Gravel Driveways: Crunching the Pros and Cons

newmouse Snow removal is more difficult, but it's also less necessary because the gravel provides excellent traction.

Breckon Land Design Erin,

Great article! The sound, look and feel of a gravel drive or walk is a very unique experience. I agree with your pros and cons. I have found that using EZ roll Gravel Pave (or approved equal), is a great product to use so you have the look and feel of a gravel walk or drive without that sinking feeling or ruts!
Thanks,

Chuck

motherbear Dust is the only con for me....drive slowly! I love the "crunch" of gravel.

mickus1 Snow removal is definately a downer, but besides that, all we have to do is rake the rutts every now and then. (About 5 minutes of work. .

feeny We had a fairly small gravel driveway in our previous house in Michigan. It looked good, had good traction in winter if the snowfall wasn't deep, and was good for groundwater. But in summer it became a thick field of weeds. For environmental reasons we refuse to use weedkiller, so the maintenance was pretty high for a few months each year.

Jessica Schwartz We just bought a house in the Santa Cruz mountains with a large gravel driveway. We have been debating on how to tackle the driveway because we are left with very few options as our septic is below it. Along with a landscaper we decided to outline it with pavers and then re-gravel to give it an element of design without blowing our budget. We have not done it as of yet, because we are in the process of landscaping first, but does anyone have any suggestions on pavers that would look nice and are not too expensive? Our house is white and we are building a redwood pergola coming off the side. The gravel and pavers will also have to tie into flagstone with pea gravel as our entrance pathway.

Also, on another note, this may be from limited maintenance on the part of the previous owners, but it is extremely hard to remove debris from gravel. Our driveway is covered in small bits of Redwood needles, etc... which I am hoping to cover up during the re-gravel. Is this normal? If we got a blower and did monthly upkeep would the gravel stay nice colored or will it show leftover dedbris and turn brown and dirty looking?

Spacify Inc, This is very Beautiful..............
Modern Furniture

rotty81 We used to have a gravel driveway, fortunately now we have a concrete one. I found the time spent on keeping the gravel drive tidy quite high. The raking, weeding, mess of leaves mixed up in the stones, scattering of stones onto our lawn dreadful. I have friends who have a long driveway made of Pea Metal, when I drive off it the tiny stones are stuck in my tyres making the most irritating noise. While some gravel driveways look very beautiful, as far as the work involved goes, give me a sealed driveway any day!

jmottet One "Pro" not mentioned in the article is Security... no one can sneak up on you without you hearing them as there is no way to tip toe on gravel... anyone one or anything will make noise when treading on gravel... even smallish animals such as raccoons can be heard. Makes me feel safer at night knowing that no one can approach the house without me hearing them coming.

markblain I love gravel... mixed with cement! My driveway is 1100 feet plus the 88 x 70 parking area, so pavement is not an option for my budget. Question, is that DR Grader thing worth a flip? Regards, Mark

tsudhonimh "Pea gravel" - tiny rounded pebbles - is not a material for anything. It refuses to pack down and stay put.

Tips for grave: crushed and sifted "3/4 minus" granite or limestone locks together pretty well. It's everything smaller then 3/4 inch.

The underlayments work pretty well, and in drier climates, so do the products that sort of glue the gravel together. They are often used on footpaths and even roads to minimize dust.

jamma33 A gravel driveway can be the perfect choice in areas where the building codes require a very small percentage of your property be covered by impermeable substances. If your driveway is gravel, you might be able to add on to your house as you would be keeping the "permeability" the same ratio.

Lucie Martin Design, LLC There are also gravel stabilizer products that give the look of gravel but help lock the stones in place.

Hugh Wolfe I do not have a gravel drive nor even a house of my own, at present... However for those worried about the use of offensive chemicals around their yard try a pound of salt dissolved in a gallon of vinegar with just a touch of soap (to break the surface tension) use a plastic pump up sprayer (no, or minimal, metal parts, as it is corrosive. It's a lot less expensive than name brand chemical, such as "Roundup"... you could drink it and it wouldn't kill you, although your yard will smell like fish and chips for a while. It sterilizes for a period of months and will eliminate anything, including invasive blackberries in Washington state (personal experience).

