Gravel, Sand and Soil Delivery in Davie, FL

Pavement first, soil second

The USDA soil survey maps Urban land, 0 to 2 percent slopes, at the ZIP's center point, and it counts 85 percent of that map unit as urban land, paved or built over. Most of the mapped ground sits under roads, parking lots, roofs and slabs. Open soil is the exception, found in yards, medians and planting strips between hard surfaces.^[1]

The named soil series, Matlacha, makes up 3 percent of the map unit. Its top mineral layer is gravelly fine sand, a light soil of fine sand grains mixed with small stone fragments. Soil like that often contains hauled-in material spread during construction, so a yard can hold pockets of rock, shell or rubble under the grass.^[1]

The survey rates the soil somewhat poorly drained and places it in hydrologic group B, moderate infiltration. Water enters the sand at a fair rate, but it can sit near the surface when the ground below is full. Shrink-swell is low, at 0.3 percent, so the soil does not heave or crack as it wets and dries.^[1]

Because so much of the mapped area is sealed, open ground near a driveway or a patio takes runoff from several directions at once. A shallow swale or a gravel strip gives that water somewhere to go. #57 Crushed Stone over fabric along the edge of a paved surface soaks up the first rush of a storm and lets it sink into the sand below instead of running across the lawn.^[1]

Limestone close below

The geologic map places the Miami Limestone at the ZIP's center point, a Pleistocene unit of limestone and sandstone. This rock can sit close under the sand. It is porous and full of small holes, so it can take water quickly in one spot and hardly at all in another.^[2]

For a project, the rock mostly affects digging. Post holes, footings and drain trenches can hit hard stone a short way down, and an auger may be needed to get through. Building up instead of down, with Fill Sand or Fill Dirt topped by a compacted base, avoids most of that work.^[1],[2]

The ground at the center point stands 10 feet above sea level.^[3]

Limestone under sand also affects plant roots. Trees planted where rock sits close can spread their roots wide and shallow, which makes them easier to topple in strong wind. Giving a new tree a wide planting area filled with Topsoil and Compost, rather than a narrow deep hole, helps the roots spread evenly through the sand above the rock.^[1],[2]

Very heavy rain and warm nights

Weather averages come from the NOAA normals station at FT Lauderdale, FL, about 3 miles away. It averages 68.8 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow. That is a very wet total, and on flat, mostly paved ground, runoff from roofs and driveways lands on whatever small patch of soil is left.^[4]

The station records 0 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder. Frost plays no role in the design of a drive, a patio or a bed. Water is the force that shapes every decision, and work can go ahead in any month when the ground is dry enough to compact.^[4]

With so much rain, sand and stone surfaces need regular care. Wash-outs show up first at downspouts and at the low edge of a drive. Topping these spots with fresh #57 Crushed Stone or River Rock after a storm season keeps them from growing, and a quick check after the heaviest rains shows where water wants to go.^[1],[4]

Small yards, patios and planters

Where open ground is limited, every square foot counts. A paver patio needs a compacted base of Road Base or Crushed Concrete laid over firm sand, then a thin bed of Concrete Sand to set the pavers. Sweep Mason Sand into the joints. A slight slope away from the house sends rain toward the yard or the street, not toward the slab.^[1]

Planters and raised beds give plants a fresh start above uncertain fill. Fill them with Garden Soil, or Topsoil blended with Compost. A thick layer of Brown Shredded Mulch, Black Shredded Mulch, Red Mulch or Wood Chips slows the splash of heavy rain and keeps the soil from washing out over the edge. Playground Sand under a swing set drains fast and dries quickly after a storm.^[1]

For a short drive, compact the gravelly fine sand, lay fabric, add Road Base in thin, rolled lifts, and finish with #57 Crushed Stone or 3/4" Crushed Stone. Asphalt Millings make a dark, firm alternative for a parking pad.^[1],[4]

Drain Rock or River Rock along a wall

With 68.8 inches of yearly precipitation at the station, the strip of ground along a house wall takes a beating from roof runoff. Two stones handle most of that work. Drain Rock is washed, even-sized stone with open gaps that pass water quickly. Laid in a trench wrapped in fabric, with or without a perforated pipe, it collects roof water and leads it away from the foundation.^[1],[4]

River Rock is smooth and rounded, and it looks finished. It suits the visible surface of a drip edge, a splash zone under a downspout, or a shallow swale that carries water across the yard. Many owners combine the two, a trench of Drain Rock below for function and a top layer of River Rock for looks. On somewhat poorly drained sand over porous limestone, a short swale toward the street can clear more water than a deep dry well, since the ground can already be full after a long rain.^[1],[2]

Where a lawn struggles in thin, gravelly sand, topdressing helps. Spread a thin layer of Topsoil mixed with Compost over the grass and rake it in, repeating each year. Over time the surface becomes richer and holds water better, which helps grass survive dry spells between storms.^[1]

Homes in ZIP 33314 and the FDOT base standard

The Census counts 12,341 housing units in ZIP 33314. Davie holds 41,755 units in all.^[5]

Detached single-family houses make up 22 percent of homes in ZIP 33314, against 40 percent across Davie. Owners occupy 39 percent of the occupied homes in the ZIP.^[5]

The median home in ZIP 33314 was built in 1988. The Davie median is 1989.^[5]

The Florida Department of Transportation calls its base standard Graded Aggregate Base, Section 204, in the Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction. It sets the grading for the stone layer under state roads.^[6]

ZIP 33314 is in Broward County, and Gravel Valet also delivers to Sunrise, Hollywood and Pembroke Pines.^[6]