(I’ll be honest: Ours was more like three inches.) In theory, gravel lasts indefinitely. When laying your gravel driveway opt for a gravel paving grid. Unfortunately it is very rare that a gravel driveway construction will require no excavation. For less than a tenth of the cost of the typical asphalt driveway, this year, my wife and I got ourselves an attractive, completely functional gravel driveway that should last years with minimal upkeep. Pricing is provided by Midwest Asphalt Corporation and current as of early 2016. Gravel is commonly sold by the cubic yard, so to find the material needed for a driveway find the volume in yards. On narrow driveways with side or overhead obstructions, taking a gravel delivery is harder than it should be. Sad to say, gravel driveways aren’t popular with everyone. This 1988 U.S. Geological Survey report provides an exhaustive overview of the United States’ aggregate resources. Gravel should be laid in a slight trench of about 10cm deep. Such grid systems may be used for parking areas, driveways and paths. Once the driveway is built and you begin using it, keep an eye out for gravel loss, unexpected water flow, and any potholes that may develop. With the right driveways driveway paver grids, it is possible to transform the appearance of your home. The best suppliers will own and operate their own quarries and will have built a longstanding reputation in the industry for quality and fair prices. These are the top places to find good deals on cheap sports tickets. I certainly wouldn’t try it, nor would I recommend it to anyone without proper training. Here’s what you need to know about gravel driveways’ advantages, disadvantages, costs, and installation procedures. The content on MoneyCrashers.com is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice. This will be based upon the volume required. When rain falls, it will then tend to roll down the slope on either side and be drained at the driveway’s edges, rather than pooling or flooding. Ready to start installing the gravel driveway of your dreams? But our driveway is shorter than most. Install a French Drain in a Gravel Driveway French drains are used to remove excess water from an area. If you have a narrow lot, you’ll likely have to block off a portion of your street and get the gravel dumped there. This is a rundown of the most common types of driveway aggregate in our area. Dump trucks are big. Periodic resealing costs $400 a pop, on average. Use it as a general guide for your research and budgeting, but always default to local companies for accurate pricing and availability: Professional landscaping companies may offer costlier, more attractive types of gravel not included on this list. Having the base materials delivered at the same time as your gravel can result in a big mess, but you also don’t want your surface materials to arrive before the base. There’s no way to pinpoint exactly when the price at the pump will rise or by how much, but it’s a pretty safe bet that it will eventually. Always keep this in mind when planning out the depth of your drive and your costs. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they appear on category pages. Pro Tip: Looking for DIY projects that actually pay for themselves over time? Multiply your driveway’s square footage by 0.33 (four inches is one-third of a foot) to determine your cubic footage per layer. The thin gravel cover wasn’t adequate to keep those scores mud-free after rains. Begin at one end and work toward the other end, raking and leveling off each section as you finish it. Fortunately, this requires minimal effort on your part. If not, the only “professional” you need to retain is the person who drives the gravel truck up your driveway. It’s basically inert, it responds well to freezing and thawing, and it’s easy to repair without professional help. My wife and I live in Minneapolis-St. Paul, near the border between regions 3 and 4 in the USGS map. As you can see from the map on page 10, limestone is the country’s most common aggregate material, followed closely by sandstone, granite, and trap rock. Gravel is easy to install on your own. Should you need such advice, consult a licensed financial or tax advisor. Only after you feel comfortable with the layout should you begin moving forward with your installation plans. In practice, it washes away or subsides enough to require periodic resurfacing. This will also remove any leaves, grass, sticks or other debris that could impact the visual appeal or integrity of your front drive. Your HOA’s bylaws might mandate a certain type of driveway surface, for instance – say, black asphalt or stone pavers. If you’re looking to improve your home’s curb appeal, and especially if you’re preparing to list your house for sale, a more expensive option may be a worthwhile investment. Don’t buy crushed stone from just any supplier. Now for the bad news: the downsides of gravel driveways. All Rights Reserved. Based on our experience, I’d estimate that dumping and leveling a single gravel layer takes approximately one hour per 15 linear feet. Benefits of installing a crushed stone driveway are lack of maintenance and ease of care, plus these driveways provide an excellent drainage system. If