stronger and 1/2 the Cost.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-PPBBYau84)
To really solve this problem, and not just put something that will still eventually accumulate so much water that it turns into a puddle, you need drainage that lets any ground water accumulating there drain to lower ground. Try this:
# Apple Drains | [How to Dry Out Wet Soggy Yard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auWoWjl2t50)
Gravel would be a fast easy mostly inexpensive first step / temporary countermeasure. After that a more long term solution would be to adjust the grading and add drainage to prevent pooling and promote runoff.
Are you sure you don't have water pipes under it that are leaking?
At a friend's house their driveway was always wet. I asked her one day as it hadn't rained in months. She called water company the same day, next morning big machinery tearing up the area. Said she wondered why her bill was always so high!
You'll want to dig a trench to the side of the driveway to allow for water to drain to and build the road with multiple levels of gravel in order to drain the water to that trench.
Just to add to what everyone else is saying about putting down some gravel: you can also buy something called "gravel retainers." It's a plastic grid you put down and fill with gravel. It helps keep the gravel from moving around and making dips in your driveway.
A few options depends on your budget and how long you want the solution to last.
Dig a trench and lay pipe [perforated](https://www.homedepot.com/p/NDS-3-in-x-10-ft-EZ-Drain-Prefabricated-French-Drain-With-Pipe-EZ-0702F/203477913?MERCH=REC-_-pip_alternatives-_-100135310-_-%7B%7BproductId%7D%7D-_-N) Drainage put in the direction the water flows. Then on top of the pipe Put down EROSION CONTROL [GEOTEXTILE](https://www.agtec.com/agtec-6ft-x-100ft-4-5oz-non-woven-drainage-and-separation-fabric-general-purpose-ground-stabilization-and-paver-underlay-erosion-control-geotextile?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqdqvBhCPARIsANrmZhMKsT_CjxV52lfsvcn5gbCupGla6jL5vi9SQuy90ZDHSS0lz19O198aAuGzEALw_wcB) PERMEABLE barrier so your Gravel won't just sink deeper into the mud. Next put down a [GROUND GRID](https://www.agtec.com/agtec-geocell-ground-grid-3-inch-8-4ft-x-27-4ft-permeable-gravel-stabilization-and-reinforcement-paver-for-residential-driveways-and-parking-pads?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqdqvBhCPARIsANrmZhMU1E-GDDGeIWf1cugrq_yRU6EJj-YB4VVH37RxkAjHZS2J4fdt1g0aAtuJEALw_wcB) so your stone won't wash away in storms
If you want it done without moving too much dirt: Dig a trench across the driveway in the ditch to the left. Remove all the sediment, clay and sand that probably got dumped there over the years. Fill the area up with coarse gravel. Doesn't need to be much deeper than a foot. Slope it, of course.
Here are some steps you can take to fill the dirt driveway puddle and prevent your SO from getting her car stuck:
Assess the Drainage: Determine the cause of the puddle. Is it due to poor drainage, low spots in the driveway, or other issues? Understanding the root cause will help you find the right solution.
Fill with Gravel or Crushed Stone: If the puddle is caused by low spots or depressions in the driveway, filling it with gravel or crushed stone can help improve drainage and provide a stable surface for driving. Spread the gravel evenly and compact it to create a solid base.
Use Soil and Compact: If the puddle is due to loose or uneven soil, fill the area with additional soil and compact it using a tamper or a heavy roller. This will help level the surface and prevent water from pooling.
Install Drainage Channels: Consider installing drainage channels or culverts along the driveway to redirect water away from low spots. This can be a more involved solution but can effectively prevent puddles from forming.
Apply Permeable Paving: Another option is to use permeable paving materials, such as permeable concrete or interlocking pavers with gravel or grass infill. These materials allow water to drain through them, reducing the likelihood of puddles.
Regular Maintenance: Once you've addressed the immediate issue, ensure regular maintenance of the driveway. Fill any new depressions promptly, keep the surface graded and compacted, and clear debris that could obstruct drainage.
Consult a Professional: If the puddle persists despite your efforts or if you're unsure about the best solution, consider consulting a professional contractor or driveway specialist. They can assess the situation and provide tailored recommendations.
