How to Build a Gravel Driveway

Before you start: plan the water

Water is what destroys gravel driveways. Every other step in this guide matters less than deciding, before you dig, where rain is going to go.

• Crown the surface so the centre sits about 2% higher than the edges — roughly 1.5 inches of rise across a 12 ft width.
• Or cross-slope it at 2% to one side if the ground already falls that way.
• Cut a shallow ditch along the low side on sloped sites so runoff has somewhere to go that is not through your base.
• Add a cross-drain every 50 to 100 ft on driveways steeper than about 8%.

Step 1 — Mark out

Stake both edges and run string lines. Ten to twelve feet is standard for a single vehicle; add two feet on curves so tires do not drop off the edge. Twenty to twenty-four feet if two cars need to pass.

Step 2 — Excavate

Strip all topsoil and organic material — it will rot and settle, taking your driveway with it. Dig to the full depth of the planned stone, typically 10 to 12 inches below finished grade.

If you hit soft, wet clay, dig deeper and plan on more base stone, or add a geogrid. Building on unstable subgrade is money thrown away.

Step 3 — Compact the subgrade

Run the plate compactor over the bare excavation before any stone. This is a step almost every DIY build skips, and it firms the foundation that everything above depends on.

Step 4 — Lay geotextile fabric

Use woven geotextile, not the thin spun landscape fabric sold for flower beds. It separates stone from soil so the two never mix.

• Overlap seams by at least 12 inches.
• Run it up the sides of the excavation.
• Do not stretch it tight — it should sit into the contours.

At about $0.45 per square foot it is the cheapest insurance on the whole job. Size it with the landscape fabric calculator.

Step 5–7 — The three layers

Compact every lift. A plate compactor only transmits force a few inches down, so dumping ten inches and compacting once gives you a firm crust over loose stone. It looks finished and ruts within the first wet month.

Wetting the crusher run lightly before compacting helps the fines bind. Do not soak it.

Size all three layers at once with the gravel driveway calculator.

Step 8 — Edging

Without a hard edge, a gravel driveway spreads outward and loses depth in the middle every year. Options run from about $3.50 per linear foot for steel or plastic edging to $9.00 for timber or stone.

Tool list

• Plate compactor — rent, roughly $70–$110 per day
• Mini excavator or skid steer for excavation, or a contractor for a half-day
• Landscape rake and a good round-point shovel
• Contractor wheelbarrow
• String line, stakes, and a 4 ft level or laser level for the crown
• Safety glasses, gloves, ear protection, steel-toe boots

Ordering sequence

Have each layer delivered as you are ready for it rather than all at once. Three separate piles of stone in a small yard becomes its own problem, and you cannot compact a layer that is buried under the next one's material.

Once it is built, the maintenance guide covers keeping it flat.