Gravel strips around the house and paving work: pros and cons

hm here the opinion seems to be "pro" gravel... somehow I don't see the point in adding a layer of gravel around a brick house where the driveway and the path to the front door already run right along the house. It's also the north and east side. I find it 1. ugly and 2. it takes up space... wouldn't paving with a slope be enough there? Especially since we are building without a basement, the water should be able to seep away somewhere without a retaining basement wall...

I would at least provide a strip on the weather side.

If the sidewalk goes right up to the house, the raindrops fall on the stones and splash the clinker full.

[*
Primarily, an eaves strip serves as splash protection for areas with an unpaved surface.


[*]That means, where, for example, lawn, flower beds, or loose topsoil meet the house, this eaves strip protects the facade from getting dirty from splash water when it rains.


[*]This eaves strip can be made of crushed stone or gravel.
[LIST]
[*]Grain size 8/16 mm or 16/32 mm
[*]but for example, paving slabs are also possible.


[*]The width should be at least 20 cm, preferably even 40 cm.
[*]However, the eaves strip can also be made where there is a solid surface if that is regarded as more aesthetically pleasing.
[*]For surfaces such as paving or asphalt, the eaves strip must be edged with an edging stone. Those who prefer a more delicate appearance can also use steel strip, for example. Always set in a foundation with 2/3 back support toward the house. This absorbs the load of the surface so that the edging does not tip over.
[*]For lawns or flower beds, a simple lawn edging with ground anchors is sufficient, for example (should be at least 10 cm high).
[*]The total depth of such an eaves strip as splash protection only needs to be 10 cm if the soil underneath is sufficiently permeable.
[*]To minimize weed growth, root barrier fleece can be laid out.
[*]Of course, any solid surface can be extended right up to the house. There is no reason to object, as long as


[*]the facade base is properly sealed
[*]the surface is separated from the base of the house with a delta membrane/noppe membrane or building protection mat (at least 5 mm thick)
[*]the surface has a slope away from the house. At least 2 to 2.5% slope. This ensures that rainwater flows away from the house.
[*]Anyone who creates a slope toward the house risks water damage to and in the house during heavy rain events.


[*]A separating layer made of delta membrane/noppe membrane or building protection mat is necessary to protect the (waterproof) base seal from mechanical stress and thus possible damage (because a car, for example, transmits horizontal pressure to the paved surface, which then affects the facade. To prevent the surface from rubbing against the base of the facade or pressing into the seal, these separating layers are used. This is not necessarily required for eaves strips made of crushed stone or gravel if a stable fleece is laid. However, it can still be done.
[*]However, if you know, for example, that you have poorly permeable soil around your house, then this eaves strip can also serve as a drainage/percolation strip. Then the trench around the house must be excavated much deeper and, if necessary, a drainage pipe laid around the house at the bottom, which is either connected to the local sewer system or to cisterns or soakaways in the garden. This prevents waterlogging around the house if the soil is very clayey, for example. The trench is then filled with gravel and covered at the top with decorative crushed stone or decorative gravel (grain size see above).