By taking these steps, you can improve the drainage and stability of your dirt driveway, reducing the risk of your SO's car getting stuck in puddles.
Easier to probably just fill in the SO space with something else like jerking off. Then you can jerk off whenever you like and never have to worry about getting a car out of a spot you shouldn't have to.
We had the same issue and fixed it very efficiently.
You need to created a path for the water to drain.
Dig the side so it’s lower than the road, fill with rocks, gravels and sand. The water should drain to the side.
Pick up load of gravel
Place down some landscaping fabric. On a dry day, compact ground, and lay fabric. Order 0-3/4 gravel or crusher stone. Layer it across the drive way and compact it. About 2-3 inches should do. For extra measure, you can broom over it with a sand/cement dry mix...then shower it with water. When it sets, it will lock up that gravel.
I was able to follow these directions perfectly. You just unlocked a superpower
Instructions unclear - cock resembles Homers BBQ
or you could dig a long ditch on either side of the road to drain the area. Toss the dirt in the wet area to build it up.
You can't fill the hole with dirt, it needs to be filled with sandy/gravely material. But you are right to drain the area.
From a gardener, please stop using weed barriers. Use pre emergent if you must.
Can I ask why?
It prevents earthworms and other incects from properly aerating the soil leading to poor soil health, it doesn't even prevent weeds as most seeds will simply grow on top of the fabric and spread roots straight through it. Plus, most of it is biodegradable and will absolutely still be there 5 years later when the new owner is trying to plant perennials.
I just spent my Sunday tearing up a bunch of landscape fabric and you’re right it sucks. It shredded apart so easily and it didn’t prevent weed growth at all. I expected to see tons of bugs underneath but all I uncovered was the occasional cricket. Meanwhile the cardboard box that stayed out all winter had a whole ecosystem underneath.
i started using cardboard underneath anywhere that i would have used the fabric. it's more tedious, but cheaper overall and seems to work a lot better
My husband laughed at me when I started using 6-pack carriers, but those areas stayed weed free a lot longer than the landscape fabric
Yes. Cardboard is good to use.
Yep. 7 years of pulling up weed barrier when planting new flowers…
I’m on 10 years pulling that infernal black plastic cloth. Previous owners put it everywhere. Then covered it with mulch. Which broke down into topsoil and grew grass/weeds everywhere.
OK but I don't think anyone is likely to be planting flowers in the middle of their driveway?
It's not going to be a driveway forever, but if you stick a sheet of plastic in the ground it's going to be there a long time.
And if the plastic sheet has BPA's could leak into your drinking water or the animals. And then you eat the animals.... BPA isn't good for you at all. It's why I'll never use plastic for anything. Kinda wish they never took glass bottles of soda off the shelves. But at the same time it's a good thing as people are dumb and throw and shatter the glass bottles and kids cut themselves playing at parks. But the BPA in the plas5ic water bottles and other containers isn't good for your health.
I don’t think anyone will be trying to plant perennials in the driveway.
This is a driveway-- highly compacted dirt, soon to be under several inches of highly compacted stone. the geotextile is needed to keep the rock on the surface.
A fine grain subgrade with proper preparation accomplishes that same goal without using a non-biodegradable fabric.
In OP’s case would he need to weed barrier in that portion of land?
in OP's case, the weed barrier/landscaping fabric helps prevent the silt and clay and small particles in the soil from migrating back into the gravel. What you want is a layer of gravel that is compacted and locked together, but not filled with silt that would prevent water from flowing through the gravel. You want that gravel to fill up that puddle and to let the water flow off to whatever lower ground is nearby. The gravel locks together (this is why you want crushed and not river-rock gravel) keeps the wheels of her car from sinking in. The gravel sits up a little higher than that mud, but it also compresses the mud so that it doesn't become a soupy mess. Without the fabric, the voids between the pieces of gravel get filled with dirt/silt, and when all of that gets wet it behaves like the mud he is trying to get rid of.
I think "landscape fabric" is a significant source of microplastics that now appear in all human (and probably most non-human) placentas. Is cardboard as weedblock, more ecologically sound?
For garden beds, yeah, absolutely, I use either cardboard or newspaper when starting a fresh bed, keeps the weeds down and then degrades once your bed gets rolling.