Laurel Ennis It never gets icy.

kjziebell Have gravel...hate it..can't wait to get rid of it. When its wet it sticks to your car and then gets dragged into your garage. Same with your feet. When wet you are going to be constantly dragging it into the house. And God forbid we get any accumulation of snow. Can't use a blower because it shoots the gravel towards the house and windows. And a plow pushes the stones all over the place. My advice..thinking about gravel...just say no.

patscats2 I saw this on DIY network and see it here and don't understand. Why would anyone who can afford one of these gorgeous homes put in a gravel or loose rock drive or walkway? That is so impractical. You can't walk on it and when it rains, oh what a mess. I don't get it, someone explain that to me.

CAROLE MEYER This may be crazy....but I just love the way it sounds when you drive on it! It sounds like coming home!!

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. It does sound like coming home Carole, you're so right. Another reason to like gravel driveways.

blackbirdoftuvalu We have a pretty short gravel driveway lined with Belgian block (which keep the gravel from traveling too far) and to keep weeds down we spray the driveway with a combination of water/vinegar/and salt. It works beautifully.

lindley2616 We've had our gravel drive for 14 years now and I live it. Beside the fact that rainwater, sprinkler water disperses back into the ground - unlike cement, it doesn't stain from cars' errant oil drips, it sounds nice, it provides traction when we park there during ice storms. It's pleasing to look at, a free source of pebbles for the bottom of potted plants!

tyris601 To respond to a message above who didn't want to spray chemicals for the weeds. If you spray with straight vinegar on a nice sunny non-windy day, the weeds will be dead by the next day. Make sure not to spray anything you don't want to kill though and rinse out your sprayer real well so you don't corrode any of the parts.

tcomeaux We have just finished building our dream home and our debate right now is gravel?... or concrete?...I really want gravel and think it would so fit the look of our crafstman style home!

wiggles How about other alternatives to paving. I have seen some peastone drives but they have a firm subsurface so you don't get the ruts not sure what it's called or cost. Our drive will be about 1200' and 75% very steep. Help!

zippitydodah Any comments about elderly people and their safety when walking on loose gravel? Someone dependent on a walker or a cane to navigate may find gravel exceedingly hazardous and scary. Does our homeowner insurance fully cover any injuries? As a child, gravel was common....I LOVE pavement now....it is a vast improvement. When I was a child, no one ever topped up their gravel....it was just full of ruts and puddles and eventually mud. Gravel was not a good surface for running or playing so the kids all had scuffed up knees.

rebelliousraven Have a long rural gravel drive.... how I WISH i could afford the 1/2 mile of blacktop... but if like us... you can't and are stuck with gravel
NEVER buy a black car... mine has been dirty/dusty from the day I got it... I can wash it and by the time I get up the driveway it looks like cr*p again...
and keep your windows closed... your house will be full of dust all the time

lindley2616 I believe some people here are thinking of caliche rock drives - dusty, bumpy, and a nightmare for keeping cars clean or being able to open your windows on roads where traffic kicks up lots of dust. We top our gravel drive off, have it graded and raked each year - it also helps reduce the concrete heat problems for those of us in the sunny states. We've never had problems with people having trouble walking on it - seems to provide better traction, actually. If its good enough for the beautiful homes of rural England and France, it's certainly good enough for us :-)

tankiso I hate gravel driveway. My dads house had such and it is in a dusty area so it becomes unsightly; and when it had rained the gravel would wash away as mud due to dust. So gravel is a no-no.

off2acre Our long sloping drive is gravel and the only problem was when the storm drain at the top was blocked during a heavy downpour and water gushed down creating ruts (first time in six years). Otherwise, I like it. We have a dozen small delivery vans every week - one new guy thinks he should gun it, scattering gravel and creating a rut, but after a talk he is doing better. And, as others said, I can hear the vans coming.
Anyone on a slope would find gravel offers better traction.
Also I second the use of salt and vinegar (or wine) - it does a good job against unwanted plants.

