Figuring out the right gravel depth for my shed base took way longer than I thought

I was putting up a new 8x10 shed and knew I needed a gravel base for drainage. The instructions said 'a few inches' but didn't give a real number. I spent a full afternoon, about 5 hours, moving gravel back and forth, trying to get it perfectly level and packed. I finally called a buddy who builds decks, and he told me to aim for 4 inches of compacted crushed stone. Has anyone else found a better way to measure this without all the trial and error?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryant5015h ago

Oh man, I feel that. I did the exact same thing last summer, just kept shoveling and raking, thinking it looked right then second guessing it. I ended up using some wooden stakes and a level string line to check the depth across the whole area, which helped a ton. Still took forever though.

ruby65911h ago

Isn't it funny how we all seem to reinvent the wheel with simple jobs? You see it everywhere, not just with gravel. People will struggle with a task for hours using whatever's at hand, making it harder than it needs to be. Then someone shares a basic trick, like that 2x4 gauge, and it changes everything. It makes you wonder what other simple fixes we're all missing because we just don't know to ask.

sean_barnes2414h ago

My uncle taught me to just use a 2x4 with a nail at the 4 inch mark as a depth gauge. You drag it across the gravel and it shows the low spots fast. I got my last base done in under two hours that way. All that back and forth moving gravel sounds like a hard way to do it.