the driveway is in poor condition, you can resurface with a gravel and liquid asphalt mix called macadam, which can last for up to six years at a cost of about $2/sq ft. Installing a gravel (or asphalt, concrete, or stone) driveway is just one of the many projects you’re likely to tackle outside the walls of your house during your tenure as a homeowner. It’s a good idea to have an accurate idea of what you’ll need to spend on materials before making your purchase. Gravel driveways are often loose, which leads to the loss of gravel and difficulty navigating the drive. Dig up three inches of topsoil for every layer of gravel that you plan to put down. Brick driveways enhance the look of the houses where they are installed. Next, use a shovel and hard metal rake to spread the gravel evenly across the driveway. Aggregate is almost always mined locally, so the availability of various types can change significantly over short distances. We carry a massive inventory of high quality crushed aggregate materials at competitive wholesale prices. Laying a gravel drive is relatively simple but can be hard work! Driveway fabric works by providing a separation layer between the driveway gravel and the earth below. To complete the driveway, we spread and level the gravel leaving approximately 20mm above the top of the grids. Place and level a 4"-6" bed of gravel; you need a gravel base in areas of poor drainage or freezing temperatures. Consult with an expert for any extra help or insight. Maintenance of Your Gravel Driveway. Enjoy your low maintenance, rut-free, and weed-suppressing driveway or parking area for years to come using our easy to install CORE gravel foundation. Generally, you should plan on raking your driveway every couple of weeks to ensure that the gravel remains evenly distributed and that the center stays slightly peaked. Using a mechanical compactor if you have one, or a truck if you don’t, to tamp the gravel down. Paving an asphalt or concrete driveway is technically possible without professional help. Using gravel on your drive is an attractive and cost effective solution. Though they’re more durable, concrete driveways are even pricier to install. That’s good for two reasons: Gravel is more affordable than asphalt or concrete, and it’s not particularly close. CORE Gravel™ Driveway Install Guide. To avoid problems like these, it’s a good idea to use flags, twine, marking tape, or marking paint as a means of marking off the boundaries of your new driveway. Careful grading can keep your gravel driveway relatively even for a while, but the killer combination of gravity and heavy use will win out eventually. Our driveway is short, and its slope is brief enough that we can power our way up without much trouble. 9 Best Places to Buy Canvas Prints & Wall Art Online (on Every Budget), How to Decide Where to Live If You Work Remotely From Home, How to Do Research on a Stock to Buy Before Investing in the Company, Why Gas Prices Are Rising So High – Reasons for Fluctuations, 13 Best Stock Market Investment News, Analysis & Research Sites of 2021, 27 Best New Bank Account Promotions & Offers – February 2021, home improvements that help reduce homeownership costs, Types of Driveways for Your Home - Materials & Costs, 11 Simple & Inexpensive Ideas to Increase Your Home's Curb Appeal, Top 10 Green Energy Technologies & Solutions for Home Improvement, 16 Home Improvement Projects That Help Reduce Homeownership Costs, Green Energy Tax Credits for Home Improvement & Energy Efficiency, Buying an Old House? To prevent rain puddles from forming, design a 2% slope (every 10' long will drop 2.5"). Place crushed rocks the size of your fist in a layer over the fabric. - Common Problems, Hidden Costs & Benefits, 13 Places to Buy Cheap Discount Sports Tickets Online & Off, Borrowing From Your 401(k) – 6 Reasons Not to Get a Loan. Unroll weed barrier fabric along the length and width of the driveway. A reliable online crushed stone calculator will eliminate all of the guesswork and provide you with a solid estimate. Schedule and prepare site for gravel delivery. © 2021 Money Crashers, LLC. We recommend adding a new layer of gravel to the surface of the driveway every 1-2 years. I basically scrape as much snow as I can off the top and trust our newish tire treads to claw their way up the slope. Add the gravel grids. Gravel grids may not be essential for building a gravel driveway, but they can certainly be helpful. Asphalt driveways cost $2 per square foot at minimum; $4 to $6 per square foot is more realistic. They blend in well with landscaping and offer ease of maintenance. MoneyCrashers.com does not include all banks, credit card companies or all available credit card offers, although best efforts are made to include a comprehensive list of offers regardless of compensation. Reach him on Twitter. That may require you to pull a permit (or at least notify your municipal government) and will definitely create a lot more work for you, since you’ll need to schlep the gravel up to where it’s actually needed. We followed these simple steps to install our gravel driveway with no professional assistance: On a DIY gravel driveway project, gravel itself will likely be your single largest expense, but it’s