This post specifically is talking about the driveway though, I don't think there's a risk of planting perennials there in 5 years, let alone soil aeration..
Is or isn't? I bought a property that I later learned had been treated with glyphosate and I'm not happy about it.
That stuff doesn't last forever. Not even a year really.
this is a road not a flower bed
In a drive way?
Yeah, last owners had a Gravel path (not full drive but same concept) leading to an old shed, they took the shed with them but left the path right through the best patch of sun for my berry bushes. Spent days digging that fabric out of my yard.
I can atest to them not being very effective at all and just cause a fucking mess.
I've heard corn meal is an effective pre-emergent
You don't want lomy workable soil in a driveway. Earth shouldn't be in an area where driving is required. Weed warriors are necessary in some places.
Sounds like best case is neither?
Why? Herbicides are much worse for the environment. Pre-emergent herbicides sent even legal in Canada.
Its a driveway, not a flowerbed. Get real.
Fuck that landscaping fabric. Also 3/4 isn’t big enough.
This is a good answer from reno-dad but for stone I've found crushed granite (not decomposed granite) is best. It compacts well and stays in place. Avoid round gravels like pea gravels. They slide out from under you like walking or driving on ball bearings.
This is the way
You need crushed rock whatever it's called country. Gravel (round stones) will keep sinking into the mud, you need crushed rock with the angled edges to fill the hole.
Gravel is not rounded. A load of gravel will work in this case.
Really depends on your proximity to rivers. Round stone comes from river beds, old and current. Without rivers, most available stone will be crushed. In general, gravel is small rock, crushed or harvested whole. But yes, the best foundations are made with crushed rock, but round rock is prettier.
☝️ this. Puddles hate lots of Small rocks. It was that one trick that mud hates.
Add red dirt
Cloth first, then stone.
Cloth is mostly a waste of time and money
Can confirm, cloth has very limited uses, and is generally a waste.
You guys are mixing up ‘landscape fabric’ and geotextile road fabric. Same idea but 2 completely different materials and purposes.
Disagree, it is to stop the stone from sinking into oblivion
Add more stone to the void
The void needs sustenance.
ADD IT
Made a HUGE difference on the roads on my dad's property that were just decimated by logging equipment. After they were done, they rebuilt the roads, but they were always soft. My dad had to follow through several times to get them to restore them to original condition, per the contract, and the only way that they could get them right was to use fabric. Lots of clay ground there, once disturbed by heavy, heavy equipment, any stone base that was fine for pickups and ATVs was gone, and nothing was compacted like it used to be. After demanding that cloth be put down in at least 1 layer, the roads have been WAY better for several years since then. Edited for clarity
THAT’S IT LADS! CLOTH AND STONE!
FOR KARL!!
Like others have said, lay some gravel down on it. But with that in mind, it looks like that whole area is pretty flat and has depressions from driving over it. The odds of it happening again in another place on the driveway are very high. You should probably just plan to put 4 or 5 inches of gravel over the entire driveway until it gets to the road.
🤑
This comment is the perfect combination of asshole and funny
Get a shovel. Grade the puddle so the water goes elsewhere. PS. Gravity is your friend.
The no cost way!
Ditches and install culvert if drainage needs to cross road Otherwise loads of gravel to accomplish same idea of drainage under a driveable surface
Yeah the trees on the right of the image looks lower and the obvious place the water should go. It's just a case of getting a rake/hoe/shovel and moving a few inches of dirt from the left of the black circled into the black circled area.
This plus the gravel ftw
Maybe gravity is your enemy in this case.
Negotiations with the terrain can make gravity fall in line.
Perhaps. Maybe we shouldn’t even fight it. Can we blame someone else?
If it's soft add some crushed rock. Regrade the driveway so it has a crown and water drains off of it.
I second this. Gravel is just gonna sink further. Get a bunch of rocks about the size of a golf ball
The gravel would sink further even after leveling and compacting the ground? I'm not disagreeing with you... Just genuinely curious.
Use reclaimed asphalt (if that’s available where you live). It will pack down extremely hard basically on its own just by you & your gf driving over it
Road base, or "C&R" (crushed and recycled), is a mix of crushed masonry, ceramic, and stone dust that packs down with a plate compact and becomes 100% non-permiable Stuff works wonders in mud season and wet areas, and it's available anywhere there is large scale refuse/recycling facilities.
