Gravel Driveway $ Guessing Game

[matthewp]

After pausing plans to build a smaller garage (and some good feedback from GG members), I've got a few bids out to push a gravel driveway down into the back of our property + level out a spot to allow us to build a larger garage.

The attached doc shows rough placement of the proposed driveway + clearing. It slopes down about 15' from the existing driveway down to the bottom and it would end up being about 200' long with a 50'x50' clearing. About 20 old cherry trees will have to go. Also attached an image to give a sense of slope and forest density.

Anyone want to take a guess at what this stage of the project will cost? I'll share quotes / approaches as they come in.

 

[Dreamer1975]

I did a 60 ft driveway and had a pad built which may have been a lot less level last year. It cost me almost 10 grand. Due to having to build it up so much I had to spend more this year on a retaining wall to ensure it stays in place.

 

[pmiranda]

One thing I think of now when I see gravel and slope in the same sentence is what the runoff from one strong storm did to mine. I need to either put in a drainage pipe to divert it or redo the top layer with some geogrid type thing.

 

[matthewp]

@Dreamer1975 -- thank you for the input I'm trying to make way for a building similar to yours.

@pmiranda -- wow! Both crews I talked to mentioned drainage along the high side of the driveway along with geogrid so we'll see what that looks like when the bids come in.

 

[rburke65]

Well it all starts at the bottom....ya need a good base, a good foundation, a raised pad......higher than the flood level, good drainage....an experienced excavator. Because once you’ve finish building and your drive is mud and you have water inside the garage what have you saved. Nothing is inexpensive anymore.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I'll guess $20K.

 

[safnd2021]

I did a 60 ft driveway and had a pad built which may have been a lot less level last year. It cost me almost 10 grand. Due to having to build it up so much I had to spend more this year on a retaining wall to ensure it stays in place.

Expensive but looks good

 

[Sumboodie]

After pausing plans to build a smaller garage (and some good feedback from GG members), I've got a few bids out to push a gravel driveway down into the back of our property + level out a spot to allow us to build a larger garage.

The attached doc shows rough placement of the proposed driveway + clearing. It slopes down about 15' from the existing driveway down to the bottom and it would end up being about 200' long with a 50'x50' clearing. About 20 old cherry trees will have to go. Also attached an image to give a sense of slope and forest density.

Anyone want to take a guess at what this stage of the project will cost? I'll share quotes / approaches as they come in.

$~2000 for rental of dozer and excavator, and maybe $3-5k of fill and D1 top. Your file isn't showing for your blueprint or whatever it is you have.

 

[mcbane]

Even if you go with a thin layer of gravel, maybe 6”, the rock itself may be your main cost. In my area rock goes for close to $70/yd delivered due to high transportation costs.

Maybe price that so you can better evaluate contractor proposals.


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[Sumboodie]

Even if you go with a thin layer of gravel, maybe 6”, the rock itself may be your main cost. In my area rock goes for close to $70/yd delivered due to high transportation costs.

Maybe price that so you can better evaluate contractor proposals.


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Ouch.

I guess forgot about the hauling part. Have several dumptrucks so have never paid any transport fees.

 

[mike93lx]

$25k

 

[matthewp]

Here's a version of the survey / rough placement of things as a PDF. Hopefully that works.

Appreciate the feedback, I'm hoping to come in under 20 but I feel like any of the variables could blow us up pretty quickly.

 

[mcbane]

Ouch.



I guess forgot about the hauling part. Have several dumptrucks so have never paid any transport fees.

If you are in the boonies you always have to check rules of thumb that work elsewhere. For example with slabs it usually makes sense to put a thin concrete slab over a thick layer of base rock, but that is because in most places rock costs 20% what concrete costs. But out here, rock is half the cost of concrete so I tend to use a bit more concrete, sometimes with little or no rock underneath. Not going to put in a foot of rock trying to save an inch or two of concrete.

As you noted, owning your own truck is a game changer.


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[TractorJeff]

I agree with Mike93LX! (as an "Off the Cuff" estimate)
It will all come down to Trucking! If they are hauling out Spoils and a long haul for Gravel, then its anyone's guess as to the cost. If someone chimes in near you that has done similar, then the cost estimate may become more realistic.

 

[matthewp]

First quote came back at an eye watering $98,000! I think this is a combo go-away number and a factor of us living in a pretty "ritzy" area outside of Pittsburgh where people might spend that kind of $. Copied the quote below.

I think one small part of the problem is I picked a 50x50 area to clear, which on the slope makes for some difficulty. I'm going to spec a rectangular area moving forward.


=====
Access Road and Garage Pad $98,987.63
Includes:
· Mobilization:
o Transport Case 145X Excavator to job site.
o Transport Cat D4C Dozer to job site.
o Transport Bobcat E55 Excavator to job site.
o Transport Bobcat T770 Track Loader to job site.
o Transport Case Off Road Compactor to job site.
· E&S Controls
o Install silt fence as needed down slope of project area as noted in design.
· Land Clearing
o Clear all trees needed to complete project scope in road, building pad, and all cross slopes. Logs to be cut
in 10’ lengths and stored on site, tree tops to be chipped as needed, stumps to be exported offsite.

