Gravel, Stone and Soil Delivery in Richmond, VA

Built-over ground on old river deposits

The USDA soil survey maps the ZIP's center point as Urban land, with 100 percent of the map unit rated as paved or built over. The natural soil at that spot lies under streets and buildings, and anything you dig up there is likely to be fill, old base, brick or cinders.^[1]

The USGS geologic map places the center point on the Bacons Castle Formation, a Tertiary unit of gravel, silt, sand and clay. Sediment layers like those were laid down by old rivers and shift from coarse to fine over short distances, so drainage can change from one end of a yard to the other.^[2]

The ground at the center point is 180 feet above sea level.^[3]

Before any project, dig a test hole and pour in a bucket of water. If it drains away quickly, you are likely on sandy or gravelly layers. If it sits for hours, you have hit clay or packed fill, and the job needs a deeper stone base and a planned outlet for water.^[1],[2]

Old city lots sometimes hold buried foundations, brick rubble and cinders from buildings long gone. Remove anything large from the top layers, since it settles unevenly and leaves dips that hold water.^[1]

Where the test hole shows sandy or gravelly layers, water soaks away well and a simple stone surface may need no added drainage. Where it shows clay, plan a Drain Rock trench that leads to an outlet.^[1],[2]

Humid summers, wet years, some snow

The NOAA station at Richmond International Airport, about 7 miles away, averages 45.5 inches of precipitation a year. Summer thunderstorms can drop a lot of rain quickly onto paved courtyards and roofs, and that water has to go somewhere.^[4]

That station averages 8.8 inches of snow a year and records 74 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder. Freezing nights come and go through the cold months, so water held in a base freezes and thaws many times each winter.^[4]

The median last spring freeze at the airport station is April 3. Its median first fall freeze is November 4.^[4]

Humid summers bring heavy afternoon storms. Gutters on older buildings can overflow during a downpour, so check where roof water lands and give it a stone splash pad or a trench to follow.^[4]

The long stretch between those two dates suits outdoor work for most of the year, and stone and base work can carry on through much of the winter between cold spells.^[4]

Courtyards and alley parking

A rear courtyard on built-over ground needs a firm, well drained surface. Dig out loose fill to solid ground, compact it, and lay a base of Road Base or Crushed Concrete in thin lifts. Finish with Pea Gravel for a soft look or with Stone Dust Screenings rolled flat for a hard surface you can sweep.^[1],[2]

An alley parking pad takes more weight. Build it with a lower layer of #4 Crushed Stone, then compacted Road Base, then Driveway Gravel or #57 Crushed Stone on top. Steel or timber edging keeps the stone from spreading into the alley.^[1],[4]

Slope every courtyard and pad so water runs away from buildings. Where it has nowhere to go, a trench or dry well filled with Drain Rock gives storm water a place to collect and soak away between rains.^[4]

Narrow side passages between row houses see little sun and stay damp. A path of compacted Road Base topped with #89 Crushed Stone or Walkway Gravel stays drier than bare ground and is easy to keep tidy.^[1],[4]

Walks and pavers that hold up

Pavers and old-style walks stay level when they sit on a solid, draining base. Compact several inches of Road Base over firm subgrade, screed a thin bed of Concrete Sand or Stone Dust Screenings, and set the pavers tight. Sweep Mason Sand into the joints to lock them.^[1],[4]

Snow is modest here, but ice forms when meltwater refreezes overnight. Give walks a slight fall so water drains off, and use a scatter of Concrete Sand for grip rather than heavy salt on pavers.^[4]

Decomposed Granite makes a firm, warm-colored surface for a small seating area. Wet it and compact it in thin layers, and give it a slight slope so heavy rain does not pool on it and soften it.^[2],[4]

Light snow rarely lasts long on a sunny courtyard, but shaded corners hold ice. A surface of Stone Dust Screenings takes a shovel well, and a rake puts it back in place in spring.^[1],[4]

Small gardens and planters

On built-over ground, planting starts with imported soil. Fill raised beds and planters with Garden Soil, or blend Topsoil with Compost for larger beds. Plant after the median last freeze in early April, and cover the soil with Brown Shredded Mulch, Black Shredded Mulch or Red Mulch to hold moisture through hot summers.^[1],[4]

Containers on a paved courtyard need a drainage layer. Put #89 Crushed Stone in the bottom of each planter, then fill with Garden Soil. In heavy summer storms, the stone layer keeps roots from sitting in water.^[1],[4]

Before the median first freeze in early November, top up mulch to insulate roots through the winter. River Rock along a fence line or the base of a wall adds a tidy border that soaks up roof runoff.^[4]

Tree pits along a sidewalk need loose soil that lets water in. Fill them with Garden Soil kept a little below the curb, and top them with mulch so foot traffic does not pack the soil hard.^[1],[4]

For a small play area, Playground Sand over a layer of Drain Rock dries quickly after rain and stays soft through the cold months.^[1],[4]

Fill Dirt or Fill Sand can raise a low corner of a courtyard before stone goes down. Spread either one in thin layers and compact each layer well, because loose fill on a small lot settles for months and leaves a dip right where water likes to collect.^[1],[2]

Homes in ZIP 23219 and across Richmond

Census Bureau survey figures show 3,642 housing units in ZIP 23219, and 2 percent of them are detached single-family houses.^[5]

Richmond as a whole has 114,293 housing units, 44 percent of them detached, with a median build year of 1959.^[5]

The median home in the ZIP was built in 1947. Owners occupy 8 percent of the lived-in homes there.^[5]

The Virginia Department of Transportation names its base Aggregate Base Material, Type I, Size No. 21A, in Section 208 of its 2020 Road and Bridge Specifications.^[6]