Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
writes:
This is another part of our "what to do with the gravel" campaign.

Around much of our house there are paved paths with gravel insets.
There are, in particular, quite long sections of gravel between the
paths and the house wall in some places.

They are probably there to prevent water splashing back up
the wall, and may actually form a drain to carry water away
from the foundations. How old is the building? They could
be part of an earlier damp treatment if you have solid walls.

It's a 1920s house but has very many extensions, most of the house
just has lawn or flower beds up to the walls.


You could pull some out and see what's underneath. Weeds
might be a sign it's got lots of organic matter in there
over the years which needs washing out.

I doubt there's anything that sophisticated, our ground is so sandy
that drainage is a non-event, water just disappears by magic even in
the heaviest downpours.

I do think that concrete or paving right up to the house would be a
bad idea though.

--
Chris Green