Gravel driveways
built for grade.
A new drive cut into the hill, based in lifts and crowned to shed water — so the mountain stops taking it back every spring.
Most gravel driveways in Western North Carolina fail for one reason: water runs down the driving surface instead of off it. Stone is the last thing that goes on, not the thing that fixes it.
We cut the drive into the grade rather than piling it on top, shape a ditch line to take the water off, set culverts where the water crosses, then build the base in lifts with the right size stone underneath and the finish on top.
What you get
- Cut into grade, not filled on top of it
- Crown, ditch line and culverts designed in from the start
- Base built in lifts with correctly sized stone
- Turnarounds and access sized for delivery, fire and concrete trucks
- Free on-site estimate with a real number, measured not guessed
How It Runs
What actually happens on site.
- Walk the groundWe drive it, walk it and look at where water is coming from and where it is going. Length, width, grade and turnaround all get measured.
- Cut the gradeThe drive is cut into the hillside so the uphill side is bank and the downhill side is supported, rather than filled and hoping.
- Shape water offCrown, ditch line and culverts go in before a single load of finish stone. This is the part that decides whether the drive lasts.
- Base in liftsLarger stone underneath, compacted, then the next lift. Rock laid straight onto soft ground disappears into it.
- Finish and compactFinish stone crowned and rolled so the surface sheds instead of holds.
On the ground
Questions
Asked about this job.
How much does a gravel driveway cost?
It comes down to length, width, how much cut and drainage work the grade needs, and how far the stone has to be hauled. We measure the drive on site and give you a number rather than a rate per foot that changes once we get there.
How long does it take?
Most residential drives are a few days. Heavy cut work, long runs or significant drainage add to that, and we will tell you before we start.
What size gravel is best?
Different sizes for different jobs — larger stone for base, smaller for the finish surface. A drive built entirely of one size either sinks or never packs.
Free Estimate
Get a price for gravel driveways.
Where it is, how long the drive is, how steep it gets and what it is doing now. We come out, walk it, and give you a real number.
Call McKinley direct (828) 540-6856- Free on-site estimates across WNC and the Upstate
- One crew from clearing through to the last load of stone
- Drainage designed in, not sold to you afterwards