Morgan Daniels When I was a kid there was seashells mixed into our gravel driveway. Not only was there NO WAY you could sneak out of the house (despite kids on the bottom floor & parents on the second) but, the white seashells broken into the gravel made it practically glow. You could see the drive even in minimal light. It was beautiful. If you go to beaches and clam dig, a few trips with the shells thrown onto the drive - you drive over them and ground them down naturally.

pjmf0830 I have a very long gravel driveway. I have always disliked it, but after reading this article, I am feeling much better about it! My only con is that it is very difficult to walk on in my high heeled shoes when I am leaving and coming home from work. The heel sinks in, and gets worn and scuffed! Any suggestions? The only idea I have is to put in some stepping stones to walk on.

pgingrich We've had a gravel driveway for almost 8 years. We have a rustic home a ways out of town, so it looks great with it. The gravel drive is long and goes up a hill to the house. When we get a 3 inch rainfall, areas erode. Fortunately, my husband has a tractor and can fix it easily with a grader he made. In the winter, he can use the tractor to plow the snow off. People say they feel more relaxed as soon as they hit the gravel. that's what we want for us and our guests! We like it, but it does require ongoing care--but so does asphalt and even concrete.

woolylam my husband hates our gravel driveway, but its cheap and I don't see any point in changing it. I'll have to show him this so he can know that its "in". :)

kath1960 We have used a 3/4 stone for our driveway and have found it to be very good. We dug down 6 inches (and we have a large driveway) and it didn't take too long to do that. We edged the driveway and added a layer of compacting sand and packed it down a bit. We then added the stone. We have had very few weeds growning through and there is little maintenance. In the winter we drive over the first few snowfalls to pack the snow, as it gets colder it freezes and provides a great base. The snow blower can then be used.

ehowdy We used ground granite in our driveway...same look with no dust!

debv8 I would LOVE to have a long brick driveway, but where we live (Rural Ontario, Canada) it would be impossible to maintain. We live on a gravel road, so paving is not an option. We have lots of snow to plow too. SO, yes, it is a lot of work, and yes, we have to keep weeds and grass out. But we LOVE living where we live, so c'est la vie!
We have some 'city' friends (?) that will not drive out to our place because they are afraid of getting paint chipped on their car. SO, if you are obsessed with your car, don't like mud and dirt, well, you won't want to live in the country!
We are still working on the house, we built it ourselves. It is an ICF home, heated floors, stucco and brick exterior.

alibonelli We have a new home and although I was against gravel at first I have grown to love it. With a few hours of raking each spring and filling in a spot or two we are good to go. I have not had a problem with weeds as of yet. I think that if you have it topped every 2-3 years it looks really nice-not like the dusty, rutted driveways some people are envisioning.

johnfbl We've shipped in 14 railcars of granite for a very long drive to the rear of our farm. Best results were 1.5" stone over the geotextile fabric (eliminates mud and cuts weeds way down) with a 3/4" fine granite on top. Where it has sat for 4-5 years with a lot of heavy traffic the fines have formed a hard crust where the tires run that is very hard.

Biggest problem is when it's first down and heavy trucks (building a home) run on it. Until the fines lock in the rock will spin under their tires on the grades. Once in it's been great - the granite costs more but after 5 years none has had to be replaced and maintenance is more just drag a blade to level it. Low dust compared to limestone helps a lot too.

Erin Lang Norris Wow! I never imagined this article would get such an amount of great feedback!

I really like the additional benefits and drawbacks that you guys added. I hadn't thought about elderly people having a difficult time walking on it and it's definitely something to think about. I really like the idea of packing snow down so you have a good base to shovel or use a snow blower on. And the thought about driving on gravel feeling like "coming home" is so true...I'll never forget the long gravel driveway that lead to my grandparent's home in northern Wisconsin and it was always something I looked forward to driving on.

Thanks for all the comments. I'm glad to hear that most people have positive experiences with gravel if they are laid correctly and maintained properly. I'm looking forward to ripping the old crumbling asphalt out of my own driveway and replacing it with gravel even more than I had been before. :)

prejza From all these comments, I'd say it definitely depends on your personal preferences, your climate, and your setting, i.e. steep hills, etc. We've had a
bluestone gravel drive at our 1926 home forever and I love it. Now that I am
older and have arthritis, I must say that it feel secure underfoot and I don't have to worry on a wet or icy day. We had few weeds due to a huge chestnut oak over the drive. Now that we've lost that in a storm and are also doing some restorative construction, we have a larger gravel for heavy equipment, etc. But as soon as repairs are finished I hope to top off with the smaller gravel. It appears that the heavier gravel is keeping the weeds at bay even though we now have sun. We've only had to top off the gravel every 10 years and it's not expensive at all. But I live in Virginia where snow is not an issue,
it suits our old home, and I personally love it. I keep my windows open as much as possible, certainly may have a bit more dust because of it, but also
have animals and adore children as visitors, and have a casual approach to
housekeeping. So it's just a choice.

