Gravel Driveways in Brownsburg, IN
Brownsburg has doubled since 2000 and the new streets stop where the farm ground starts, which is not far north of town. The gravel drives are out there, on county roads toward Pittsboro and Lizton, and on the new builds that need a stone entrance before the first concrete truck arrives. Travis builds both.
- Free estimates
- Based in Greencastle, Indiana
- One crew, first cut to final grade
Gravel Driveways in Brownsburg
Where the new streets run out
Brownsburg had 14,500 people in 2000 and 29,000 in 2020. White Lick Creek runs north to south through town, just west of the center, and the subdivisions have filled the ground on both sides of it. Drive north on any county road, though, and inside a few minutes the houses thin out and the fields start.
That is where most of the gravel drives in this part of Hendricks County are. A house on a few acres with a long run from the road. A farmstead that has been in the family for generations with a drive that has never been properly based. A new build where the owner wants a stone drive from the start rather than a short slab of concrete.
The construction entrance that becomes the drive
On a new build, the first thing that goes in is a stone entrance so the concrete trucks, the lumber delivery and the trades can get on and off the lot without churning it into mud. It is cut in with the excavator, based and stoned before the footings are dug.
Done properly, that entrance is the bottom half of the finished drive. When the house is up, the construction stone that has been packed hard by months of trucks gets a fresh surface course and a crown, rather than being dug out and started again. It is worth saying at the start if that is the plan, so the entrance is cut on the final line.
Creek flats, upland clay and the base between them
The ground around Brownsburg is of two kinds. Up on the till it is the usual Central Indiana clay, slow to drain and soft when wet. Down along White Lick Creek and the smaller runs that feed it, the ground is lower, wetter and sometimes in the mapped floodplain, and it stays saturated long after the uplands have dried.
The build is the same in principle on both, but the creek flats need more of it. Topsoil off down to firm ground, geotextile fabric where the clay is wet, a compacted base of #53 crushed limestone with its fines left in, then a surface of #8 or #11 clean stone. On low ground the base goes thicker, because it is the base, not the surface, that decides whether the drive survives March.
The culvert under the entrance
Almost every county-road drive north of Brownsburg crosses a roadside ditch, and the ditch has to keep flowing under it. That means a culvert pipe, sized for the ditch, set on a bed and covered with compacted stone before the apron goes on top. A pipe that is too small, or set too high, backs the ditch up onto the road and the county notices.
The Hendricks County Highway Department is the office for an entrance on a county road, and it usually has a say on the pipe. The culvert installation cost guide explains what goes into that part of the job. If the drive is on a town street inside Brownsburg, the Town of Brownsburg is asked instead, and an entrance onto a state route needs an INDOT driveway permit before any work starts.
What else goes with a drive
Buried lines are located through Indiana 811 at least two full working days before any digging, which the law requires and which matters on a new lot where the water and gas services have just gone in. On an old farmstead, the surprises are tile lines and the odd abandoned pipe.
A drive is rarely the only thing on the list. An old concrete drive or apron that the new stone replaces comes out first; concrete removal in Brownsburg covers that. And if the ground beside the drive holds water, yard drainage in Brownsburg is the swale or French drain that keeps it out of the base.
The repair, and the number
A drive that has gone to potholes and ruts is usually worth repairing before it is worth replacing. The bad sections are dug out and based, the whole run is regraded and crowned, and fresh stone goes on top. If the stone has sunk into the clay end to end, that is a rebuild, and Travis says so when he looks.
Estimates are free. One figure covers the digging, the stone, the culvert, the hauling and the finish grading. Brownsburg is about thirty-five minutes from Greencastle. The Brownsburg page lists the rest of what On Grade does here, and the driveway installation page has the method behind every drive.
Gravel Driveways
New gravel drives cut, based and crowned, plus potholes, soft spots and washouts repaired.
See the serviceTalk to Travis(317) 203-8928
Tell Travis whether it is a new build, a county-road lot or an old drive that has gone soft. He comes out and gives you one number.
Call nowWhat that covers
- Construction entrances. Stone in early for the trucks, built to become the finished drive.