· Excavating & Grading
o Existing landscaping near driveway to be removed as needed, all material to be kept on site, existing
sidewalk to be removed to existing bend in sidewalk as shown in design.
o Topsoil to be stripped as needed in driveway and building pad areas, topsoil to be stock piled on site.
o Access road to be installed as shown in detail on attached design, road not to exceed 200’ long by 15’
wide. Runoff ditch to be installed on high side of road with 2 culvert pipe crossings, ditch to be lined with
R4 Rip Rap. Access road to be cut to subgrade, install 8oz felt road fabric, install and compact 6” of #3
limestone, install and compact 2” of 2A Modified Limestone. All up slopes and bottom slopes not to
exceed 2:1 grade, all slopes to be final graded with onsite topsoil.
o Building pad to be cut to allow 50’ x 50’ building pad. Cut to not exceed 8’ with a fill side of 4’ in building
pad area. Keyway to be excavated in location of fill area, all fill to be compacted in lifts with equipment on
site. Building pad to be cut to subgrade, install 8oz felt road fabric, install and compact 6” of #3 limestone.
All up slopes and bottom slopes not to exceed 2:1 grade, all slopes to be final graded with onsite topsoil.

· Reclamation
o All final graded areas to be seeded with Contractor Mix Rye Grass Seed.
o All seeded areas to be fertilized with starter fertilizer.
o All planted areas to have straw matting installed and pinned.
· Demobilization
o Transport Case 145X Excavator to job site.
o Transport Cat D4C Dozer to job site.
o Transport Bobcat E55 Excavator to job site.
o Transport Bobcat T770 Track Loader to job site.
o Transport Case Off Road Compactor to job site.

 

[mike93lx]

Looks like they want to play with a lot of expensive toys for this. Sure, all that stuff makes it easier, but it is far from necessary.

I had a 1/4 acre cleared and brought in 125 yards of material that was spread, all with a 3 ton mini. Guy laughed at me when I asked if he was going to bring in a small dozer or skid steer. Said it wasn't remotely necessary. He was right

 

[pmiranda]

For that price I'd want asphalt or concrete. They sure are pulling out all the stops. The crew that did my driveway just used a single backhoe loader instead of four different machines. Probably took them longer but these days it's hard to get a large crew to use all that machinery around here anyway. Obviously you could save some bucks planting your own grass too. Nice to have the proper machinery on site for the grading work so I'd call that part worth it.

 

[HaiKarate]

$98k? 5 pieces of heavy equipment (along with their associated operators and costs)?

Did you tell them you needed it done in an afternoon?!

 

[mike93lx]

$98k? 5 pieces of heavy equipment (along with their associated operators and costs)?

Did you tell them you needed it done in an afternoon?!

With all that gear, it better be done in about 30 minutes

 

[kmacht]

Those prices are insane. I had a barn built 2 years ago and had a 150 foot driveway put in at the same time to get from the house driveway to the barn. I removed the trees but there were still some stumps that had to be pulled. The guy I hired to dig the barn foundation also did the driveway. He did the whole thing with a large kubota mini excavator. He excavated between 12 and 18 inches of topsoil and rocks and replaced it with gravel pit run which is essentially a high stone content gravel. Total cost was 5k. Decide how much you are really going to use the driveway. We use ours only to drive a tractor back and forth and to drop a horse trailer down at the barn once a week. There was no need to go full out with fabric, multiple layers of different material and decorative stone on top. It’s a way to access the barn, not a daily traveled road or something that is going to change the appearance of the house like a normal driveway.

 

[BillK]

When I built my detached garage 35 years ago I guess I didn't know any better. I had borrowed a small tractor from a friend and all I did was use the bucket to scrape off most of the grass and dirt and then got a load of what we call CR6 around here and spread it about 6 inches deep. Mine is about 12 ft wide and probably 70 ft long. It widens at the garage to match the 16 ft door. It has been there for 35 years and other than using something to kill the weeds every few years I have basically done nothing to it. I used real railroad ties down the sides to keep it in place.

 

[justanengineer]

Nuts with that quote, they’re definitely looking for a sucker. At our last project house fall ‘18 we put in 300’ of gravel driveway ending in a 40x100’ pad for $2k. A local excavator brought in a dozer and backhoe, cleared the trees into a pile for me to dispose of, and put down the base. The lower 100’ was notched into a decent hill so there was quite a bit of retaining rock to place but he got it all done in half a day for $500. I then rented a medium skidsteer and spent a solid eight hours laying and grading gravel.


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[matthewp]

Glad that I'm not the crazy one here. I really appreciate people chiming in with their experiences as it gives some perspective and approaches.

I'm not discounting that the job will have some complexities but wow!

I'm waiting on a few more bids that I'll share. If anyone has recommendations in the Pittsburgh area for this type of thing, I'm all ears.