Gravel around skirting -- good idea?

[stk123]

Hi folks -- we purchased a used mobile home about two years ago, as a 'vaction' home and have been fixing it up, etc., over time. It's been....an experience.

Anyway, the home is located in Eastern NC on some very sandy soil. There is very little roof overhang, and no gutters, so rains is beginning to erode the soil around parts of my skirting.

While I think I need a new roof, and may want to address gutters at that time, I'm thinking about ordering a couple cubic yards of gravel and putting a 2-3" deep perimeter of gravel around the skirting to help with the erosion, and also control weeds. Maybe 2-wide. I've found out the hard way how easy it is to cut into the skirting with a string-trimmer. <sigh>

Is there any reason this might be a bad idea? If not what would be a good way of 'fencing' in the gravel on perimeter? The metal edging Home Depot and Lowes sell, is very expensive to surround a 16x80. Thx!

[JD]

When I install skirting to dirt, I install it on pressure treated 2x4s. For my spike holes, I will spade bit down a half inch, then drill a 3/8" hole in the middle of that. A 12" galvanized steel spike goes through that. If this is deep sandy soil, you can use concrete for spikes, the flat steel ones with holes in the sides for nails. This could help curb your gravel and keep it off of the bottom of the skirting.

[joedirt63]

hello, i've done the same as jd . only i used 4x4 preasure treated , made like a make shift foundation,since my m/h is on anincline,(slope of a mountian,bottom) i get alot of water run off.i installed a french drain on the one side <(faceing uphill) and used the screening and rock to cover it. i would used weed block under what ever areas you plan to use the rock on

[stk123]

Hmm...thanks all. Right now the skirting is in place, so I don't really want to remove that, or reinstall it. I just want to shovel a border of gravel around it to (hopefully) stop the erosion where the water runs off the roof. In some places, there's starting to be gap under the skirting, where critters could get in.

| <--- skirting
|
|......| <--- gravel and some kind of curb?

Like that. I'm not sure what I should use for the outside 'curb' to keep the gravel from spreading out onto my lawn.... Thx

[flcruising]

If you use gravel, I would not advise to place it against the skirting directly. I suggest to use a landscape edging material between the gravel and the skirting and then only 1"-2" X whatever width of gravel around the house. We also have sandy soil, and I use pine straw around my house to help with erosion. Works perfectly and doesn't require much thickness at all, maybe 2". I'd use gravel, but I have small children and you know how that would end up.

[DaveyB]

I'd go a slightly longer route and dig a channel around the skirting, then fill that with gravel. Sort of a french drain, on the cheap! Rainwater is going to hit the siding no matter what you do. but the earth under the siding you can protect by channelling the water away from it.

An hour or so with a shovel (depending on the ground) and a few kilos of pea-gravel could give the respite you need until you get the roof done and the gutters installed, Just remember that water drains downhill, so your excavations need to take that into account instead of creating pools of water - sorry if it seems I'm preaching to the choir, but it is a point often overlooked!

Hope that helps

DaveyB

[Arlo]

Great idea. I can't believe the posters above me don't realize that gravel discourages mice and other burrowing animals.

[DaveyB]

As an alternate to guttering the edges of the roof, you could go with a full French drain - it costs a little more than guttering, but is pretty well maintenance free since there is no leaf buildup to clean out.

I'm sure you're familiar with the standard U shaped guttering that catches the water from the roof and channels it into a down-pipe for collection or disposal. For a French drain description, click here.

This means the water actually drops off the roof onto the ground, but it lands on gravel, quickly seeping through the gravel into the buried pipe, and runs off to whatever catchment or disposal area you choose. Placed close to the siding, any splash onto the siding will run down into the same gravel and exit in the same manner, leaving clean, recently washed siding. Any leaves that build up will be blown away in clean weather, and as Arlo mentioned, any burrowing pests will hit a wall of gravel and go and find an easier target!