Compaction, compaction, compaction

This weekend we started the compaction of our gravel. Big thanks to Don the Johnson who picked up the compactor for us and then went off with Aimee to buy 25 sheets of 4’x8′ x 2″ foam board, 100′ of rebar and 32 sheets of rebar mesh. Bill for that was $1,500 and luckily the price of foam had dropped by $10 a board from the previous week – Covid. What a great help you were Don, big thanks.

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So we needed the plate compactor to compact the gravel and to help stop the gravel settling over time. I found this quote from Braen Stone:

Although there are certain scenarios in which stone will tend to naturally compact or hold its place, many materials will begin to settle over time. When this happens, the surface becomes uneven, resulting in the development of gaps, dips and holes

The weakened surface results in unsafe conditions and costly repairs. The only way to prevent these problems from arising is by investing the time in stone compaction. This will create a solid base or sub-base that will hold its form and add to the life and value of your project.

It took Aimee a full afternoon compacting the gravel in the three ground floor rooms and after compaction the gravel had settled by about 3/4″. The finished result does look great, flat, level and pretty smooth. Next step will be laying out the foam insulation, followed by a Stego 10 mil vapour barrier, rebar mesh and radiant heat tubing.

We hired the plate compactor (heavy bugger) from Equipment Rentals NY and had to return it by 7.30am, so a big thank you to George, our neighbour, who met us at DM at 7am with his truck as it won’t fit in our sedan car. One day we will buy some sort of truck or SUV.