Private Gravel Road Woes

[sasha123]

Hello,

We recently moved to a more remote area than we are used to, due to my husband's job. We purchased a lovely home....on an AWFUL road, at least in our estimation (I've heard there are worse; I'd hate to see it). It is ruddy, washboarding, etc. We were a little ignorant in making this purchase and weren't properly advised, and hence purchased land on a private road with NO ROAD MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT. Ugh. There is an "unofficial" HOA that collects a small amount of dues (about $200/year from 12ish houses), but it doesn't appear to be sufficient to care for the road properly. The road appeared to be in pretty decent condition when we purchased, but it was summertime and the road had clearly been recently attended to.

Here's my big question: what do we need to do to get this road in proper working order? The current "caretaker" is old, and I suspect he doesn't really know what he is doing. We've gotten some estimates, but these guys want thousands of dollars to help us with just small sections--the more problematic--parts of our road. Like $2000-$3000 for about 600 ish feet. The road, in total, is around 0.3 miles (up to our house, anyway). We're willing to invest some money in this endeavor, knowing that many of the rest of the neighbors will probably refuse to contribute anything more than their current dues. Many of the houses on our road are vacation homes, and the folks that own them don't appear to be there often enough to care. We both have 4 wheel drive, so it's not a huge access issue for us, but it would be awesome to have friends/family over without having to worry if they can make it up the road.

We're in a mountainous area--Western NC--so the road is sloped in some areas--and fairly steep in one section. We've thought about paving, but I doubt we could afford it considering we'd probably have to bear the burden alone....many one day, but not anytime soon. We think we could rent a tractor and perhaps tackle this ourselves to save some $, but we definitely need some tips/help. If that works out, we may invest in purchasing a tractor.

Any advice would be MUCH appreciated. Thank you in advance!

 

[dclynch]

I feel your pain. We too live on a private road. What we ended up doing for years was using a old grader pulled behind a tractor. We didnt have the luxury of any neighbors chipping in for expenses me and the neighbor across from me did it ourselves. We did this for about 15 years and all the while we fought the township to take it over. Finally they did when water was brought down the road. It turned out beautiful with black top and everything. Wish you the best you have your work cut out for you.

 

[oosik]

Well, its unfortunate that there are no pictures of the current road condition. In any case I wonder if either you or your husband quite understand what true road maintenance entails. I live in an area that is NOT the MIDDLE of nowhere, its the FAR SIDE of nowhere and I have a mile long gravel driveway to maintain. The closest neighbor is 4.5 miles away.

Anyhow, enough of that. You either have to pay to have somebody upgrade the road or rent/purchase the required equipment and somehow very rapidly learn how to use it.

I would say that a 35-45 hp tractor and a land plane grading scraper would be about the easiest to learn and do the best job for you.

Recognize that since neither of you have experience on a tractor its going to be tough at first. I would start by looking for self-help videos on this site.

Type in "driveway maintenance" or "land plane grading scraper" into the google search box - upper right corner of this page and see what threads show up.

Also notice there are some threads already showing for gravel driveway maintenance at the bottom of this page.

Also look for "how to do it" videos at - - www.everythingattachment.com

 

[crazyal]

Best advice is to buy a tractor and the correct attachment and do it yourself. I have about 3/4 of a mile of ROW that I take care of and tried plenty of things before I got my tractor and a grading scrapper. Hopefully you have enough uses for a tractor otherwise you'll probably have to rent something to do the work. Owning your own tractor though makes it real easy to repair the road after heavy downpours wash the gravel down the hill. A poor man's choice might be to get a section of I-beam from a steel yard and tow it behind a pickup but you'll be limited on just how much you can do. In the long run, if mud is an issue you may want to look into redoing the road. There's a fabric you can put down and then put gravel on top of. It'll keep the gravel from mixing with the dirt/ mud below. Once you do that mud will no longer be an issue.

 

[bcp]

If you don't have another use for a tractor, get a land plane grading scraper that doesn't need a tractor to pull it.

TP Series Grader - DoMor Equipment

Bruce

 

[Coyote machine]

You need to figure out what base is already in place, where the most problematic sections are, what drainage, culverts, ditches, etc. already exist and what of those are actually functional. Then you need to figure out what material you will need to buy to fix any deficits in the roadbed structure, Then you need to wait until summer, when the road is at it's best, dry and possibly graded, like you saw it when you bought your house. That is the time to effect repairs, build up the roadbed and grade it to properly drain, etc.
Yes, you could rent or buy a tractor/grader blade, rollover box blade, or similar, but the learning curve on getting a rutted, steep, washboarded road in good shape would be long and would likely not stay the way you would like it too through next winter. That is the nature of dirt/gravel roads. Paving would NOT be an option unless you have large amounts of money to burn.
Get some quotes from some local excavators, gravel quarries, landscape contractors, etc. and see what can be done for reasonable $. Ask around your area who's good, and reasonable, ask for advice from those who know the local similar roads.
This isn't a DIY project for someone with no equipment or experience, IMHO.

 

[300UGUY]

I hate to say it, but moving might be a option. I bought a house on a gravel road 30 years ago, and it is one decision I'd like to do over. Early on there was a road association, but the county took over my section of the road. The folks further down were not as lucky. Our cars are never clean for long, we get stone chips in the paint and glass. Sucks. A few years ago, 2 of my neighbor's were out working on the road, and they got into a fist fight over a few dollars spent on fuel. Both of these clowns are about 80, and both have plenty of cash.

A paved road here adds 10 to 20% to the value of a house. I'll never buy another house on a gravel road.

 

[k0ua]

A tractor and a landplane would be the easiest thing to learn. Here Ted and Peanut will give you some pointers.

 

[k0ua]

If you don't have another use for a tractor, get a land plane grading scraper that doesn't need a tractor to pull it.

TP Series Grader - DoMor Equipment

Bruce

Well that is pretty cool.

 

[Egon]

Two items; first the road must be upgraded to a condition you feel comfortable with. Then the road will have to be properly maintained.

The first portion may be best done by a contracted grader with competent operator. What he should do is establish ditches, pull up the shoulders, scarifying/rip the road surface and the roll it all back out leaving you with a crowned, drained and smooth road. You will have to evaluate if crushed gravel will be required.

For maintenance your own equipment. Various combination for this. Everyone will have their own favorites. Mine would be a back blade with gauge wheels. It requires a heavier tractor to do this properly.

Or, have the grader come back on a scheduled basis.

Note: many ways to make it look pretty but they don't last.