A lot of people ask us about our sand and gravel solutions for their cabins in Island Park, ID. We recommend using gravel for a driveway if you do not have the money for asphalt. Gravel is easy to install and we can provide a fresh layer if your gravel pathway starts to get worn out, or starts to dissipate thanks to heavy snowstorms. There are several types of gravel used to create a unique driveway. Island Park Services provides several gravel options for residents in Idaho and surrounding areas. Our sand and gravel options include the following:
- Chips
- Crushed Asphalt
- Crushed Gravel
- Drain Rock
- Landscaping Rocks & Boulders
- Pit-Run
- Pee-Gravel
- Road-Mix
- Sand
For a driveway, we recommend you use aggregate products to assist with erosion control and driving needs. A long-lasting driveway requires work and we may need to excavate parts of your property to create a firm foundation for a gravel driveway. The soil under the driveway needs to be well-drained and must be strong enough to withstand the pressure placed upon it from driving. Topsoil will be stripped from the driveway location as we do not want to build a new driveway on spongy topsoil.
Correct drainage is the key element to creating a working driveway. We need to install the right gravel to help with erosion control from water. Subsurface water will turn most materials into mush, making it hard to get up your driveway if there has been a heavy rainstorm. When there is water on a driveway, water under gravel can transport silt into the gravel, which can cause individual gravel pieces to weaken over time.
So how do we prevent your gravel driveway from falling apart? We use a geotextile fabric on the subsoil layer before we install the first layer of gravel. The geotextile fabric is designed to prevent silt from causing the gravel to move. After the fabric is installed we use a 4-6 inch thick layer of crushed gravel.
Gravel driveways need multiple layers of gravel to allow for the weight of vehicles to pass over them. Our first layer of gravel is larger-sized as it withstands heavy amounts of pressure. Angular gravel is then applied over the large gravel stones as it will interlock with the large pieces, forming a strong foundation for your driveway.
Several additional layers of crushed rock are added to the gravel driveway, with each layer containing smaller rocks. We compact each layer with our heavy rollers before we complete the job with the final layer of gravel that has small angular stones. With the weather in Idaho, we normally like to install 10-12 inches of gravel atop the fabric to create a solid driveway that will last for years to come.
A properly designed driveway will have a slight crown to it, meaning the center will be slightly higher than the edges. The reason this is done is to help water flow off the sides of the driveway, preventing pooling of water on the surface. Contact Island Park Services if you have low spots that need to be filled, or you have other gravel driveway concerns.
