Back when my dad told me to just use gravel instead of pavers

My dad swore up and down that putting down a gravel patio in my Omaha backyard would save me time and money, I thought he was just being cheap. Two years later and I have weeds poking through every crack and the stones have all shifted paths every time it rains heavy. Anyone else ever get family advice that seemed fine at first but totally backfired?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimr746d agoMost Upvoted

Oh come on, it can't be that bad. Gravel patios work fine for tons of people, you probably just skipped the landscape fabric or didn't compact the base right. A little weed pulling and raking every now and then isn't the end of the world.

kelly3856d ago

Honestly, that's just life with any cheap shortcut.

evan_green526d ago

Respectfully disagree with kimr74 here. I put down quality landscape fabric and compacted the base properly in my own yard, and still ended up with weeds coming through the fabric seams and gravel migrating everywhere within two seasons. Gravel patios need constant maintenance that pavers just don't, and in my experience the "savings" disappear fast when you're buying gravel every year to top it off and spending Saturdays with a weeding tool.