Gravel, Stone, Soil and Mulch Delivery in Arlington, TX

Sandy topsoil over clay that moves

The soil survey maps Crosstell fine sandy loam, on 1 to 3 percent slopes, at the center point of ZIP 76001. The Crosstell series fills 85 percent of that map unit. Its top mineral layer is fine sandy loam, which looks and digs like an easy soil. The trouble lies below.^[1]

Shrink-swell in the top 100 cm is rated very high, at 9.6 percent linear extensibility. Clay in the subsoil takes on water and swells after rain, then shrinks and opens deep cracks in a dry summer. That swing can lift and drop slabs, walks and patios, and it is the main reason a flexible gravel surface outlasts rigid paving here.^[1]

The survey calls the soil moderately well drained but puts it in hydrologic group D, with very slow infiltration and high runoff. Once the sandy top layer fills, rain stops soaking in and runs across the surface instead. Densic bedrock sits at about 48 inches, a firm layer that slows water and roots even further.^[1]

The geologic map places the center point on the Woodbine Formation, sandstone and mudstone of Late Cretaceous age. Mudstone weathers into clay, and that clay is part of what gives the subsoil its strong shrink and swell.^[2]

Clay soil like this is hard to dig when dry and sticky when wet. The best time to excavate for a project is a few days after a soaking rain, when the clay has softened but no longer clings to the shovel.^[1]

Hot summers, hard rain and a few freezes

Arlington Muni AP, about 4 miles away, is the nearest NOAA normals station. It averages 36.2 inches of precipitation a year. A lot of that can fall in heavy spring and fall storms, with long dry spells between them. On group D soil, a sudden downpour runs off fast and can wash loose stone off a drive.^[3]

The airport station records 36 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder. Its median last spring freeze is March 9, and its median first fall freeze is November 21. Frost is brief and shallow, so the bigger seasonal force on the ground is the summer drying that shrinks the clay.^[3]

Long, dry summers are when cracks open in the yard. Keeping the soil around a patio or walk at a steady moisture level, with mulch and even watering, cuts down on that seasonal movement.^[1],[3]

Heat adds to the strain on the yard. Long stretches of hot, dry weather pull water out of the clay, and the ground can pull away from foundations and walks. Pale stone such as Decomposed Granite reflects heat, while a mulched bed keeps the soil beneath it cooler.^[1],[3]

Choosing between Road Base and Crushed Concrete for a drive

Road Base and Crushed Concrete both make a strong base on swelling clay, and the choice comes down to look and supply. Road Base is quarried stone with fines that bind into a tight crust. Crushed Concrete is recycled and packs just as hard, with a slightly lighter color. Either one carries a car well when laid in thin, wetted lifts and compacted.^[1]

Whichever you choose, prepare the clay first. Strip the sandy topsoil and lay a woven geotextile on the subgrade. The fabric holds the base together as the clay moves under it and keeps clay from pushing up into the stone.^[1]

On top, Driveway Gravel or 3/4" Crushed Stone gives a firm, clean surface. Crown the drive and slope it away from the house. Since group D soil sheds water, run the runoff toward a lawn, a bed or a swale lined with Drain Rock rather than letting it soak in next to a foundation.^[1]

Trailer and boat pads need a deeper base than a car drive. Use a lower layer of 1-1/2" Crushed Gravel for strength, then Road Base, then the surface stone. The extra depth spreads the heavy load over more of the clay so the pad does not rut.^[1]

Beds, lawns and drainage in a clay yard

The sandy top layer here is easy to plant, but roots soon reach the clay. Mixing Compost into the top of the soil improves both layers, helping water soak in and opening up the clay over time. Raised beds of Garden Soil give vegetables and flowers deep, loose rooting room.^[1]

Mulch helps the clay as much as the plants. A layer of Brown Shredded Mulch or Black Shredded Mulch keeps the soil cooler and more evenly moist, which means less cracking in summer. Spread it after the median last spring freeze in early March and top it up before the summer heat.^[1],[3]

Where water stands after a storm, a French drain of Drain Rock around a perforated pipe can carry it away. Wrap the rock in fabric so clay fines do not clog it. River Rock makes a good surface for a dry creek bed that carries roof water across the yard.^[1]

For new lawns, a thin layer of Topsoil raked over the graded clay gives seed or sod a better start. Keep the final grade sloping away from the house so rain does not collect along the foundation.^[1]

Trees planted in clay need wide planting holes and good drainage. Roots that sit in a hole full of water rot, so fill the hole with the same soil that came out, mixed with some Compost, rather than a rich soil that holds water like a bowl.^[1]

Homes in ZIP 76001 and the TxDOT base

The Census counts 12,452 housing units in ZIP 76001. Detached single-family houses make up 86 percent of them, well above the 60 percent share across Arlington.^[4]

The median home in this ZIP was built in 1997, newer than the city median of 1986. Owners live in 76 percent of the occupied homes in the ZIP. Arlington counts 153,137 housing units in total.^[4]

Suburban yards bring the classic list of jobs: widening a driveway, adding a gravel pad for a trailer or boat, edging beds, and building a patio out back. Most of these call for a few tons of base stone and a few yards of mulch or soil.^[4]

Big back yards on newer lots often have a slight slope toward the house from the original grading. Before adding a patio or a bed along the back wall, check the fall with a long level, and build the grade back up with Fill Dirt so rain runs away from the slab.^[4]

The Texas Department of Transportation specifies Flexible Base under Item 247 of its 2024 Standard Specifications for Construction and Maintenance of Highways, Streets, and Bridges. That item is meant for state work. It describes a graded, compacted layer that bends with the ground instead of cracking.^[5]