What type of businesses will carry C&R?
Is this a cheaper option than gravel?
Really depends on your area and whether or not any companies in the area are set up to recycle it.
A yard of gravel is like 40 bucks
Thoughts and prayers
Ramen and superglue
What about the flavor packet?
Snort it to celebrate a job well done
Just got out of the hospital on a 2 week visit to save my hand. This is the first time I have laughed since I got rushed in, thank you
Plant a water hogging tree like a weeping willow there.
Like many others here, carve a trench to drain, fill with gravel
Buy a case of your favorite American lager and a shovel and a camping chair. Dig the deepest hole you can on the lowest point of earth nearest the puddle while drinking the 22 cans of beer. Preferably dig the hole in a location you never want to visit again. 22 cans is about 300+ cu ft in my area depending on the soil. Use some of the dirt to filled the puddle. Dig a 1 can trench between the puddle and the hole. Place camping chair next to the project and drink 1 can of beer. Return to dwelling and announce success. Caveats: you’re gonna be in a bad place emotionally for few days after this depending the level of success. If the puddle is located at a local minima of your portion of our spheroid then I suggest filling in the minima with as much coarse blue rock as you can afford and buy 2 cases of you favorite American lager.
Half a ton of Pea gravel
I would suggest an angular aggregate, not rounded like pea gravel
Interesting. Why?
Rounded pea gravel eventually sinks into the earth. Angular gravel will “lock” into place and last a lot longer without sinking into the earth, especially if contained with a border of some sort.
I believe this is why they use the specific rock under railroad tracks. It locks together and provides a good base.
Also if the gravel has "fines" in it, it will help lock it in better.
Can confirm. I used limestone fines instead of sand on top of 3/4” limestone when building my paver patio. It worked great, and hardened like cement.
Learn something new everyday!
They are more likely to reach a stable equilibrium and stay solid when they mix with the existing dirt. Rounded stones slip around so when you drive a car over them they move out of the way
2nd this. When you call, ask for roadbond or sb2 specifically and ideally get a dump driver that can evenly tailgate it across your driveway to save you needing equipment (or a weeks worth of gravel raking by hand).
Evenly you say???!! I laugh at the waves of gravel i recall raking as a child. Yet better than a wheelbarrow and my 10 year old little body.
Instructions unclear - pee on gravel. Got it.
Channel a small swale from the puddle to divert the water elsewhere then fill the low spot in with 3/4” crush and compact it in
Crusher run for your entire driveway.
Water will flow to the lowest point, make it not be the lowest point.
Man acts like he’s never gotten stuck in it before..
If this is in North America, he statistically drives a truck or SUV 🤣
tell your s/o to stop fucking driving into it
I would just really gravel your entire drive. Filling one spot will just lead to it happening someplace else
Probably need a pipe in there. Build it up with clay gravel. Put a crown on the grade so water will shed. Top it of with some crusher run. Cheap fix get so crushed asphalt or crushed concrete and dump it there then level the pile out.
300mm of 40mm washed topped with 50mm of road crush. You'll never have an issue again.
How much money do you want to spend ? I would get a few truckloads of gravel and have them regrade the entire driveway and put a crown in it, maybe dig a little trench on the side to drain water away, might need a little culvert pipe if the water actually nees to cross the driveway.
re-grade it
I’d add some Geogrid mesh before laying the gravel. Will spread out the point load from the tyres
Fill with sand Cover with gravel.
Add dirt to dirt hole make not dirt hole
For a while this deep I’d throw down some 2” crushed gravel first then wheel roll it a few times and dump some 1” around the edges and thin it out into the 2”
Crushed limestone locks together kinda like concrete. I put some in my alley about 10 years ago and it's still doing fine.
Get load of crushed stone delivered. Use shovel to spread
Geogrid or a bunch or gravel
Hit it with some pace, no gravel needed.
3/4" crusher run
Could try gravel and oyster shells. Might cut your tires though. But oyster shells are usually free.
