Temporary "driveway" over grass?

[hanish]

Hi all. We live in an HOA that requires us to have our camper van hidden from view and not in our main driveway if we want to park it at our house for longer than 24 hours. We have space on one side of our garage where we can add a fenced in area to park it, but the problem is that the existing driveway does not lead to that are so it requires either (1) driving over grass to get there, (2) pouring a concrete driveway leading to it, or (3) using gravel or something as a driveway. None of these are really desirable to us. #1 would ruin the grass, #2 is too expensive just for the occasional drive in/drive out, and #3 would look ugly near a regularly poured driveway.

I was brainstorming and thinking if there was just some temporary structure I could drag out and lay on the grass when I pull in or out and then drag it back after driving over it then that would work. Sort of like a temporary 5 minute driveway just to protect the grass. Is there anything like that?

[magicbus]

I don’t get why you don’t just drive over the grass to get where you’re going. Unless you are going to do it every day (not really “temporary”) you aren’t going to hurt the grass. In 24 hours it’ll be unnoticeable.

Dave

[joelc]

You want a barrier between your RV and the ground. Having it parked on gravel or grass will allow moisture to rise onto the underbelly and wheel structure causing eventual problems. I did see a suggestion of plywood which would probably work. You could also use a tarp or go the expensive way and put in a RV pad of concrete, like I have.

[karlstream]

I've seen 15" x 15" cement pavers with holes in them that are set flush with the ground. The holes are partially filled with dirt and seeded with grass and are barely noticeable when the grass comes in. They seem to be designed to take the weight of a vehicle, but I don't know how well they would work if your camper has dual rear wheels.

karl

[RetiredRealtorR]

IDman wrote:
I'm sure the neighbors and the HOA Board are really going to like your new deal.
They have covenants like that for a reason and you are just heading for a fight with the HOA.

I've never read an HOA that limits HOW you get your RV to an inconspicuous spot, and believe me, I've read PLENTY of them!

I'd drive it across the grass (unless for some reason you feel you will sink deeply in). After all, how frequently are you going to be taking it in and out?? If it were daily I'd configure something permanent, but for the occasional use I suspect it will see, my vote is for over the grass.

[IDman]

I'm sure the neighbors and the HOA Board are really going to like your new deal.
They have covenants like that for a reason and you are just heading for a fight with the HOA.

[bgum]

4 sheets of plywood cut in half. Park van on pavers. Stack plywood in garage or garden shop when not in use.

[BB_TX]

Plywood will definitely work. I had a very large and heavy tree planted two years ago in the back yard, first using a large tractor/back hoe for the hole and then an even larger fork lift to carry the tree from their semi trailer to the back yard. They were concerned about the weight on my driveway so they laid plywood from the street to the back yard, all on grass. When they removed the plywood there was a slight depression that was gone after a few days and no damage to the grass.

But if your lawn is dry and pretty firm it will probably not hurt to drive on on rare occasions. More often and you will begin to see depressions.

[BobsYourUncle]

Welcome to the forum! 🙂
I'm with bgum, strips of plywood as he said.
You don't need a complete runway with them, buy 3 sheets of 5/8", rip them in half lengthwise and lay them down.

You will only ever be on 2 pieces at any time, so pick up the third and move it to the front and so on until you get there.

[LadyRVer]

Paver addition (if HOA will permit) or for just a temp thing, I would roll down a big tarp, like the 20 x 10 or maybe longer, from Harbor Freight?

[2_many_2]

JimBollman wrote:
I agree with jrobert, I use to drive across the grass at my old place all the time, no problem unless there is a lot of rain.

Another idea there is a grid you can lay do and fill with dirt and plant grass and mow as part of your yard. The grid supports the weight of the vehicle even when it is wet. Here is an Amazon link with several designs to pick from.

This was the first thing I thought of, I knew someone that did it and it worked.

[Lwiddis]

What’s your location? Is it dry, wet, cold, warm? Is the grassy area solid, soft? Hard to suggest without the details.

[JimBollman]

I agree with jrobert, I use to drive across the grass at my old place all the time, no problem unless there is a lot of rain.

Another idea there is a grid you can lay do and fill with dirt and plant grass and mow as part of your yard. The grid supports the weight of the vehicle even when it is wet. Here is an Amazon link with several designs to pick from.

[hanish]

bgum wrote:
2x8 sheets of plywood. How long of a run do you have?

Its about 35 feet to the street, but it would run adjacent to the existing driveway so I could turn the van and get it on to the existing driveway. I'm not sure about how long a length I'd need before the turn, maybe 20 feet to be safe (the van is 19 feet long)

[jrobert01]

If the ground is hard it want hurt the grass you said it was just in and out occasionally. I drive thru mine and you can not tell it. I do not when wet for long time. Have done this for years.