Search thousands of topics on CostHelper

BROWSE ALL TOPICS >> babies & children  cars  consumer electronics health & personal care home & garden personal finance  pets  schools small business sports weddings
CostHelper > Home and Garden  > Driveways, Pools & Outdoor Living > Gravel Path

Gravel Path Cost


How Much Does a Gravel Path Cost?

 
low costDo-It-Yourself: $100-$1,000average costInstalled: $300-$2,000

Compared to the cost of bricks, pavers or flagstone, gravel can be a relatively low-cost and simple way to add walkways to a residential yard. A gravel path looks relatively rustic, and works best for light to moderate foot traffic rather than heavy usage; gravel is not a good choice on a steep slope (unless the pathway is terraced to hold the gravel in place) or if snow has to shoveled off it in winter

Typical costs:

  • Do-it-yourself materials to install a gravel path can cost $100-$1,000 or more depending on the gravel chosen (for example, pea gravel is much less expensive than crushed granite); the length, width and depth of the path; and whether edging is done with plastic, metal, wood, natural stone, brick, concrete or pavers.
  • Hiring a handyman, gardener or landscape designer to install a gravel walkway can cost $300-$2,000 or more, depending on materials, local rates and the complexity of the layout.
What should be included:
  • Installing a gravel path typically includes laying out the path's shape; cutting out any sod or other landscaping; digging a flat, shallow trench (typically about 4"-6" deep), and then compacting the soil; adding and compacting a base layer of gravel or sand (about 2"-2.5" deep); laying down geotextile/landscaping fabric (to stop weeds from growing through); installing the border or edging; and filling the path with surface gravel (typically better quality and more decorative than the base gravel); and raking to smooth out the top gravel, making sure none of the landscape fabric shows through. Northwest Garden News provides an overview of the installation process[1] .
  • This Old House explains how to lay a gravel path[2] , estimating that the project takes 2-4 hours; is of easy to moderate difficulty; and costs about $300-$400 for a 100'-long and 2.5'-3'-wide path. The Family Handyman magazine describes possible border or edging materials[3] .
Shopping for a gravel path:
  • Gravel, edging, landscape cloth and other supplies are available from home improvement centers like Home Depot[4] or Lowe's[5] ; from landscape and material supply companies; from sand and gravel dealers; and direct from the gravel plant/pit.
  • To estimate the cubic yards required for a specific project, multiply length by width by depth and then divide by 27. For example, to lay a 3" bed of gravel on a path 3' wide and 100' long, convert the 3" to 0.25'; multiply 0.25 x 3 x 100 and divide by 27, which equals 2.78 cubic yards. Many gravel companies provide an online calculator to estimate the amounts needed. For example, Summit Gravel in Blasdell, NY has a simple calculator[6] for estimating amounts needed to cover rectangular, triangular or round areas.
post Post    
CostHelper News


7 Lesser-Known Discounts for the 50+ Crowd
As they age, members of the Baby Boomer generation don't like to admit that they're senior citizens, but they love getting discounts. It's kind of a quandary, because some of the best deals available are reduced prices for older folks. || Posted October 21 2013


7 Ways to Stretch Your Reduced Food Budget
End of the year budgets are tight for everyone, especially in this economy.It's especially hard for the millions of Americans who depend on government programs like food stamps to help make ends meet. || Posted November 11 2013

‣ All CostHelper Blog Posts


What People Are Paying - Recent Comments


 

Comment On Your Experience With a Gravel Path
 
Subject:  *
Amount Spent:  *
Contractor:   
Comments: 
Purchased:  Year: 
City:  * State:  *
 
Information about you:
Email:  * Email addresses are not displayed.
Name:  This is the name we'll display with your post.
me on this computer
*=required field.
 



External Resources:
  1.  www.northwestgardennews.com/id138.html
  2.  www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20048448,00.html
  3.  www.familyhandyman.com/garden-structures/garden-paths/affordable-garden-path-ideas...
  4.  www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials/h_d1/N-5yc1vZaqns/Ntk-All/Ntt-gravel/h_d2/Nav...
  5.  www.lowes.com/Search=gravel?storeId=10151&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&N=0&newSearch=...
  6.  www.summitgravel.com/calculator.html
More Home and Garden Topics
Check Out All Costs for Home and Garden How Much Does a Plumber Cost? How Much Does Pressure Washing Cost? How Much Does a Central Air Conditioner Cost?

Search Thousands of Topics on CostHelper.com

 
Today's Featured Cost Articles

About CostHelper
CostHelper is based in Silicon Valley and provides consumers with unbiased price information about thousands of goods and services. Our writers are experienced journalists who adhere to our strict editorial ethics policy.

CostHelper Community
UTI urgent care visit
Paid: 147.00
Visit was $135. Antibiotics was $12. Waiting for four hours in the waiting room and the visit was quick... [more]
-nervouschomper
Urinary Tract Infection Treatment Cost
Spanish Medical Interpreter
Paid: 150.00
I worked with SynShyne Services out of Monroe, NC. They were so worth the price! Professional, friendly, accurate, great attitude and always on time. I recieved an itemized report after every contact and a user friendly invoice weekly... [more]
-Gregory Richardson
Interpreter Cost
Dat
Paid: 495.00
This is how much I am paying... [more]
-Calista Christian
Dental Admission Test Cost
Shingrix
Paid: 48.00
... [more]
-Not that BB
Shingles Vaccine Cost
Skin prick allergy test
Paid: 573.00
Took my 9 yr. old in after an allergic reaction to eggs. Several panels for nuts, fish & top 8 allergens. Sure enough, egg came up. Got a script for epinephrine and left... [more]
-D’s mom
Allergy Testing Cost
Estimate for Teeth Cleaning Cat
Paid: 0.00
13 year old cat …teeth extractions, X-rays, blood work, anesthetic, cleaning estimate 2 to 3 thousand... [more]
-Terrimarie
Cat Teeth Cleaning Cost