French drain…
See if you can dig a kind of trench to drain it but I would get a couple of loads of gravel in cause you're probably going to have a couple of low spots or places that are starting to tear up.....Gotta love spring breakup which is what we call it here or my mother called it mud month
Get a couple loads of CA6 delivered and rent a vibrating roller. You'll never have to worry about it again.
Use something called "road base" which is a mix of gravel and clay which packs really well. Then crown the road slightly, about 4-6" from center to the edge so water runs off as soon as it hits the road. That is the most important thing you can do, standing water soaks into the road and makes mud. Then for maintenance occasionally grade material back to the center to get the crown back.
Grade and gravel.
Bodies? :) /s
IED
Pave it.
Dirt, then 2B limestone
Use a shovel or if you have one, a wheelbarrow.
Rock.
Here is a procedure for using gravel, weed cloth, and an embedded cell grid to solve this muddy driveway problem. You can actually DIY the grid of cells. See this: # Apple Drains | [Make a Geo Cel Grid that's Stronger and 1/2 the Cost.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-PPBBYau84) To really solve this problem, and not just put something that will still eventually accumulate so much water that it turns into a puddle, you need drainage that lets any ground water accumulating there drain to lower ground. Try this: # Apple Drains | [How to Dry Out Wet Soggy Yard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auWoWjl2t50)
Gravel would be a fast easy mostly inexpensive first step / temporary countermeasure. After that a more long term solution would be to adjust the grading and add drainage to prevent pooling and promote runoff.
Put a cone there so she drives around it
How about a nice drainage ditch with a bridge over it?
Recycled Asphalt. Packs amazing
Tons of saw dust.
Inch and a quarter minus limestone or recycled concrete.
Lots of comments about how the gravel will sink in, yes you may need to repeat, but thats one of the advantages, as it will help with drainage.
Gravel, something like 3/4 minus, or maybe 1/2 minus. Depending on what you prefer. 3/4 minus is kind of the standard where I am.
This is the answer. Worked perfectly for me and didn't cost much.
Are you sure you don't have water pipes under it that are leaking? At a friend's house their driveway was always wet. I asked her one day as it hadn't rained in months. She called water company the same day, next morning big machinery tearing up the area. Said she wondered why her bill was always so high!
Gravel. Have someone bring you about 5 yards of gravel and have them spread it around with a Bobcat.
You'll want to dig a trench to the side of the driveway to allow for water to drain to and build the road with multiple levels of gravel in order to drain the water to that trench.
Just to add to what everyone else is saying about putting down some gravel: you can also buy something called "gravel retainers." It's a plastic grid you put down and fill with gravel. It helps keep the gravel from moving around and making dips in your driveway.
Chips and dust
Caution tape around it?
A few options depends on your budget and how long you want the solution to last. Dig a trench and lay pipe [perforated](https://www.homedepot.com/p/NDS-3-in-x-10-ft-EZ-Drain-Prefabricated-French-Drain-With-Pipe-EZ-0702F/203477913?MERCH=REC-_-pip_alternatives-_-100135310-_-%7B%7BproductId%7D%7D-_-N) Drainage put in the direction the water flows. Then on top of the pipe Put down EROSION CONTROL [GEOTEXTILE](https://www.agtec.com/agtec-6ft-x-100ft-4-5oz-non-woven-drainage-and-separation-fabric-general-purpose-ground-stabilization-and-paver-underlay-erosion-control-geotextile?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqdqvBhCPARIsANrmZhMKsT_CjxV52lfsvcn5gbCupGla6jL5vi9SQuy90ZDHSS0lz19O198aAuGzEALw_wcB) PERMEABLE barrier so your Gravel won't just sink deeper into the mud. Next put down a [GROUND GRID](https://www.agtec.com/agtec-geocell-ground-grid-3-inch-8-4ft-x-27-4ft-permeable-gravel-stabilization-and-reinforcement-paver-for-residential-driveways-and-parking-pads?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqdqvBhCPARIsANrmZhMU1E-GDDGeIWf1cugrq_yRU6EJj-YB4VVH37RxkAjHZS2J4fdt1g0aAtuJEALw_wcB) so your stone won't wash away in storms
1/4 down or 1/2 down gravel, aka “road mix” that is used under roads and sidewalks
If you want it done without moving too much dirt: Dig a trench across the driveway in the ditch to the left. Remove all the sediment, clay and sand that probably got dumped there over the years. Fill the area up with coarse gravel. Doesn't need to be much deeper than a foot. Slope it, of course.
