How to Measure for a Driveway
Measuring the site for a driveway is one of the first and most important steps of the installation process. The budget and amount of materials purchased is based on the exact area and depth of the driveway. While measuring the site is not complicated, there's plenty of room for error. Use the proper tools and measure at least twice to ensure the numbers are accurate. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Make a scale diagram of your front yard including permanent features like the house and trees. Pencil in potential courses for the driveway including a straight, direct path to the garage, a slight curve and a half circle entering on one side of the home and exiting on another. Choose the design that works best with the flow of your yard.
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2
Measure the width and length of the area with a measuring tape or measuring wheel and add on 2 inches to the sides for edging. The width should be a minimum of 10 feet for one car and between 16 and 24 feet to comfortably accommodate two cars.
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3
Mark the borders of the driveway by sinking wood stakes in the ground at the corners and every few feet along the sides.
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4
Measure the widest and longest point of the driveway. If it veers off into a parking area, measure the sections separately. To figure area, multiply length by width then add separate sections together. For instance, if you have a 10-by-20 foot driveway with an additional 10-by-10 foot parking space the area you are paving is 120 square feet plus 100 square feet for a total of 220 square feet.
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5
Multiply the square footage by the depth of the driveway expressed as a decimal to figure the cubic feet. A driveway foundation is typically 12 inches deep with 8 inches for the gravel foundation and 4 inches for the paving material. In the example, multiply 220 square feet by .67 to get 147 cubic feet of gravel needed.
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6
Divide the cubic feet by 27 in order to determine the amount of material you need in cubic yards.
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Tips & Warnings
Purchase 5 percent more than your total of gravel and paving materials in case some of the material spills.
References
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