How to fix muddy area with gravel?

[akshay1]

 

Hi there

Thanks in advance.

I wanted to parking spot at my home. I got jakmat installed with a thick layer of Gap7 underneath. Still can't control the mud in the rainy season wherever the car tyres move. 

Then I threw about a 180Litres of small Riverstone at the worst spots and some of them actually got swallowed by the mud. The land is not even flat. It declines away from the house.

What should I do? Is there a drainage issue with piping underneath?

Should I keep adding more Riverstone until it saturates the mud or add something else like sand.

Regards

[MitchellMc]

Hi @akshay1,

It sounds like the main issue is that the ground reinforcement grid system you installed has likely sunk into soft, poorly compacted ground, which has allowed mud to rise through the gravel and defeat the purpose of the installation. These types of systems are designed to sit on top of a well-compacted, free-draining base—not to be embedded in soft soil. Without a filter fabric separating the subsoil from the gravel, fine particles can migrate up and mix with the surface layer, causing the mess you’re seeing. The layer of base material may not have been compacted thoroughly enough, or the soil underneath might not have been stable to begin with. 

To properly fix the issue, the best approach would be to remove the gravel and grid panels, and excavate any soft or unstable soil. After that, add a mechanically compacted layer of road base to create a stable foundation. Lay down a filter fabric to act as a barrier over it and reinstall the grid system. Finally, fill the cells with gravel. You’ll also want an extra 25mm of gravel above the top of the grid to help shed water and prevent the muddy surface from reappearing. While this involves more work, it will provide a far more durable and effective solution. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a short-term fix, you could try adding a thicker layer of gravel (at least 100mm), but without addressing the underlying compaction and drainage issues, it may not hold up over time. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell