Southeast Texas
Driveways & Building Pads
A driveway on gumbo clay is a drainage structure that you happen to drive on. Build it like a road — crowned, compacted, on a proper base, with water routed away from it — and it lasts. Dump rock on unprepared ground and it will be potholes and ruts inside a year, and you will pay again.
Why driveways fail here
Three reasons, in order. Water sitting under the driveway, because there is no crown and no ditch and the clay underneath will not drain. Insufficient base, because someone spread four inches of rock straight onto soft ground and it disappeared into it. And no compaction, so the material shifts under load. Every one of those is cheaper to prevent at build time than to fix afterward.
How we build one
Strip the organic topsoil, because rock placed on topsoil will sink into it. Establish a stable, compacted subgrade. Crown the surface so water runs off to both sides rather than sitting in the middle. Cut or maintain ditches to carry that water somewhere. Place base material in lifts and compact each lift. Then top with the surface material you have chosen. On especially soft ground, geotextile fabric between subgrade and base is worth the money — it keeps the rock from migrating down into the clay.
Culverts and county road tie-ins
If your driveway meets a county-maintained road, the tie-in and any culvert under it will typically require a permit from the county, and the county will usually specify the pipe size. Undersized culverts flood your driveway and the road, and the county will make you redo it. Get the permit; it is not expensive and it protects you. We will help you work out what to ask for, but the permit is issued to the property owner.
Building pads
A pad is a compacted, elevated, properly drained platform for a structure. Elevation matters enormously in this region — a pad built a foot higher can be the difference between a dry slab and a wet one during a heavy rain event, and it can affect insurance. Pads must be built in compacted lifts of suitable material and allowed to settle. Your builder or engineer will usually specify the pad elevation and dimensions; we build to that specification.
Driveways & Building Pads Projects We've Completed
Common Questions
What material is best for a driveway around here?
Crushed concrete is common, economical, and compacts well, and it is widely available in this area. Crushed limestone gives a cleaner finish at higher cost. Washed river rock looks good and performs poorly under traffic because it does not lock together. What matters more than the surface choice is what is underneath it.
How thick does the rock need to be?
It depends entirely on the subgrade and the traffic. Soft clay and heavy trucks need substantially more base than firm ground and a passenger car. Any contractor who quotes a thickness before seeing your ground is guessing.
How high should my building pad be?
That is determined by your site, your flood zone, and often your builder or engineer — not by us independently. We will build to the elevation you have been given. If nobody has given you one and you are in or near a flood zone, that is a conversation to have before dirt gets moved.
Can you fix an existing driveway instead of rebuilding it?
Often yes. Regrading, re-crowning, adding material, and cutting proper ditches will rescue a lot of driveways. If the base has failed completely, adding rock on top is throwing money at it and we will say so.
Driveways & Building Pads by Area
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