Paving the driveway - height question

Hello everyone,

I am currently renovating my driveway. So far, about 60sqm of old paving has been removed and now new paving is to be laid.

What I noticed is that there was sand under the old paving, and beneath that an extremely hard layer. I assume this is gravel that was compacted extremely hard 40 years ago.

Unfortunately, this layer is a bit wavy and uneven in places. Before I spread the 5cm paving bedding made of grit on top, I would like to have a level base layer. What do you recommend for this? I initially thought of gravel again, but I fear that I won’t be able to tamp it into the existing base layer with the plate compactor. This layer is really hard, almost like concrete.

I was told that the paving bedding made of grit should not be thicker than 5cm. But how do I best even out these irregularities in the base layer to create a flat surface?

Thanks for your tips!!

What I noticed is that there was sand under the old pavement, and underneath that an extremely hard layer. I assume this is gravel that was compacted so extremely 40 years ago. Unfortunately, this layer is somewhat wavy in places and not perfectly flat.

That sounds like a "washboard road" - just google "wassergebundene Wegedecke".

Applying gravel thinly and unevenly is unlikely to achieve the desired result. You can break up the existing substructure (about 15 cm should be sufficient) and mix it with new material, then compact it to the correct height.

Thank you for your answers.

Tearing up and doing it anew would of course be the best solution if the effort is not considered. I agree with that. I had hoped there might be a somewhat less extensive solution. What spontaneously came to my mind, just some ideas:

- Apply 2/5 split, level the surface, then vibrate and compact. Only then apply the paving bed.
- Apply concrete in spots to even out the unevenness. Probably not a good idea due to standing water, despite two drainage channels.
- Can anything positive be achieved here with sand?

As I said, removing everything and then starting over is a huge effort. That's 9 cubic meters of debris alone, which is extremely hard and would have to be removed, then about 15 cubic meters of loose gravel would have to be brought in again. There must be something simpler and still reasonable…

Regards

That's already 9 cubic meters of debris that is extremely hard, which would have to be removed, then about 15 cubic meters of loose gravel brought back. There must be something easier and still sensible...

Yes, that has already been said:

You can tear up the existing substructure (about 15 cm should be enough) and mix it with new material and then compact it to the correct height.

That's how I see it too. Cover the pavement, sweep away the sand, go into the washboard track with the garden claw, rake, compact, vibrate, let it weather for a month, then rebuild the sand and pavement.

Sorry, I didn't understand the last paragraph. Do you mean to locally tear up the gravel, or remove everything?