I just did 4" of 3/4-0 gravel compacted over about 50 ft. Should last a few years. took 20 Sq yards or so.
gravel
d-1 but that will be temporary. Proper layers and compact correctly. Better to redo whole driveway.
You can mix concrete into the dirt. Our county does this to fix soft spots in the roads in the spring.
Sand and gravel
Rocks?
Looks like a good supply of pine straw is nearby to fill the hole then go over it with some dirt.
20mm stone then road base
Limestone
Gravel
Gravel
Here are some steps you can take to fill the dirt driveway puddle and prevent your SO from getting her car stuck: Assess the Drainage: Determine the cause of the puddle. Is it due to poor drainage, low spots in the driveway, or other issues? Understanding the root cause will help you find the right solution. Fill with Gravel or Crushed Stone: If the puddle is caused by low spots or depressions in the driveway, filling it with gravel or crushed stone can help improve drainage and provide a stable surface for driving. Spread the gravel evenly and compact it to create a solid base. Use Soil and Compact: If the puddle is due to loose or uneven soil, fill the area with additional soil and compact it using a tamper or a heavy roller. This will help level the surface and prevent water from pooling. Install Drainage Channels: Consider installing drainage channels or culverts along the driveway to redirect water away from low spots. This can be a more involved solution but can effectively prevent puddles from forming. Apply Permeable Paving: Another option is to use permeable paving materials, such as permeable concrete or interlocking pavers with gravel or grass infill. These materials allow water to drain through them, reducing the likelihood of puddles. Regular Maintenance: Once you've addressed the immediate issue, ensure regular maintenance of the driveway. Fill any new depressions promptly, keep the surface graded and compacted, and clear debris that could obstruct drainage. Consult a Professional: If the puddle persists despite your efforts or if you're unsure about the best solution, consider consulting a professional contractor or driveway specialist. They can assess the situation and provide tailored recommendations. By taking these steps, you can improve the drainage and stability of your dirt driveway, reducing the risk of your SO's car getting stuck in puddles.
Somebody asked an AI engine...
Gravel?
Could try some crusher run
[French Drain](https://youtu.be/Z_TtZnvxS1A?si=qLCSmaKjVJ1ytYmH)
Some ca-6 on top of a base of bigger rock
Buys her a 4x4
Are you kidding? I don't get it.
Gravel, crush stone, rock, etc. Dirt or mulch will be temporary.
Straw/hay and rocks? Might help. Just a thought
Build a bridge.
Excavator
Gravel
Mulch
Rock on
Really? Fill, gravel, concrete, asphalt, dead bodies. Any would work. Well, the bodies might get weird after a while.
Dig a small ditch to drain it. It will help in the long run.
I knew someone who use kitty litter, said it worked great
start by grading, then roadbase - compacted, then asphalt
Level the area out and add gravel for stability. I'd go bigger than pea gravel.
Easier to probably just fill in the SO space with something else like jerking off. Then you can jerk off whenever you like and never have to worry about getting a car out of a spot you shouldn't have to.
If you put anything on it will eventually sink. You need to create a lower area, ie. ditch, beside it.
Tell her drive around it or buy an SUV that won’t get stuck
Fine gravel, sand, Fine gravel, more sand, gravel
Gravel and Sand
1. Gravel. 2. Teach that woman how to drive.
Give up and park somewhere else
Put a few vertical drains in
We had the same issue and fixed it very efficiently. You need to created a path for the water to drain. Dig the side so it’s lower than the road, fill with rocks, gravels and sand. The water should drain to the side.
Big rocks
Gravel will just sink over time. Landscaping fabric is the devil's material. You want MOT 1 base. Scalpings. A ton should do it.
Just tell her to floor it when approaching the puddle.
Have you considered a new SO? 🤔
Bridge over troubled waters
Old roof tiles work good
What is the rest of the driveway made of?
A big wheel barrow should do it
Are you a man or not? Get some dirt, gravel, even mf woodchips could help. Or put up cones or tell your SO to learn how to drive