I'm getting ready to dig out about 2.5 tons of gravelly dirt for a fire pit area. It's been raining for a week, so I think now's the perfect opportunity to get started. My plan is to spend the whole day digging down to a depth of around 3 inches, after which I'll lay down some weed barrier and cover it with pea gravel. I'm buying the pea gravel in bulk, which is why I calculated the weight of the dirt I'll be removing.
What should I do to prepare my driveway for all this? Should I use a tarp underneath or on top, or is that impractical given the amount of dirt? Also, what challenges should I expect during this process? Finally, how difficult will it be to find someone to take the excess dirt off my hands?
5 Answers
Expect to be pretty sore after all that digging! It’s a tough job, but worth it. As for the dirt, there are often people looking for clean fill, but they usually won't pick it up themselves, so you might need to arrange transport or load it yourself.
Just curious, what's your end goal here? Are you just digging a hole and throwing down some fabric and gravel? You might want to think through the logistics a bit more before piling everything up in your driveway expecting someone to take it away.
If you can find a spot to dump the excess dirt, it will save you a lot of hassle. Maybe you could fill in low areas in your yard? Don’t count too much on someone coming to take it off your hands.
Don’t forget to take some Motrin before you start digging! It can help with the soreness, but just be careful not to overdo it and end up really hurting later.
Just a heads up: you’re going to be dealing with a lot of gravel and dirt, so get ready for that mess!
Yeah, I totally relate. I’ve made that mistake before—Motrin can be a double-edged sword!