Gravel Driveway Repair
Thompson, OH
Thompson drives that drop toward the Grand River wash out on the slope and fail where they cross water, and on the ledges there's little soil under them to dig into. So the fixes here lean on shaping rather than digging: a crown and diverters that take water off the slope, a proper look at every crossing, and reworking the stone that's already there. Thompson has the thinnest glacial cover in Geauga, around 5 feet of till on the ledges, and Thompson Ledges are Ohio's northernmost Sharon conglomerate outcrops. Reshaping with the existing stone starts at $1,500 as a Drive Restore; a Drive Rebuild with diverters starts at $2,800. Both prices include the $300 setup. Workmanship carries a 90-day written warranty, plow damage excluded.
Get Grade Scan — $149 ↗Gravel driveway recovery · Northeast Ohio
We fix your driveway, and the reason it keeps breaking.
Potholes, ruts and puddles come back where the water sits. We find where the water goes and fix that first, then rework the stone that is already there and compact it.
A Grade Scan is $149: a measured survey of your driveway’s grade and drainage. Every job is quoted in writing and carries a written guarantee.
How to Handle a Gravel Driveway in Thompson
If the drive washes out down toward the river, break the slope into short runs. The Grand River valley cuts steep ravines across the north of the township, and a drive down one of them collects water from top to bottom. The Drive Rebuild shapes a crown that holds on the pitch and sets shallow diverters across it at intervals, so water leaves the surface before it gathers speed. On thin soil over ledge the diverters are shaped into the stone rather than dug deep, which keeps the work practical on rocky ground. The gravel that has already washed to the bottom is brought back up and reused.
Where the drive crosses a creek or the road ditch, check the crossing before anything else. A pipe that is too small, rusted or blocked sends water over the drive in a heavy rain, and no surface work survives that. At the road the Geauga County Engineer issues a $75 permit and sizes the pipe; on a county road the county puts it in free once you've bought it, and on a township road the township inspects. A pipe is not something we install. We find out whether the crossing is the cause and shape the drive around it.
If it's rough but still stony, rework it where it lies. With as little as a few feet of soil over rock in places, digging out a Thompson drive is slow and often pointless. The Drive Rake brings the old stone back up and mixes it back together, levels and compacts it, from $1,050 including setup. Where the shape has gone too, the Drive Restore sets the crown from the same stone. Ledges and thin soil favour reshaping over excavation, and the price reflects that. Before anyone digs even a shallow edge ditch here, 811 marks the buried lines.
What We Fix in Thompson, OH
Ravine drive Rebuild
A crown that holds on the pitch and diverters shaped into the stone at intervals, for drives dropping toward the Grand. From $2,800 including setup, with a 90-day workmanship warranty and the proposal's exclusions.
Crossing diagnosis
We check the pipe or swale where your drive crosses a creek or the road ditch and tell you whether it is the cause of the damage. Replacement pipes go through the County Engineer or township.
Rework over ledge
Where rock sits a few feet down, the stone is reworked in place rather than dug out: raised, remixed, leveled and compacted. A Drive Rake from $1,050 including setup, with a 90-day written guarantee.
Snowbelt DriveGuard
$295 to $395 a year for a yearly inspection, light regrade, edge cleanup, pothole fill and a written report. Thompson is in the primary snowbelt, and the plow moves stone off the crown and into the grass every winter.
FAQ — Thompson, OH
Your drive is priced by size and condition, in writing, before we start. The entry prices, each with the $300 setup fee counted in: Drive Rake $1,050, Drive Restore $1,500, Drive Rebuild $2,800. Ravine drives with diverters are usually Rebuild work; flatter stony drives often need only the Rake.
At the road, the Geauga County Engineer: a $75 driveway permit, and the Engineer sizes the new pipe. On a county road the county installs it free and you buy it. On a township road the township inspects and some install. We don't install culverts, but we'll confirm whether that crossing is what's damaging your drive.
After the thaw once the ground firms, or in fall. On a slope we want the stone damp so it compacts, and a fall job means the diverters are in place before the snowmelt comes down the drive toward the river.
Only shallow ones, and often not at all where the ledge is close. That's why Thompson work leans on reshaping: a crown and diverters shaped into the stone move water without deep digging into the ledge. Anyone digging should call 811 first.
Usually less than people expect. Stone that washed down a slope or spread to the edges is reworked back into the drive, fines and all. New stone is quoted only where some has been lost for good, and the tonnage is written into the quote.
Ready to Fix Your Driveway?
Three tiers — Drive Rake, Drive Restore, Drive Rebuild — each quoted in writing before any work starts. We fix where the water goes first, rework the stone that is already there, and compact it.
Drive Rake from $1,050, Drive Restore from $1,500, Drive Rebuild from $2,800, each including the $300 setup fee. A written price before any work starts.
Get Grade Scan — $149 ↗