Driveway grading
Fix the shape and the potholes stop coming back
Dumping stone in a pothole is a two week repair. The hole is there because water sits in that spot, and until the driveway drains, the same hole comes back every season. Grading fixes the reason instead of the symptom.
We cut the driveway back to a proper profile, blend the loose material that has pushed to the edges back into the surface, fill the low areas with crusher run rather than topsoil, and roll the whole thing so it packs. Then we set the crown or the cross fall so the next rain runs off it.
Some lanes are past grading and simply need material. When there is no stone left to work with, we build a new one from the subgrade up.
Why do potholes keep coming back?
Three reasons, and they usually work together. The driveway has lost its crown so water sits on it instead of running off. The good stone has been pushed into ruts and berms along the edges, so the middle is running on dirt. And whatever went into the hole last time was the wrong material.
Filling a hole with topsoil, sand or clean round stone guarantees a repeat. Crusher run has fines in it that bind when they are compacted, which is why we use it and why we roll it rather than leaving traffic to pack it. That is the standard on the paving side of the business too, not only on stone lanes.
How do you regrade a driveway?
We start at the edges. The berms of stone and grass along the sides act like a dam and trap water on the driveway, so they come off first. Then the surface gets cut with a box blade to knock the high spots into the low ones and break up any hard pan.
After that it is shaping. A crown down the middle for a long lane, or a straight cross fall where the driveway sits against a building, about a quarter inch of drop per foot either way. New stone goes on where the depth is short, then we roll it. On longer runs we also open the ditch lines so the water has an outfall. University of Maryland Extension covers the same basics for anyone who wants to read up on moving water off their own property.
Get your driveway graded before the next storm
Free estimate from an Eastern Shore paving family, three generations deep. Two year warranty on all work.
Call (410) 924-4174Grading before paving
Grading is not only a repair job. It is the first stage of every paving job we do, because asphalt copies whatever shape it is laid on. If the drive is pitched toward the garage now, it will be pitched toward the garage in new asphalt too, just in a more expensive way.
So before we pave anything we fix the profile: water away from buildings, no ponding, a clean tie in at the road and at the garage apron. Get that right and the surface on top has a chance. It is the same first step whether we finish in stone, chip or hot mix. On a commercial site the far end of the job is laying the stall lines back out once the new surface has cured.
Why choose Robert and Son Paving for grading work?
Reading water is the skill in this job, and it comes from time. Our family has been grading and paving driveways on this flat, wet ground for three generations, and we are the third doing it. We can usually tell you where the trouble starts before we walk the whole lane.
We hold MHIC #74385 and have carried a BBB A+ accreditation since 2018. Residential and commercial work, free estimates, and a two year warranty on everything we do. If you want a finished surface once the shape is right, we can follow up and pave it in hot mix.
Ask a paving contractor
Straight answers about asphalt paving on the Eastern Shore
How often should a gravel driveway be graded?
Most working lanes want a pass every year or two, and more often if trucks or equipment use them. A driveway built with fabric and a proper base holds its shape far longer, so if yours needs grading every few months the problem is underneath.
Can you grade my driveway without adding new stone?
Sometimes. If there is still enough material on the driveway, we can pull the berms back in, reshape it and roll it with what is already there. If the stone has thinned out or disappeared into the ground, we add material as part of the job.
What do you fill potholes with?
Crusher run, compacted in layers. It has fines in it that bind when rolled, so the patch stays put. Topsoil, sand and clean round stone all fail quickly, which is why a hole filled with the wrong material opens up again after the next rain.
My driveway drains toward my garage. Can that be fixed?
Usually yes. We regrade the approach so the fall runs away from the building, and where there is nowhere for water to go we look at a swale, a stone shoulder or a pipe. It is worth fixing before you pave, not after.
Do you grade long farm and field lanes?
Yes, that is a lot of what we do around Federalsburg. Long lanes need a good crown, open ditch lines and a plan for where the water ends up. We work on the full run rather than only the section that looks worst.
Do you grade driveways outside Federalsburg?
Yes. Cambridge, Stevensville, Chester, Denton, Preston, Hurlock, Trappe and Easton are all inside our normal working area, along with the rest of Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot and Queen Anne's counties.