How to Install Cobblestone Driveway Edging | Ask This Old House

In this video, This Old House mason Mark McCullough helps a homeowner keep her driveway from washing away by replacing an old, ineffective brick edging with big, bulky cobblestone. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. Mason Mark McCullough helps a homeowner solve a draining issue—literally. Every time there is heavy rain, the homeowner’s driveway washes away. Mark shows her how to replace the existing brick border with cobblestone driveway edging to act as a retaining wall to add function and style. Difficulty: ⅖ Time: One weekend Cost: Around $25 per linear foot Where to find it? Mark works alongside a homeowner to raise the sinking driveway edging. Ideally the red brick edging acts as a barrier and helps to maintain the gravel driveway, but overtime grass or moss can grow over the edging, allowing water and gravity to pull the loose gravel over the edging. Mark starts with demoing the brick and prepping the trench using the following steps: 1. Starting at the top of the driveway, demo brick using a shovel. (Mark suggests starting from the top to allow gravity to help make the demo easier as you move down) 2. Dig out the trench 2-3 inches wider than the edging material (cobblestone 9”x5”) 3. Hand tamper the trench to level the dirt 4. Add 3-4 inches of gravel (depending on grade) 5. Mix concrete using a concrete pre-mix 6. Pour enough concrete to lay 5-6 stones and smooth out with a trowel (work in sections to incorporate the rebar) 7. Lay the rebar horizontally in the trench to reinforce the cobblestone. 8. As you lay 5-6 cobblestone down, pickup the rebar and secure it with tie wire 9. Add back the dirt to fill in the sides of the trench Mark Tip: Leave the space between cobblestones unfilled. By doing so, water can pass through the spaces without disturbing the material. If the spaces are filled with concrete, the moisture will work its way in and expand over time until it cracks. Cobblestones supplied by Cavicchio Greenhouses, Inc. [https://ift.tt/6Hdn5ZL] Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House Insider to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Materials: Gravel [https://thd.co/3e9K4eP] Concrete mix [https://amzn.to/3EjwVdP] Rebar [https://thd.co/3CDx6zd] Tie wire [https://amzn.to/3T2P9V2] Wire twister [https://amzn.to/3VaULhV] Cobblestones [https://thd.co/3e6Kz9z] Tools: Mason’s hammer or small pickaxe [https://amzn.to/3CDpltf] Spade shovel [https://amzn.to/3CD1FFb] Tamp [https://amzn.to/3rU1teR] Wheelbarrow [https://amzn.to/3CgJPXl] Small sledgehammer or heavy mallet [https://amzn.to/3ryF46q] Masonry trowels [https://amzn.to/3SHfatd] Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://ift.tt/gBjxrcz About Ask This Old House TV: From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home. Follow This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG How to Install Cobblestone Driveway Edging | Ask This Old House https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/