not the only cost you’ll need to worry about. Leblanc said landowners can always go back in and build a culvert if one is needed to re-route water flow. Make sure to be compact and push the gravel into a thick layer. That’s a $400-per-job investment, on average, and more for longer driveways. Safe, secure parking for our vehicles is important. In winter, they’d fill with ice and snow for months on end, and take weeks to drain following the spring thaw. Make sure to take the time to carefully compact each layer before the next is applied. Always keep this in mind when planning out the depth of your drive and your costs. Once the final gravel layer has been applied you’ll want to rake the stone aggregate to a slight peak down the center of the driveway. The installation of a gravel driveway may be accomplished in a few simple steps. It’s cheap, and it looks it. However, gravel driveways generally cost more and require more work to build than an ordinary driveway. At the very least the topsoil should be removed as its load bearing ability is poor and the heavy concentration of decomposed organic material makes topsoil particularly prone to retaining water. (Leveling gravel is surprisingly hard work.) A crushed stone driveway is one of many options to consider when installing a new driveway. Braen Stone Company. Use the wheel barrel to transfer the pea gravel from the pile to the driveway. If you have decided that you’re going to install your driveway on your own, you should definitely think about renting special tools and equipment to get the job done. Are you planning a gravel driveway project in the near future? With its tailgate fully engaged, the typical dump truck grows to 16 feet tall. The heavy equipment will also make the process of moving heavy loads of gravel and compacting the driveway a lot simpler and faster. Depending on the color and texture, gravel blends well with a wide variety of home styles, exterior colors, and landscaping elements – from xeriscaping and other native landscapes to formal gardens. Due to its high tensile strength, the fabric acts as a stabilizing layer and reduces the amount of rock required by up to 30% which results in a reduction of labor and overall cost. Let’s drill down into the gravel driveway installation process, step by rocky step. Whether you’re constructing a brand new driveway or replacing an existing one, gravel is an excellent option for homeowners throughout the northeast. Don’t forget that your gavel divvy requires a lot more than just gravel. Check out our list of the best travel rewards credit cards for sign-up bonus offers worth $500 or more. Keep in mind that you’ll need to install 3 different layers of crushed stone in order to complete the project, and that each layer should be 4-6″ in depth. Various colors, shapes, textures and styles that are available can make a huge difference in the tone or theme that you’re trying to create for your property. Stake out the path of the driveway. of parking; total 2,900 sq.ft. First, let’s outline the economic and practical arguments for gravel. “Aggregate” is a catchall term for crushed or broken rock and mineral matter, from coarse stone to fine sand. A true French drain is made with gravel, but with gravel driveways, PVC piping is recommended. We strive to write accurate and genuine reviews and articles, and all views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors. Maintain your gravel driveway by regularly raking out any debris and filling in any holes or gaps with fresh material. A gravel driveway would be an ideal choice if you are planning to give your house an antique touch. This means that your driveway should be between 12-18″ deep. Wheels inevitably produce ruts and bumps, which get ever sloppier over the years as the driveway’s gravel thins. Be sure to take a look at each different type of stone to ensure that you pick the material that not only suits your visual needs, but will also be practical, affordable and easy to maintain. Working quickly but carefully together, my wife and I were able to complete our single-layer project in about three hours, including frequent rest breaks. References to products, offers, and rates from third party sites often change. Before you can begin to clear away the soil to make way for your gravel driveway, you’ll need to figure out how deep you’d like it to be. When he's not investigating time- and money-saving strategies for Money Crashers readers, you can find him exploring his favorite trails or sampling a new cuisine. Although major retailers often sell some crushed stone, they don’t manufacture their own product, which limits their inventory and requires them to sell the materials for more than what they’re actually worth. Homeowners with longer, steeper driveways aren’t so lucky. Will you go the DIY route or hire a professional to help? We may have financial relationships with some of the companies mentioned on this website. Advertiser partners include American Express, Chase, U.S. Bank, and Barclaycard, among others. Before you spend any money on your gravel driveway project, make sure it won’t go to waste. Creating a gravel driveway isn't as simple as pouring some stones onto a path – do that and you'll sink straight into it.