My driveway is nothing but potholes. Do I need a whole new driveway?

Usually not. Potholes are almost always a drainage and crown problem rather than a rock problem. Cutting them out, restoring the crown and fixing where the water goes lasts far longer than dumping rock in the holes, and it costs a lot less than a rebuild.

What rock do you use?

A base course of larger rock for structure, then 3/4-minus on top. The minus is the fines that let it compact and lock together. Round river rock looks nice and will not stay put under a tire.

If your driveway crosses a ditch at the county road, almost certainly, and the county will have requirements for size and placement. We size it and install it.

Can you build a driveway a concrete truck can get down?

That is most of what access work is. A loaded truck needs grade, width and a base that will not rut. Tell us what has to come in and we will build for it.

How long does a driveway take?

A typical residential driveway is a day or two of machine time. Long rural access roads, heavy rock or culvert work run longer.

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Driveways & Access Roads

Built so it drains, instead of washing out every winter.

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A driveway on the Oregon Coast fails for one reason: water. Rock laid on soft ground with nowhere for water to go turns into ruts and potholes by the second winter, and every load of rock you dump in the holes disappears into the same soft spot. We build driveways that shed water - crowned, ditched, drained, on a base that will hold - and we fix the ones that were not built that way.

New driveways

Strip the topsoil and organics, because rock laid over sod sinks into it. Cut the grade and set a crown or a cross-slope so water runs off the surface instead of standing on it. Lay a base course of larger rock and compact it, then top with 3/4-minus, which locks together under tires instead of rolling out from under them the way round river rock does. Culvert at the county road where one is required, ditching where the slope needs it, and a turnaround where the site allows one.

Repair and regrading

Most driveways we get called out to do not need to be rebuilt. They need the potholes cut out rather than filled, the crown put back, fresh rock on a compacted base, and the drainage corrected so it stops happening. Filling a pothole without fixing why water sits there buys you one season. If the base really is gone and it needs a rebuild, we will tell you that instead of selling you rock twice.

Access roads and construction access

Getting a concrete truck, a lumber delivery, a well driller or a set crane onto a site is its own problem, and it is one that tends to show up late in a build when there is no time left to solve it. We build temporary and permanent access: grades a loaded truck can actually climb, width to turn, and rock that holds up under repeat heavy traffic instead of rutting on the third load.

Parking areas and RV pads

The same work, wider. Commercial lots brought to subgrade and compacted for paving, gravel overflow parking, equipment yards, and level rock pads for RVs and trailers with enough drainage to keep them out of the mud.

I hired Bay Area Land Development for a two-phase residential project that involved grading, leveling, and repairing my asphalt driveway, as well as preparing a new parking area. Paul was exceptionally responsive from the start, and he remained easy to reach by phone and text for all of my follow-up questions. The quality of their work is outstanding, and I highly recommend Paul and his team for any excavation or site prep needs.

John Appleton · Google review

Common Questions

My driveway is nothing but potholes. Do I need a whole new driveway?: Usually not. Potholes are almost always a drainage and crown problem rather than a rock problem. Cutting them out, restoring the crown and fixing where the water goes lasts far longer than dumping rock in the holes, and it costs a lot less than a rebuild.
What rock do you use?: A base course of larger rock for structure, then 3/4-minus on top. The minus is the fines that let it compact and lock together. Round river rock looks nice and will not stay put under a tire.
Do I need a culvert?: If your driveway crosses a ditch at the county road, almost certainly, and the county will have requirements for size and placement. We size it and install it.
Can you build a driveway a concrete truck can get down?: That is most of what access work is. A loaded truck needs grade, width and a base that will not rut. Tell us what has to come in and we will build for it.
How long does a driveway take?: A typical residential driveway is a day or two of machine time. Long rural access roads, heavy rock or culvert work run longer.