Is a Gravel Driveway Right for You? Learn Benefits, Cost, Maintenance, and More (2024)

An attractive gravel driveway paves the way for a good impression, whether it’s giving off curb appeal, defining your hardscape, or greeting you as you come home. With that in mind, it’s a good area to invest in, but concrete and asphalt aren’t the end all, be all for building materials (especially if you’re on a budget).

A gravel driveway can also be a solid choice, but is it a good investment in the long run? Here’s everything you need to know about them and how they stack up against your other options.

Benefits of Choosing a Gravel Driveway

For many homeowners, the main draw of a gravel driveway is affordability. Out of all the driveway materials available, gravel is the least expensive. Plus, since you’re only dumping and spreading the gravel, your labor costs will be considerably lower. This low-cost material is also much more feasible for a DIY, though it still requires a good amount of heavy lifting.

Gravel’s other strong suit is its sturdiness: Where solid surfaces like asphalt and concrete can sustain cracks and other damage, gravel will never show the same impact. If individual stones chip or break, these won’t affect the driveway’s appearance or structural integrity.

Gravel Driveways vs. Asphalt vs. Concrete Driveways

When comparing gravel driveways against asphalt and concrete driveways, there are a few major strengths and downsides to note. Here’s how these materials compare to one another.

Cost

Gravel driveways cost significantly less than asphalt or concrete, making them ideal for low-budget and large-scale projects.

Gravel driveways typically go for $1 to $3 per square foot, while concrete driveways cost an average of $4 to $15 per square foot. Asphalt driveways cost the most, typically ranging from $7 to $15 per square foot.

DIY-Friendliness

To add to the cost benefits of choosing a gravel driveway, it’s also the most DIY-friendly out of all the driveway materials. This means that you can potentially skip out on labor costs if you’re looking to keep your budget tight.

Concrete involves a much more skilled process of creating forms, setting rebar, and ordering the concrete in a mixing truck.

Asphalt is a more straightforward process, but it still calls for heavy equipment that most homeowners don’t have access to.

Durability

Gravel driveways can be repaired and replenished as needed, so they can easily last 100 years if properly maintained.

Concrete can last up to 50 years, while asphalt has the shortest average lifespan at around 20 to 30 years.

When opting for asphalt or concrete, sealing your driveway every two to three years can help extend its lifespan.

Maintenance Requirements

Gravel driveways require extra maintenance. As they’re made from loose materials, these can shift over time with continued exposure to heavy equipment, car tires, precipitation, and flooding. To keep your gravel driveway level and free of divots or potholes, you’ll need to rake and refill the stones from time to time.

Still, while gravel might demand more regular maintenance practices, problems are generally easier to fix than with asphalt or concrete. For example, a pothole on a gravel driveway can be addressed with a simple refill, while concrete and asphalt call for the careful mixing and application of filler materials.

Texture

Texture is one of the main drawbacks of a gravel driveway. Gravel driveways are much harder (and louder) on car tires, plus they’re painful to kneel or walk on with bare feet.

Concrete and asphalt driveways are both smooth on tires and feet, as long as there are no cracks, potholes, or other damage. However, asphalt offers the smoothest and most uniform feel when comparing the two.

Appearance

Gravel driveways lack the smooth, finished appearance offered by concrete and asphalt, which some may not find as aesthetically pleasing.

On the other hand, the natural, rugged appearance of the stones can work well in natural and rural settings. Either way, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so it’s up to the homeowner to decide what looks best for their property.

Building a Gravel Driveway

Photo: Paul Maguire / Adobe Stock

In its most basic form, a DIY-er can create a gravel driveway by having the stones delivered and smoothing them out. However, this will result in unstabilized gravel that will easily shift, migrate, or wash away. Keeping your gravel driveway dust-free and intact calls for a multi-step installation process that is often best left to the pros.

Building a proper gravel driveway involves removing topsoil, laying landscaping fabric, and starting with a layer of base rock. From there, several layers of gravel are added, each layer getting compacted in between with a mechanical compactor.

A local gravel driveway contractor has all the skills and equipment ready to get the job done—and done well—in a jiff.

Best Types of Gravel for Driveways

Photo: Gemma Clark / 500px / Getty Images

There are a wide variety of gravel color options for hardscaping, but what beautifully paves a garden path might not be the best fit for a driveway. Texture is the main point to consider: Smooth, round gravels are prone to spreading beneath cars and other heavy objects, while rough-cut stones tend to self-stabilize and hold their shape.

For this reason, crushed stone will be your best option for driveways. You’ll want to avoid pea gravel and other naturally formed stones, as these are rounded and often migrate beneath car tires. Larger crushed stones with a diameter of at least 1 inch will be the top choice overall, as these will also provide optimal drainage while remaining in place.

Maintenance Tips for Gravel Driveways

Keeping your gravel driveway in tip-top shape requires more maintenance work than with asphalt or concrete driveways, but luckily, this is easy to DIY.

Here’s how to maintain your gravel driveway and keep it looking beautiful:

• Rake and replenish it regularly to avoid pits and potholes.

• Note areas of pooling water after rainfall and add more gravel to low areas.

• Reduce dust from your gravel driveway by watering it during dry spells with a hose or a sprinkler.

• Add a layer of landscaping fabric before installing the gravel.

• Compact the gravel with a mechanical compactor after you install it.

If you notice sinking in your driveway or other issues you can’t fix on your own, a gravel repair company near you can help.