Most driveway problems are drainage problems
A driveway that washboards, potholes, or turns to soup in March usually isn't failing because of the gravel on top. It's failing because water has nowhere to go, or because the base underneath was never built to carry the load.
We build drives from the bottom up: strip the organic material, shape the subgrade so water sheds, get a proper stone base in and compacted, then top it. It costs more than dumping a load of gravel on the existing mess. It also lasts.
What's included
- New gravel driveway installation, base through surface
- Regrading and reshaping existing drives
- Culvert installation and replacement at road entries
- Ditching and roadside drainage
- Crowning and shaping so water sheds off the driving surface
- Prep and base work for a concrete or asphalt contractor to finish
Spring thaw is the real test
Southwest Michigan runs through a lot of freeze-thaw cycles, and the lake keeps things wet. Water that sits in a poorly drained base freezes, expands, and lifts the surface; then it thaws and the whole thing turns soft. That cycle is what destroys driveways here, and it's why base and drainage matter more than the top course.
Long rural drives out toward Coloma, Baroda, and Watervliet have a second issue: they collect runoff from the whole property. A drive across a slope needs the water intercepted and moved, or it becomes the creek.
One permit note — a culvert going in at a public road usually needs approval from the road commission, and driveway work within 500 feet of a lake or stream can trigger a soil erosion permit like any other earth change.
Common questions
Sometimes that's the right answer and we'll tell you so. But if the base is gone or water is sitting on it, new gravel is money that washes away. We'll look and give you the honest version.
Late spring through fall. Frozen ground makes proper base work difficult, and you can't compact a subgrade that's frozen or saturated.
We do the earthwork and base. If you want a paved surface, we prep the site and grade it so a paving contractor can do a clean job on top.
Get a quote on your driveways
Tell us where the property is and what you're trying to do with it. We'll come look, and the estimate is free.
Other services
Ready to get dirt moving?
Tell us about the property and we'll come look at it. Estimates are free, and we'll tell you straight if the job needs a permit before anyone touches the ground.