Thursday, March 8, 2012

DIY Driveway Hole Temporary Fix

I discovered a problem.  Ok, I actually discovered this problem a while back, but I ignored it. 

The problem is that the driveway of the house we're renting is coming apart.  There are huge areas where no asphalt remains.  I ignored the issue because I didn't realize how serious it was.  We were able to drive over these gaping holes with no problem, so they didn't really bother me.

But yesterday temperatures raised considerably.  The snow and ice completely melted.  Then the rain came.  Still, I thought nothing of it.

Until my husband drove to work.



muddy driveway rut
Ugh.  I stared down at slimy, sticky, squishy mud.  The rut that formed in the driveway wasn't a small thing.  Oh, no.  It was a canyon!  The water filled trench was about 6 inches deep.

Obviously, it needed a quick fix.  I didn't want to spend any money on it, though, since this is a rental, and ultimately, that responsibility falls on the landlord.  I scanned the yard to see what was available that would provide my husband's car with a bit more traction when he returned home.

I found sticks, branches, walnuts, and pieces of rock.

This was not ideal, but it was better than nothing.  These items would buy me time until I could come up with a new, more sturdy plan.

First, I leveled out the mud with my boots.  They got stuck in the mess a few times, but I finally managed to make things look semi-level.  I laid the sticks and branches perdendicular to the path of the wheels.  After that rocks and walnuts were added to the "stew".  I then squished the entire mix into the mud to test integrity.

small branches piles horizontally

I was still sinking a bit, which meant the car would, as well.  Indeed, there was an entire section that I hadn't been able to lay any sticks over.  Clearly, I needed something more.  I noticed that the walnuts did an amazing job of creating resistance - more so than the sticks and branches.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to search for as many walnuts as I needed.  That meant that I had to do something different.

I wandered aimlessly around the yard for a while, when suddenly I felt what was undeniably some really nasty mud... but I wasn't sinking into it.  I looked down at my feet to discover a layer of leaves.

Fortunately, nobody had raked up all of the leaves in the yard before my family moved in, so I had leaves in abundance.  My daughter and I loaded up our arms with wet leaves, and ran to the driveway.  We went back again and again, until we finally had enough leaves to cover the worst of the mud.  Naturally, we walked over the leaves, as well, smushing them into the area.

All I had left to do was wait for my guinea pig... I mean... my husband... to get home.

Stay tuned for part 2!

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