Maegan Boaz Pro: No one can sneak up on you! :)

stormyweather Erin, Thanks for a great article (series). You know you've hit on a great subject when you generate such great commentary. We've used 3/4 crushed concrete in combination with concrete for our driveway (concrete required because of slope) to provide us with both a surface on which to drive and park, but also as a passive drainage system. The 3/4 is very stable and requires almost no maintenance (occasional rock will try to escape or a weed will occasionally pop up); it locks together very well; great for handling cars. We also have pea gravel throughout our garden for the walkway. It does well under foot, but I wouldn't want it in my driveway because it doesn't lock together. We have found that preparing the site for whatever material you use will really help in realizing it's benefits. Thanks again!

Designed To Appeal I have a home in the Hamptons where a gravel driveway is "de rigueur". An asphalt driveway would look too suburban and out of place, and a concerete or paver driveway would look too formal.

I have a gravel driveway and other than snow removal, I don't see any cons (I actually have a secondary pull-in spot on the other side of my house that I have plowed when it snows).

I think that the cons of dust and weeds people are mentioning is because the driveway was not installed properly. A gravel driveway is not about pouring a bunch of rocks over dirt. It starts with the proper base, which I think involves tar but I'm not sure. There is NO dust and never has been. There are no ruts and never have been. My driveway is about 11 years old and has only begun to show weeds recently along the edges.

The only thing I've done was to top it off with fresh stones and use a good rake designed specifically for gravel (not leaves) to spread it around and even it out. I also regularly rake it with a leaf rake. It always looks fresh and beautiful.

jmoore78 I have a 1400 ft. limestone driveway in South Louisiana. I use No.8 stone which is about 3/8" diameter and have had it for over 25 years. The only issue was dust control during dry periods, but have nearly eliminated it by the use of calcium chloride sprayed or dropped spread on the drive about once a year. The calcium chloride will work on any permeable material where it can bind moisture from the air with the dust...I know it definately does not work on crushed concrete. I have frequently considered putting in pavers, but keep coming back to the stone driveway for its appearance and compatibilty to my home.

Pamela Foster & Associates, Inc. I love my gravel driveway; easy, matches teh feel of the house, etc. Also, in our city (Atlanta, Ga.), the municipalities are considering taxing for hardscape, based on your lot square footage. The theory behind this is that water runoff is worse when you have concrete and hardscape. We don't have much snow here, so it works well. If the base is prepared properly, there is no dust.

ldwood82 Wow, I didn't realize that so many beautiful homes have gravel driveways like us! The photos make it look great! We live on an incline so the gravel keeps our traction in the winter better than any other material so we hesitate to change. It does wash and rut in big rains so we have to "work it" every now and then with a small harrow pulled by our 4-wheeler. For the most part, it's easy to maintain!

nasafemme Great ideabook! We have a gravel driveway which is really an extension of the dirt/gravel lane leading to our barn-style home in a rural setting. I can't imagine any other surface.

fglegaux According to NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, gravel is considered impervious surface. Just driving over gravel packs the surface so much so that it creates run-off.

lorrieb We do have a gravel driveway that is quite long - we share it with our neighbors. They want to put in asphalt and I really like the gravel. We live on an island and there are lots of trees and gravel just feels looks better than a hard surface. We also have mild weather with little snow - so that is a factor. One thing to remember is to not drive really fast on it - it last much longer with a nice slow departure.

erasistible I have gravel and hate it. The dust gets into the house. Also, it makes snow blowing difficult. Anything but gravel.

Ceci Hutchings To answer the question about high heels on gravel, wearing flats to get to and from your vehicle eliminates any potential damage to your favorite heels, if you are the driver your high heels can get scuffed while driving, wearing driving shoes is practical, just remember to bring your heels by putting them into a pretty tote! I prefer gravel where I live because we get minimal rains and concrete is too hot, the gravel is permeable as mentioned already. If you have a certain tree or trees that drop too much debri for your aesthetics onto your gravel, my solution would be to change them out, there may be a use for that wood or branches inside your home or useful to someone else. Thinking about the elderly walking on gravel I think I would add very large pavers onto his or her, their usual path.

