Service
Gravel Driveway Repair & Regrading in Central Indiana
Ruts, potholes and washouts fixed at the cause, not hidden under one more load of stone. Based in Greencastle.
The work
What gravel driveway repair and regrading covers
Gravel driveway repair and regrading means putting a stone drive back into a shape that sheds water and carries traffic. On Grade LLC regrades rutted, potholed and washed-out drives out of Greencastle. Where a regrade will not hold, we rebuild the base under it.
This is the repair side of our driveway installation and finish grading work. It is the same crew and the same machines that build new drives. This page explains what the damage means, what fixes it, and when grading alone is not enough.
Reading the drive
What the damage is telling you
Ruts in the wheel tracks
Stone has been pushed out of the tracks, or the ground under them is soft. If the ruts are back a few weeks after grading, look at the base, not the surface.
Potholes
A pothole is a low spot that holds water. Dropping stone into the hole leaves the low spot where it was. The surface around it has to be cut and reshaped so the water has a way off.
Washouts and channels
Water is running down the drive when it should be running off the side. That is a shape and drainage fault. Stone put back into a channel is on its way to the bottom of the hill again.
Mud coming up through the stone
The clay underneath has worked up into the base. New surface stone laid on top goes the same way as the last lot.
Water standing at the road end
The ditch or the pipe under the entrance is not moving water. See the driveway culvert guide for what to check and who to ask.
The fix
Regrade, add stone or rebuild the base
Regrade
The stone already on the drive is pulled back to the middle and shaped so it has a crown or a steady fall to one side. This is the right job when there is still enough stone and the base under it is sound.
Add stone
Some drives have simply worn thin. Stone goes on after the shape is right, so it stays where it is put.
Rebuild
Where the base has failed, the soft material is dug out down to ground that will carry weight. The drive is then built back in courses, with a coarse base stone first and the surface stone over it. On wet clay we often lay geotextile fabric under the stone to keep the two apart.
We tell you which of the three your drive needs before any work starts. If it only needs a regrade, that is what you will be quoted for. For what moves the price, read gravel driveway cost in Indiana. There are no dollar figures on it, because the ground decides the number.
Water
Water first, stone second
A failed drive nearly always has a water problem. The surface has gone flat, the shoulder has built up higher than the drive, or the ditch beside it has filled in. The water then has only one way to go, which is down the wheel tracks.
So a repair starts with where the water goes. Sometimes that is only a matter of shape. Sometimes the ditch has to be reopened, or a pipe set under the drive to carry the ditch through. We do that work as well. See drainage and culvert installation.
Where
Where we regrade driveways
On Grade is based in Greencastle and the machines stay in Putnam County overnight. Near home that makes a short regrade worth doing. Farm lanes, field entrances and rural drives that wash every spring are all part of the driveway work here. See gravel driveways in Greencastle and Putnam County.
We also repair and regrade drives across Hendricks County and Boone County, and east into Indianapolis. Further from Greencastle, call with the address and we will tell you honestly whether it is a job worth bringing the machines out for.
On the ground
Driveway work, photographed
Every photograph on this site is a job On Grade did. Nothing is stock and nothing is staged.
FAQ
Driveway repair questions
Does a rutted gravel driveway need more stone or just regrading?
It depends on what is under it. If there is still enough stone and the base is sound, regrading puts the shape back and that is the whole job. If the stone has worn thin, more goes on after the shape is right. If the base has failed, neither one lasts and the soft material has to come out.
Will the potholes come back after the drive is regraded?
Not if the low spot is taken out. A pothole comes back when stone is dropped into it and the dip is left in place. Cutting and reshaping the surface around it gives the water a way off, and that is what stops it forming again.
Can you fix a gravel driveway that washes out every year?
Usually, yes. The water has to be given another route, so the job is shape and drainage first. That can mean a crown, a reopened ditch or a pipe under the drive. More stone on its own will wash again.
Can you look at my driveway from photographs?
Send them. Photographs of the worst stretch and of the way in tell us a lot. Some repairs are simple enough to price that way. Most need a look, and estimates are free.
Do you take small driveway repair jobs?
In Putnam County, yes. The machines sit in the county overnight, so a half-day job is one we can take. Further out, call with the address and ask.
Get a number
Drive gone soft?
Call or text Travis with the address and a photo or two of the worst stretch.
Sent
Got it — thank you.
Your request is in and Travis will get back to you. If you would rather talk now, call or text (317) 203-8928.