- County-road drives. Long runs on the farm ground north of town, based and crowned.
- Culverts and aprons. The pipe under the entrance, sized for the ditch and set right.
- Repairs and regrading. Potholes and ruts cut out, the run regraded and restoned.
Brownsburg, IN
Northwest of Indianapolis on I-74, 35 minutes from Greencastle, with newer subdivisions and older lots along the White Lick Creek bottoms.
Town pageAlso in BrownsburgDemolition & Removal in Brownsburg, IN
See the pageAlso in BrownsburgConcrete Removal in Brownsburg, IN
See the pageAlso in BrownsburgYard Drainage & French Drains in Brownsburg, IN
See the pageThe serviceGravel Driveways
New gravel drives cut, based and crowned, plus potholes, soft spots and washouts repaired.
Main service pageBrownsburg and the towns nearby
Brownsburg is the north end of the Hendricks County run, about thirty-five minutes from Greencastle. The same entrances, drives and culverts go in south in Avon and west in Danville, and the farm roads up toward Pittsboro, Lizton and North Salem are the same trip. Everywhere else On Grade works, from Boone County down to Terre Haute, is on the service area page.
You get Travis. One crew, first cut to final grade.
You call
You call or send the form. Travis comes out and looks at the job with you, on the ground, rather than pricing it off a photograph.
A number first
You get one figure before anything starts, with the hauling and the finish grading in it.
One crew does it
Then the same crew that quoted it shows up and does the work, first cut to final grade.
Ground left usable
Voids get filled and the ground is graded back so you can pour, build or seed.
Photos of his work.
These are photographs from actual jobs. See more recent work. Or read about the full gravel driveways service.
Questions people ask
Not seeing yours? Call (317) 203-8928 and ask Travis, or read the guides.
Can the construction entrance for our new house become the real drive?
Yes, if it is built as one. Travis cuts it on the final line, bases it properly and lets the trucks pack it for months. When the house is finished, it gets a surface course and a crown. Say so at the start so the entrance is not cut somewhere temporary.
Who do I ask about a culvert for a county road entrance near Brownsburg?
The Hendricks County Highway Department, before pipe or stone is ordered. It usually has a say on the pipe size and how the entrance is built. Inside town, the Town of Brownsburg handles town streets, and a state route needs an INDOT driveway permit.
My lot is down near White Lick Creek. Does that change the drive?
It changes how much base goes in. Low ground near the creek stays wet longer than the upland clay, so the base goes thicker and fabric goes under it. If the lot is in the mapped floodplain, that is worth knowing before fill is brought in, and Travis will say so.
Do you fix an existing gravel drive or just build new ones?
Both. Most old drives north of Brownsburg are repairs: potholes and soft spots dug out and based, the run regraded and crowned, fresh stone on top. A drive that was never based and has gone soft end to end is rebuilt instead. Travis tells you which when he looks.
How far ahead do you call Indiana 811?
At least two full working days before digging, which is what the law requires. On a new lot the water and gas services are fresh and exactly where a drive crosses. On an old farmstead there can be tile and forgotten pipe. The locate is done before the first cut.
Other work he takes on
Most jobs end up being two or three of these at once, and they get quoted together.
Gravel Driveways in other towns
Excavation & Site Prep
Sites stripped, cut and graded, ready for the builder.
Learn moreFoundation & Basement Excavation
Basements, crawl spaces and footings dug to grade and backfilled.
Learn moreDrainage, Culverts & Utilities
Water moved off yards and away from foundations; culverts and service lines set.
Learn moreDriveways & Finish Grading
Gravel drives built and crowned; yards finish graded for seed.
Learn moreLand Clearing & Forestry Mulching
Lots and acreage cleared, brush mulched in place.
Learn moreBuilding & Pole Barn Pads
Pads cut, filled and compacted for barns, shops and houses.
Learn moreFree estimate in Brownsburg.
Call or text Travis. Free estimates, straight answers.
Greencastle, Indiana · Putnam, Hendricks, Boone and Marion counties
Need gravel driveway work in Brownsburg?
Call or text Travis with the address and what you are trying to do.