Professional Builder follows a Gravelrings installation
John Ridgeway Construction undertook a project to develop an old barn into two modern housing developments. This involved chestnut wooden cladding engulfing the exterior and magnificent glass windows to create bright, airy rooms. The Scandinavian nature of the design creates a welcoming sense of calm and serenity. The light space connects the interior and exterior to form smooth transitions throughout the property. However, the inviting feel diminished when faced with an old concrete driveway. To upgrade the driveway John knew laying gravel over concrete would accomplish the desired aesthetic.
Why lay gravel over concrete?
Fixing a gravel grid on concrete is a time-saving method for revamping an existing driveway. For a successful overlay, the concrete must have enough structural integrity to withstand the weight of gravel grids and vehicular movement. Otherwise, the surface may sink and rut.
Gravelrings were the natural choice of gravel grid for this property since John had used the overlay system in previous jobs. He trusts Gravelrings because the overlay system saves him time on excavation and laying the grids, which means more installations can be completed. Not to mention the fact that the gravel demand is a lot lower, saving on average 30% on gravel costs compared to alternative grids. John reveals that one of the reasons he chose gravel for the project was because “if a car suffers from an oil spill it is not an issue since the gravel can be easily replaced. With any alternative driveway finishing the surface will be ruined”. As a result Gravelrings represent an economical driveway surface choice in both the immediate and long term.
Securing Gravelrings on concrete
This was, however, the first time he had experimented with laying a gravel grid on concrete. Always creative with his approaches, John decided – instead of using a nail gun to fix the gravel grids on concrete – that a Hilti wedge anchor fixing was best to use. To lay a gravel grid on concrete with this method requires a hole to be drilled and a wedge anchor to be hammered into place. Wedge anchors are great for installing Gravelrings on concrete because they have a large head providing a wide contact area to secure the grids in place.
From his experience of the two fixing methods, John thought the wedge anchor method might be preferred amongst domestic 
installers because nail guns are an investment to keep in the toolkit. Additionally, if an installer does not have one, sourcing one to hire takes up valuable time that could be spent on site. The fact that nail guns are so powerful also makes it uncomfortable for contractors to install gravel grids over large areas since they can cause arm discomfort. With Gravelrings delivered to the site in one square metre panels, John found the installation process was swift and straightforward.
Graveling over the past
What makes placing gravel over concrete an attractive scheme for homeowners is the gravel blends into the surrounding natural environment and creates a cohesive appearance. Since the grids lock the gravel in place, preventing stone migration, John knew by installing Gravelrings the homeowners will have a low-maintenance driveway that would not have to be regularly topped up. John was satisfied with the end result of his installation.
“Gravelrings as an overlay system are extremely efficient to lay and no planning permission is required meaning I can crack on with more installations”. – John Ridgeway, John Ridgeway Construction
To view the installation process for Gravelrings gravel grids from Beauxfort visit Gravelrings Gravel Driveway Grid Landscape System | Beauxfort.
