# Forum Home Renovation Landscaping, Gardening & Outdoors  How to loosen and dig compacted gravel/soil

## kenigma

Hi folks. I live in a townhouse with a small courtyard with large square grey pavers. We want to build a planter wall but first need to remove some of the tiles and dig up the compacted gravel/soil underneath so we can make the footings. 
Question is, what's the best way to loosen and dig up the compacted gravel? Any other way besides the old pick axe? 
When I say compacted, I mean compacted! Using the edge of a square spade barely dents it. 
I've read that watering the gravel/soil might help. 
Thanks muchly.

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## phild01

Gradually work at it with a crowbar.

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## cyclic

You don't say how big an area or how deep, but you could always buy/hire a small Rotary Hammer Drill with Chisel or Point, or for something bigger, a small Electric Jackhammer. 
Any way you go about it, just be aware/careful of underground services.

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## johnc

Over the course of a week water each night and morning, built up moisture helps. Dig out what you can that weekend then keep filling trench with water, allow it to soak in then dig up what you can and reflood. If you only have a spade it will be slow but you will get there. Keep going until you get to depth. Otherwise Cyclic has posted another way that would be quicker and possibly easier, Rotary hammers are very cheap these days at the trashy end, trashy or not it will do the job.
 Crowbar and spade is the method I'd use so you have three options to consider.

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## kenigma

Is a hammer drill and masonry drill bit a good idea? 
Also, what's the best way to dispose of the unwanted gravel/soil? The area will be approx 7m x 60cm and about 15mm deep so less than a cubic metre. Hoping to avoid a trip to the tip

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## PlatypusGardens

Is there any way to get a machine in?
Take a fence panel off, etc? 
A small excavator will only need about 1200mm gap to get in.   :Smilie:  
Also, when you say "gravel" do you mean pebbles, blue metal, crusherdust, roadbase.....?   :Confused:  
Aaaand... 7x0.6x0.015 = 0.063m3....
Surely you mean 150mm deep..

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## cyclic

> Is a hammer drill and masonry drill bit a good idea? 
> Also, what's the best way to dispose of the unwanted gravel/soil? The area will be approx 7m x 60cm and about 15mm deep so less than a cubic metre. Hoping to avoid a trip to the tip

  
To break up the ground, yes, and they usually come with a chisel and point to use as a small jackhammer (you don't use a masonary drill)however, if you don't 
 mind manual labour, go with pick/crowbar/shovel, although if you don't already have a crowbar, you will have to factor in that cost as opposed to a Rotary Hammer  
Drill set which can be used for other things later. . 
As for fill maybe an ad on Gumtree "free fill-box trailer load-will assist with loading" 
Failing that then off to the tip.

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## David.Elliott

My gravel is also pretty hard so I use a sharp mattock, which has the added advantage of a blade on the back for tree roots etc... https://www.google.com.au/search?q=m...tm%3B383%3B378

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## Marc

You don't say how fit you are nor how much time you have. 
Hire a Jackhammer or a small excavator, the rest is possible but highly impractical and definitely very tiring, in fact I get tired just by thinking about it ...  :Smilie:

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## Moondog55

This would seem to call for raised concrete planters rather than digging. Much easier and guaranteed good drainage and container gardening is sometimes a lot easier

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## Marc

It's a pity it is so hard to source dinamite around here.

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## PlatypusGardens

> This would seem to call for raised concrete planters rather than digging. Much easier and guaranteed good drainage and container gardening is sometimes a lot easier

  
What he said

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## kenigma

Thanks for your tips. This is a progress pic of the trench. Work halted the past two days due to rain in Sydney. Not too hard using a crowbar-like metal thing, shovel and masonry drill for some of the more compacted stuff. 
The wall will be made with the wall blocks using concrete/mortar, but that will be the subject of another post coz I'll need help with the construction  :Smilie:

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## seriph1

not "terrible" looking blocks mate  -  big money? BNo offence intended of course ... there are just a LOT of crappy fake sandstone blocks out there  -  best "applied" ones I've seen are actually made in Sydney (or were) by Country Stone 
BTW a crow bar is what I used too ... on the second hole I dug  -  made it far easier than the first with a jemmy and small shovel

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## kenigma

$20 a block. Solid and weighty. Don't have any experience so can't judge on quality, but they were right for us cos they had to be thin

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## seriph1

Thanks for the info.

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## Moxostoma

Some time ago a poster asked about how to loosen and dig compacted gravel/soil (http://www.renovateforum.com/f82/how...l-soil-115539/).  Hopefully that project is completed but I had the same problem and found a tool that wasn't mentioned by the responders.   
I had my swimming pool taken out and the contractor packed down fill dirt that is about 50% to 75% gravel with the rest a sand/clay mix.  Very disappointing.  He later came back and put about 3" of topsoil on it, but I wanted to dig a wildlife pond in part of the area.  I tried a maddock and several types of shovels, but at best they would only penetrate about 1/2" of soil before being stopped by rock.   
Some time in the past I somehow acquired a 4-Tine Digging Fork so I tried that.  I found that I could jam it straight into the ground and twist it, breaking up the surface.  This broke it loose enough to scoop up with a square point shovel.  Once a hole was started, the fork could also be thrust into the edge of soil at an angle almost parallel to the ground and pried up, breaking apart more rock/soil mixture.  The Fork barely penetrated more than an inch, but by twisting or prying, I could break apart a larger chunk of soil.  Don't get me wrong - it was still exhausting work, but the digging fork made it more bearable.   
Here's the type of tool I have:

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