It is easy to look at uncleared forest land and visualize your new home in all its splendor, but it takes a lot of work and problem-solving before the physical universe bends to your will, if at all. Fortunately, we had a lot of help from competent contractors and I have described their services in my earlier posts on Building/moving to a new home.
The before and during shots at the top of this article show our driveway from the road before construction of the house and workshop. We were building these during the winter, so we ended up with a two-lane driveway using enough rock and gravel to run heavy trucks and a crane in and out.
When all of the excitement died down, I had Michael Shortt, our excavating contractor, trim the driveway back down to a single lane with a nice serpentine design. The shot at right is the driveway leading up to the house and workshop as of April 2006.
Gretchen picked out a top coat of limestone gravel from Christiansburg which is called crusher run by local contractors. This is a mixture of gravel and finer particles of dirt that pack down and become a stable topcoat over time. It is the same material that is used to cover unpaved roads in this area and it stands up very well in all kinds of weather.
These before and after shots were taken from the parking area near the workshop and show the serpentine effect we finally achieved. When the ruts in the driveway are removed and plantings line the driveway it should result in a graceful entryway.
Of course, once you have a gravel driveway, you need to roll it to maintain its appearance. Our good neighbor, Doug Thompson brought over his John Deere lawn tractor and I rolled our new driveway in less than an hour. These little tractors are great fun, almost addictive.
Now, of course, I need to get a tractor of my own with a roller, and attachments for hauling logs, and… You know where this will lead. More tools! Thanks Doug! 🙂
Have a great weekend!
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