Gravel Pathway in Victoria BC

This was a gravel walkway that we topped up over a period of a week. The existing walkway had deteriorated due to erosion, accumulation of weeds, and damage from runoff as it was situated on a fairly steep slope. This is a common landscaping occurrence in Victoria due to the terrain and wet weather. Our goal was to restore the look and feel of the pathway, to shore up areas that had eroded away, to cover the entire path with new material, and to build it in a way that created more long term durability and stability.

Our main difficulty in this job was transporting so much gravel from the street to the site as it required moving up and down five stories of stairs. We also had to move a 200 lb plate compactor up and down those same stairs in order to ensure that the new surface was solid and stable.

The material we chose was screenings also known as stone dust. This is the material of choice for gravel pathways as it offers the aesthetic benefits of a smaller material compared to say roadbase, while maintaining great long term stability for the pathway itself. In fact, it’s often used for as a base material for interlocking paver bricks as well as flagstone. Thus as an added benefit, if one should later decide to install pavers or flagstone on this surface, they can do so without having to excavate the site nor bringing in new gravel.

For this job, around 10,000 lbs of gravel (or between 3 and 4 cubic yards) was applied to the entire pathway restoring a completely renewed clean look. This was done via buckets and a dolly truck as a wheelbarrow could not even be used down the steep stairs between the pathway and the street above. A plate compactor had to be carefully brought down as well to compact the pathway so that the surface became very solid, increasing its usability, aesthetics, and durability. A hard rake was used to ensure the surface was relatively even and smooth. As you can see from the pictures above, the final product is very satisfying.