Pamela Foster & Associates, Inc. Another cool thing about gravel driveways is that you get to rake it (yes, get to). It is a "Zen" kind of thing and is therapeutic in a strange kind of way. I rake mine about every 1 1/2 years, but could do it more often than that if I wanted to. I guess I prepared mine differently than some who commented beause I don't get the deep ruts some are talking about. However, if the slope is steeper than about 3/12, you probably will get ruts and heavy run off. We get gully washers here (truly a Southern term), but I don't have any washing. I also put down fabric before I topped with crush and run. Then we did the renovation with all the truck traffic, which took about 9 months. That packed it very well and then we topped with #57 mixed with granite fines, then topped with pea gravel. That is probably why I don't get any dust from mine. Also, I didn't use the tiny pea gravel. The next size up is the best and you can use a regular blower for the leaves without the pea gravel being dislodged.

cwjrv We're adding a large driveway and thought about using concrete blocks set on edge so that grass would grow through them...a Japanese style surface. Then I realized that grass would readily grow through gravel and provide many of the same benefits as the concrete blocks.

I mow the driveway at the same time I mow the grass. The driveway looks great and provides firm footing.

wy1002 What about it tracking into the house and scratching wood floors? Does anyone have any problems with that who had gravel? I love the look and want to use it for an outdoor dinning extension to our porch but I keep being cautioned about that by the builder. However, no mention of it here! I'm wondering if it is a real issue or just something builders don't prefer... Like Carrara marble in a kitchen :) thanks!

Lucie Martin Design, LLC I have a pea gravel dining terrace and I love it. It does need a periodic raking and the only downside is that my granddaughters think it is their own stoneyard and tote stones to other places:>) I have also designed a pea gravel dog run for a client who wanted something other than a mud or concrete pad for her dog.
Occasionally a stray stone will make its way indoors but it's not a problem for my wood floors. To the comments that address rutting and inclines--as a number of replies have already stated; there are both gravel stabilizers (Graveloc) and underlayments (Gravel Pave and others) that work for these issues. From a sustainable design perspective- gravel is allows water to permeate rather than run off and is often a local product which cuts down on transportation, manufacturing and material costs.

tyris601 I also don't have a problem of gravel being tracked in from our shoes. I mainly get gravel in my home from my kids bringing it in their pockets. HaHa It is more of a problem from dirt or sand on wood floors because of its abrasive nature, but they recommend that shoes be removed in the home to prevent dirt and toxins from being tracked all over your home.

pjmf0830 I have hard wood floors throughout my entire house, and I have never had a problem with it getting tracked through the house.

mveasey Somebody mentioned tires. Good point. My husbands truck has gravel stuck in the tires continuously...check your tires if you consider a gravel driveway, make sure your gravel is too large or too small to stick into the tread.
Consider your climate, we live in the northwest/rainforest and have piles of soggy pine needles stuck in our gravel driveway...
And if you have a long driveway, seniors walking units and strollers are hard to manage if not impossible...

aredub We have a long, gravel driveway. The pros: I like the look better than having a long cement or asphalt driveway. You can hear people coming. It's better for the environment. It's cheaper. Cons: you may get dinged on home appraisal if neighbors have concrete (it happened to us). You cannot walk barefoot or play basketball on it. Kids cannot ride bikes on it. And weeds are hard to get rid of. Still, I'm happier with gravel than other options available. (My dream would be pavers or brick, though.)

Monarch Stone International We understand that large driveways can be too costly or too formal to cover completely with brick or stone pavers and asphalt is not very attractive. But consider using cobblestone or brick as an entry apron closest to the street, and then again in the area closest to your front door/entry - also known as a motor court landing. If cobblestone or brick were installed in this way, it would assist in eliminating the walking in of gravel as well as contain it. Can also use the same stone as perimeter edging, banding and or tire ribbons coming up the approach, to break up the monotony of a very long driveway.

The images here show an antique cobblestone entry at the street, that changed to gravel with cobblestone edging/curb. The ribbon driveway used grass in between, but gravel would work well here as well.

Shelley E. I have a driveway with I believe no 57 limestone, it's due for new stone. I the drive is about a 150 yards and I love the color of river rocks and brown earthy stones instead of limestone. I am wondering about what to use to cover over the existing lime and get the look I want with out breaking the bank. I have heard about granite, but afraid to find out how much that would be after doing our kitchen and baths with granite. I know that pea gravel is round and won't stay put or the river rock. Can anyone please suggest what to use? What about drain tile rocks, they are jagged and would go in the ground? Hmmm. Please help!