Gravel Driveway Construction & Installation in Ottawa and Nepean

We're experts in revitalizing or installing new gravel driveways 

Does your new construction project need a driveway for safe access or delivery of construction material?  Do you need a gravel driveway installed on your rural property? Or perhaps you'd like to freshen up your existing gravel driveway?  The cost of paving the driveway probably scares you!  The best alternative is usually to have a gravel driveway installed.  When properly graded and installed properly a gravel driveway will last for years and they can always be resurfaced down the road to get that like new appearance at a fraction of the original cost of construction.

We experts in constructing and rehabilitating gravel driveways for our clients.  From the initial preparation and grading to building up the base and spreading the top layer of gravel we’ll take care of everything.  Whether it's a long winding driveway for your rural property or a small gravel approach, we can help.

Gravel Driveway Construction and Maintenance Services in Ottawa and Nepean

• New gravel driveway construction;
• Gravel driveway regrading or resurfacing;
• Gravel parking pads and building pads;
• Driveway additions or round-a-bouts;
• Gravel parking areas
• Driveway removals;
• Driveway relocation;

Our Process

How we build or rebuild your driveway

Planning for New Construction

Like most things, it's best to start off with a plan. Driveways are no different. For new construction driveways, we may need to conduct a site visit to survey the existing conditions, and help determine the best location for the new driveway. We want to ensure the location of the driveway has sufficient drainage, and clearance for the vehicles that will use it. Note that the City also has rules on driveway locations - such as offsets from other driveways and distances from existing intersections.

If you're planning a new laneway, or even a secondary access for your property, it's best practice to pre-consult with the City to confirm the project would be permitted. In most cases, an entrance permit will be required for any new access point to a City owned road. For laneways solely on private property, a permit is likely not needed. When working within a regulation limit, an additional permit from the local conservation authority may also be required.

If you live in a rural setting, a culvert may also be required. Consultation with the City will help determine if the size of the culvert is something they are willing to specify or if an engineer will need to be retained to determine the appropriate size (we can help with that!)

Planning for Regrading, Resurfacing or Maintenance Projects

Existing driveways are a bit different than new construction. The location is set, and our goal is to improve upon the existing conditions. One key factor we're always looking to ensure is adequate drainage. Water is always a challenge with roads and driveways, particularly in our fluctuating climate. We look for pot holes, depressions, or grade changes that may hold water. We inspect culverts to determine if they would be recommended for replacement. Now would be the time to replace them if necessary. We also look to see if gravel has been removed over time by traffic and snow removal.

In most instances, we are able to complete the planning stage for maintenance projects through available digital imagery (street view, satellite imagery & client supplied photos). This saves you both time and money!

Site Preparation

Since we did all our planning in advance, our first step once equipment is on site is to prepare the area for the work being done.

For all projects, we start by clearing any overhead hazards that might interfere with our equipment.

For new driveways, we would then proceed to remove any unsuitable soils.

For existing driveways, we would re-grade the existing base; filling in potholes and smoothing out and lumps and bumps that have developed over years of use.

Spreading Gravel

While both new and existing driveways will have gravel put down, the quantity varies. New construction will generally get multiple lifts of differing size gravel (from bigger stone to smaller stone) to build up a solid base. Existing driveways, except in the most extreme cases, generally get a fresh toping of finer gravel.

For a video on our Harley Rake (the attachment that grades the gravel) - check out our YouTube Channel.

Grading

Once the gravel is down, we ensure that it is shaped in a way that ensures water will flow off the driveway. This helps prevent potholes, and ensures the road or driveway will last for years to come.

Compaction

Compaction is one of the most overlooked aspects when constructing a driveway. Throughout the construction process, we need to ensure every aspect of the driveway is properly compacted. If not, settling, rutting, and potholes, may occur. We make sure our projects are properly compacted by using a heavy duty vibratory roller on all of our driveway projects.

Maintenance Plan

As a value added service, all of our gravel road construction and maintenance projects come with a personalized long term maintenance plan that homeowners can tackle themselves. Alan will personally walk you through various practices that you can do long after we've left, to keep your driveway looking good for years to come. Through regular on-going homeowner completed maintenance, you'll keep your driveway looking fresh - and reduce the need for regular rebuilds! Regular maintenance has been proven to save homeowners (and road authorities) money over the lifecycle of the road or driveway (compared to regular rebuilds).

Some of our Recent Gravel Driveway Projects

Why Choose Nepean General Contractors for Your Gravel Driveway Project?

When you choose Nepean General Contractors for your gravel driveway project you're partnering with a small team of local craftsmen. We are a small outfit but we like it that way because it keeps the quality of our workmanship in a category other contractors can't touch. You can count on your project being completed on time, on budget and with a level of workmanship and attention to detail you won’t find with other excavation contractors.

With direct owner involvement on all projects, we have the peace of mind knowing that we live by the “do it once and do it right” philosophy.

Our business has continued to grow through word-of-mouth from our many happy customers who refer us to friends and family. It’s through our continued commitment to quality and customer satisfaction that we can continue doing what we do best!

If you'd like an estimate for your gravel driveway project please give us a call (613) 894-8683 or fill out our “Request Your Estimate” form and we'll get back to you. We respond to all digital inquiries within 1-2 business days, so if you haven’t heard from us – check your spam folder!