Here's The Ideal Depth For Your DIY Gravel Patio

Installing a pea gravel patio at your home can be a cheaper option than pouring concrete or using concrete pavers, while still giving you a comfortable place to sit and relax. One of the most important things you need to consider when installing a pea gravel patio is just how deep to lay the rock. Typically, around 2 inches is the ideal depth for the patio, although it depends on the planned use case.

A 2 inch depth — or a little more — is easy to walk on without sinking into the rock, as could happen with a depth of more than 3 inches. Any patio furniture that you place on the rock, including chair legs, could sink into a thicker layer of gravel, making it feel unstable. Less than 2 inches of pea gravel depth could wash away in rainstorms or could end up becoming muddy. If you use landscaping fabric on the ground and pour the pea gravel for the patio over the top of it, the fabric might show through if you use a layer that's less than 2 inches deep.

If the patio area may have vehicles, including bikes, driving on it at any time, you may need to create a layer of pea gravel 6 to 10 inches deep. You could also need this extra depth if you will be using a four-wheeler to drag the area and maintain the gravel. The thicker gravel offers better support and stability for heavy items or if the ground underneath is especially soft.

Even though 2 inches is an ideal depth for a gravel patio where you'll be primarily sitting and relaxing on patio furniture, you might want to use a little more or a little less in certain circumstances. For example, laying down a thicker layer can help keep your gravel patio looking as good as new with less maintenance. More gravel can also cut down on the number of weeds that appear in the patio area, which reduces the amount of maintenance you need to do. If you're installing the pea gravel patio during a time of the year with heavy thunderstorms, it's advisable to start with a thicker amount to account for gravel lost during washouts until you have some evidence of how the patio area will react with heavy rain.

If you are covering a huge space with gravel, the cost of ordering such a large amount of rock may be more than your budget allows. In this situation, you could save some money by using a thinner layer. To determine the cost of your materials, you first need to figure out how much gravel your patio needs. To calculate the cubic yards you need, multiply the length by the width by the depth (all in inches) by 0.0000214. For a 20-by-20-foot (or 240-by-240-inch) patio, for example, you'd need 1.85 cubic yards for 1.5 inches of depth. For 2.5 inches of depth, you'd need 3.08 cubic yards, so you can save some money with less depth. Pea gravel costs $30 to $70 per cubic yard.