Gravel Driveways in Cloverdale, IN
Cloverdale is fifteen minutes south of Greencastle, where I-70 meets US 231, and almost nobody here has a short drive. The lanes run back through fields and woods, the lake lots toward Cataract climb and drop, and the ground is the rolling clay of south Putnam County. Travis builds and repairs those drives from home ground.
- Free estimates
- Based in Greencastle, Indiana
- One crew, first cut to final grade
Gravel Driveways in Cloverdale
Long lanes, lake lots and woods
Cloverdale is a town of about 2,000 people that the census counts as entirely rural, and the land around it is where the drive work is. The parcels are big, the houses sit back from the road, and a lane of several hundred feet is ordinary. South and west toward Cataract, the ground breaks up into the hills around Cagles Mill Lake and Lieber State Recreation Area.
That gives three kinds of drive. The long lane across a field to a house or a pole barn. The lake-lot drive that drops from the road to a house on a slope above the water. And the track cut through woods to a cabin or a new build on a wooded parcel, which has to be cleared before it can be stoned.
The drive down to the lake
A drive on a lake lot usually has to lose height between the road and the house, and the water that runs down it does the most damage of any drive around here. Loose stone ends up at the bottom, the surface washboards, and a wet spring can cut a channel down the middle.
The answer is in the shaping. The drive is given a fall to one side wherever the slope allows, so water leaves across it rather than down it, and shallow dips are cut at intervals to throw the water off into the ditch. The base is compacted hard so the surface stone has something to grip. Where the drive is steep enough, a coarser surface stone that locks together is a better choice than a fine one that rolls.
Tracks through wooded ground
A lot of the parcels south of Cloverdale are wooded, and a drive through trees is two jobs. The route is cleared first, with the stumps out rather than cut flush, because a stump under a drive rots and leaves a hole. Then the track is cut to grade, based and stoned.
On Grade does the clearing and the drive with the same machine on the same trip. Land clearing in Putnam County covers the clearing side, and the building on a wooded lot guide goes through what to think about before the first tree comes down.
South Putnam County ground
The north of Putnam County is mostly flat; the center and the southwest are where the hills are, and Cloverdale is on the hilly side. The ground is clay till that holds water and goes soft, with creek bottoms that stay wet long after the slopes have dried. Mill Creek, which feeds Cagles Mill Lake, is the main one in this corner.
A drive is built below the surface first. Topsoil and soft material come off down to ground that carries weight. Then a base course of #53 crushed limestone, an INDOT size with the fines left in that packs into a hard layer, compacted in place, with geotextile fabric under it where the clay is wet. A smaller clean stone, #8 or #11, goes on top as the surface.
The road end: county, town or INDOT
The first few feet of the drive are in the public right of way. On a county road, which is most roads around Cloverdale, the Putnam County Highway Department is the office for a new entrance and the culvert pipe under it, and it is asked before any stone or pipe is ordered. Inside the town limits, the Town of Cloverdale is asked about an entrance onto a town street.
US 231 and the numbered state roads belong to INDOT, and a new or changed entrance onto one of them needs an INDOT driveway permit approved before work starts in the state right of way. The driveway culvert guide goes through the pipe and the permit. Indiana 811 marks the buried lines first, which takes at least two full working days and is the law.
Repairs, and getting a number
Most of the old lanes around Cloverdale are repairs rather than rebuilds. The potholes and soft lengths are dug out and based, the run is regraded with the crown put back, and fresh stone goes on. A drive that was never based and has gone to mud end to end is built again, and Travis says which when he looks.
Estimates are free. One figure covers the digging, the stone, the hauling and whatever the road end needs. The method behind every drive is on the driveway installation page, and the Cloverdale page lists the rest of what On Grade does in this end of the county.
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 roughly how long the lane is, whether it climbs, and whether there are trees in the way. He comes out from Greencastle and gives you one number.
Call nowWhat that covers
- Long lanes. Several hundred feet across a field, based and crowned for the length.
- Lake-lot drives. Slopes toward Cataract shaped so water leaves across, not down.
- Wooded tracks. Cleared, stumps out, cut to grade and stoned in one trip.
- Entrances and repairs. Culverts and aprons at the road; old lanes dug, based and restoned.
Cloverdale, IN
Fifteen minutes south of Greencastle at I-70 and US-231, with rural acreage, lake lots toward Cataract and long gravel drives.
Town pageThe serviceGravel Driveways
New gravel drives cut, based and crowned, plus potholes, soft spots and washouts repaired.
Main service pageCloverdale and the towns nearby
Cloverdale is home ground, fifteen minutes south of Greencastle on US 231. The same lanes, lake drives and wooded tracks are built in Greencastle and across the rest of Putnam County, and west down I-70 toward Terre Haute. Cataract, Poland, Reelsville, Quincy and the roads around Cagles Mill Lake are the same short trip, and the service area page has everywhere else.
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.
Do you build drives on the lake lots toward Cataract?
Yes. Those drives drop from the road to the house and wash worse than any flat drive. They are built with a fall to one side and dips at intervals so water leaves across the drive, on a base compacted hard enough that the surface stone stays put. A coarser surface stone helps on the steep parts.
Can you clear the trees and build the drive on the same job?
Yes, with the same machine on the same trip. The route is cleared with the stumps out, not cut flush, then cut to grade, based and stoned. One figure covers the clearing, the hauling and the drive.
Who do I ask about a new entrance onto a county road near Cloverdale?
The Putnam County Highway Department, before any stone or pipe is ordered. It usually has a say on the culvert under the entrance. Inside town, ask the Town of Cloverdale. US 231 and the state roads need an INDOT driveway permit approved before any work in the state right of way.
How much stone does a long lane need?
More than most people expect, because it is built in two courses over its whole length. The run is measured, the base and surface depths are set for what will drive on it, and the figure includes the trucking. The length is the first thing that sets the price.
My lane has gone to potholes. Rebuild or repair?
Usually a repair. The bad lengths are dug out and based, the whole run is regraded and crowned, and fresh stone goes on. If the stone has sunk into the clay from end to end, it is rebuilt. Travis tells you which when he walks it.
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 Cloverdale.
Call or text Travis. Free estimates, straight answers.
Greencastle, Indiana · Putnam, Hendricks, Boone and Marion counties
Need gravel driveway work in Cloverdale?
Call or text Travis with the address and what you are trying to do.