Bulk Aggregates for Patios in Marietta, GA

Georgia Rock Supply handles gravel and aggregate delivery in Marietta, GA for two kinds of buyers: contractors who order by the load every week and homeowners finishing one patio or driveway. Both end up asking the same question about bedding material. Red clay subsoil is what you are building over here, so the base under your pavers matters more than the pavers themselves.

Graded aggregate base, called GAB locally, is where most patio projects should start.

Materials for Marietta Projects

A paver patio fails from the bottom up. If the bedding layer and the base under it are too thin or too wet, the surface rocks, dips and pumps within a season. The fix is a compacted base that drains, then a fine, level bedding layer on top. Here is how the materials we deliver for that work sort out.

GAB (Graded Aggregate Base) is the standard base under pavers and flatwork in Georgia.

Crusher Run also binds and compacts, and many crews use it for driveways and the base under pads and patios where a material that locks together is wanted.

For the bedding layer itself, Screenings are the usual choice. Granite screenings, also called granite dust or M10, give you a fine, level surface that pavers sit flat on and stay flat on.

Washed Sand, or concrete sand, works as leveling and bedding under slabs and in paver joints. Mason Sand covers brick and block work and mortar joints.

Drainage behind a wall or under a patio edge is a different job. #57 Granite is the go-to stone for French drains and drainage behind walls, and Drain Rock handles downspout runs where red clay holds water.

Ground and Conditions in Marietta

The failure mode you see most on Cobb County patios is a base that went down thin or wet and then rutted. Red clay sheds water fast off a slope but holds it once saturated, so a flat spot stays wet, and a base laid on wet clay turns soft under a plate compactor.

That subsoil formed from weathered granite and gneiss, and past erosion left little topsoil over it in places. Hard rock also sits close to the surface in spots, which is why a test dig before you set grades saves a rebuild later.

Base depth here is carried by drainage and compaction, not by frost. Freezes are light from November into March, and the code minimum footing depth is 12 inches, so the real risk is water sitting in the base through a wet spell. Compact in lifts, keep the base crowned so it sheds, and add a drainage layer of #57 granite behind walls and at the low edge.

Erosion is the other local issue. Bare red clay washes off slopes, cut banks and fresh grading quickly, and the sediment ends up in ditches and streams after a heavy storm. Arm those spots with rip rap or a stone-lined channel before the next front moves through.

Work runs most of the year. What stops trucks and base work is saturated clay after a long wet stretch, a winter rain or tropical storm remnants, so plan the grading around a dry window when you can.

Delivery to Marietta and the Surrounding Area

Ordering online comes down to deciding whether to order by the ton or by the cubic yard, then working out how much your project actually needs. Tons are the weight on the ticket and yards are the volume that fills the hole. The two do not convert evenly from one material to the next.

Estimate by volume instead. Multiply length by width by the compacted depth in feet, and remember that GAB and crusher run shrink once they are compacted, so you need more loose material than the finished depth suggests.

Bulk delivery drops where the truck can reach. Point out the driveway, gate or side yard you want the pile placed on when you order, and tell us if the ground is soft, since a loaded truck on saturated clay is a problem for everyone.

We deliver across the city and to Smyrna, Mableton, Kennesaw, Acworth and Powder Springs, all in Cobb County, so the same materials and the same advice apply across the area.

Questions Marietta Buyers Ask

What gravel is best for a driveway in Marietta?

For most drives here, start with GAB or crusher run as the compacted base, then top it with #57 granite or 3/4 inch crushed stone. The base carries the load and the top course sheds water and keeps the surface tight. On a new drive, lay the coarser stone first, compact it in lifts, then add the topping.

How much material will my project need?

Figure the volume first: measure the length, width and depth, then let the calculator convert it to cubic yards. For a base, add extra because GAB and crusher run compact down. Run your numbers through the calculator on the product page and it will size the load for you. If the shape is odd, call and we will help you check it.

Size Your Load and Place the Order

Start with the calculator on the product page, put in your dimensions and the depth you plan to compact, and it will tell you the quantity to order. Then order graded aggregate base, screenings or drainage stone online and we will deliver it to your site in Marietta. If you are unsure between two materials, we are glad to talk it through before you buy.