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What a gravel driveway costs to install, resurface, or maintain — broken down by line item.
With these inputs:
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated driveway cost | $4,362 – $5,219 |
| Cost per sq ft | $6.06 – $7.25 |
| Driveway area | 720 sq ft |
| Stone required | 38.99 tons |
| Stone & material | $1,014 – $1,871 |
| Delivery (4 loads) | $360 |
| Excavation & haul-off | $972 |
| Geotextile fabric | $324 |
| Edging | — |
| Compaction | $612 |
| Installation labor | $1,080 |
| Total depth of stone | 11 in |
Contractor pricing varies enormously by region and haul distance. Get three quotes and check each against this breakdown.
A dedicated cost model for driveways. It accounts for excavation, geotextile fabric, each stone layer, delivery by the load, compaction, and edging, so you can compare a contractor quote against a realistic build-up rather than a single number.
Most gravel driveways cost $2.50 to $6.00 per square foot installed, so a typical 60 ft × 12 ft driveway runs roughly $1,800 to $4,300. Where that sits depends on the scope: new stone over a sound base is about $2.65–$3.20 per square foot on this calculator, while a new, fully excavated three-layer build with fabric lands at the top of the range and above, about $6.05–$7.25 ($4,360–$5,220 for 60 × 12).
A 100 ft × 12 ft driveway (1,200 sq ft) costs about $7,210–$8,640 built new by a contractor, with roughly 65 tons of stone in three layers, or $4,390–$5,820 DIY. Laying new stone over a sound existing base drops it to about $3,200–$3,850 installed.
A 200 ft × 12 ft driveway (2,400 sq ft) costs about $14,330–$17,190 built new by a contractor and needs about 130 tons of stone — 11 tandem loads. Doing it yourself, materials, fabric and delivery come to about $8,690–$11,550.
A 2–3 in top-up of fresh stone on a 100 × 12 ft driveway is about 15 tons: roughly $1,700–$2,030 with a contractor spreading and compacting it, or $560–$890 if you spread it yourself. Pick "Top-up" in the calculator.
Substantially. Gravel runs $2.50–$6.00 per square foot against $8–$18 for concrete and $7–$13 for asphalt. Gravel does need topping up every few years, which narrows the gap over a twenty-year horizon.
It is strongly recommended over clay or soft soil. Geotextile separates the stone from the subgrade so the gravel does not sink into the mud, and it typically adds only about $0.45 per square foot.
Need the whole roof at once? The free roofing calculator works out roof area, squares, shingle bundles, underlayment, drip edge, ridge cap and installed cost from one set of measurements.