How to Repair a Gravel Driveway

One of the big advantages of having a gravel driveway is that they require less maintenance than asphalt or concrete. This does not however mean that you can ignore them altogether. Over time you are likely to see some pot holes or bumps which if you don't take care of them will get worse. The good news is that one of the other advantages to a gravel driveway is that repairs are also a lot easier than on other types of driveway.

Filling in Potholes

The first step to filling a pot hole on your driveway is to make sure that you get any loose material out. This should be easy to do with a shovel. If the sides of the pothole are not solid you are going to want to dig out the pothole to the point where they are, this will ensure that the new gravel that you put in will remain firmly in place.

Once the hole is ready start by putting in coarse gravel, you will want leave about three inches between the the gravel and the surface of the driveway. At this point you will need to compact the gravel, if you have a compactor great, go ahead and use it, a 4x4 will work fine if you don't.

You are now ready to fill the hole with gravel that matches your driveway. You are going to want to overfill it by a couple of inches so that you can rake it out. This will allow the new gravel to blend in with the existing gravel on your driveway.

Avoiding Potholes

While repairing potholes on your driveway is fairly straightforward it is still best if you can avoid them developing in the first place. The main reason that they occur is standing water on your driveway which is almost always the result of improper drainage.

To make sure that your driveway has proper drainage you need to make sure that it slopes slightly down to each side from the center. The rule of thumb is that there should be one inch of slope for every four feet of width.

It is generally recommended that you put a new layer of gravel on your driveway every spring to make sure that you have the proper slope. This will probably require the use of a tractor or a front end loader, they can be rented if you don't have one.