Gravel Driveway Recovery & Restoration FAQ — Northeast Ohio

Because that is where the water sits. A pothole starts where water pools on a flat or sunken part of the drive, softens what is underneath, and the tires do the rest. Filling it with stone doesn't change where the water goes, so it comes back. We fix where the water goes before we fix the surface.

Drive Rake (the surface: loose stone, small potholes, weeds) starts at $1,050 (including the $300 equipment setup fee). Drive Restore (a regrade using your existing stone) runs from $1,500 (including the $300 equipment setup fee); longer driveways cost more. Drive Rebuild (regrade, edge drainage and fresh stone) runs from $2,800 (including the $300 equipment setup fee); longer driveways cost more. Every job is priced by the job, not by the hour, and you get the price in writing before we start.

Every GravelBoss job carries the 90-day workmanship warranty in our proposal terms. It covers defects in grading, compaction and material placement, and does not cover normal wear and settling, snow plow damage or heavy vehicle damage. Our proposal terms read: "90-day workmanship warranty from date of completion. Covers defects in grading, compaction, and material placement. Does not cover: normal wear and settling, snow plow damage, heavy vehicle damage (>10 tons), acts of nature, customer modifications, or failure to maintain drainage channels."

GravelBoss is insured; a certificate of insurance is available on request.

Not every driveway does, but many do. If water runs down the drive like a stream, stone washes into the lawn after storms, or puddles linger for days, the water needs somewhere to go. The Grade Scan shows where it runs, and Drive Rebuild includes drainage cut along the edges.

It depends on the length of the drive, the tier and the weather. Your proposal tells you how long your job should take before you book, and the exact date is confirmed with you in advance.

Where the base has failed, a base course of #304 (ODOT 304 aggregate base, 2 inches down to fines) goes under the surface; it is a base, not a driving surface. The surface is #411 (ODOT 411 crushed aggregate, 1.5 inches down to fines), which packs tight because of its fines. #57 is washed stone for drainage only, never the driving surface. Our proposal terms exclude damage from vehicles over 10 tons.

Enough that rain runs off both edges instead of sitting in the tire tracks. Federal gravel-roads guidance (the FHWA gravel roads guide) recommends about half an inch per foot of width, roughly 4%, and Penn State's Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies recommends 4 to 6%. Snowplows take some of it every winter, which is why the crown needs checking.

Yes. Gravel is maintained, not finished. A drive that sheds water holds its shape far longer than one that doesn't, but plows, frost and traffic wear on it. A light regrade now and then keeps it right, and we'll tell you how often yours is likely to need one. DriveGuard is our annual plan for exactly that.

A grader shapes the surface. Our process also brings the packed old stone back up and mixes the fines back in with the Ruckus Rake, reshapes the crown so water sheds, and compacts the stone as its own step. On most drives that means the existing stone goes back to work instead of being buried under new stone.