Grading & Driveways. Charlotte NC | Raider Site Services

Site Services

Ground that drains and holds.

Rough and finish grading, new gravel driveways, equipment and building pads, and drainage correction — done right so water moves where it should.

Rough and finish grading
New gravel driveways & repairs
Equipment & building pads
Drainage correction and swales
Culvert install
Flat written quote

Call for a flat quote →

What we handle

Handled for you — every job.

The parts people dread, we take off your plate.

Built to drain

We grade for proper crown, slope and drainage so water moves off, not in.

Right base, right stone

Gravel drives built on a proper compacted base with the right stone.

Culverts & swales

Culverts, swales and drainage correction wherever water needs a path.

Pads that hold

Compacted, level pads for barndominiums, modulars and outbuildings.

Real work

Bare clay to a driveway that lasts.

Drag the slider — a real Charlotte job. We regraded the base and laid new gravel so it drains and holds instead of washing out.

BeforeAfter

Straight answers on price

Straight on driveway pricing.

Most companies won't give you a number until they're standing in your driveway. Here's ours. Every job still gets quoted flat after we measure — length, base and stone move it — but you should know the range before you pick up the phone.

Stone top-up & spread — small drivesfrom $1,000

Regrade, crown & fresh stone$1,500–$2,500

Full rebuild — surge base + #57 top$4,000–$6,000

Building / equipment padquoted on site

Drainage / culvertadd-on

All-in, flat-rate — quoted precisely after a site walk. Never hourly.

A recent one: 250 ft of worn-out clay drive, circling the house with a fork out to the workshop. Surge rock base, #57 stone on top. $5,500 — done in a day.

What moves the price

Every job is different — here's what we check on the site walk to land your flat number.

Length and width
Base prep and stone type
How much cut and fill is needed
Drainage work required
Access and material haul distance

Recent job · Greater Charlotte

250 feet, built in layers.

A drive that was down to bare clay — circling the house with a fork out to the workshop. Same spot, every stage. This is what the $5,500 above actually bought.

Residential gravel driveway worn down to bare red clay before repair — **1 · Worn-out clay.** Whatever stone it started with was long gone.

Surge rock base laid on the same driveway during installation — **2 · Surge base.** Big stone that carries the weight and gives water somewhere to go.

Finished gravel driveway topped with #57 crushed stone — **3 · #57 stone.** Small enough to drive on, angular enough to knit together.

250 ft · circle drive + workshop forkOne day start to finish$5,500 flat, quoted before we started

Most guys skip the base and dump stone straight on the dirt. That's why it ruts again by spring.

What it takes

A driveway is only as good as the base under it.

Most gravel driveways fail for the same three reasons - no base, no crown, no compaction. Here is how a driveway that lasts actually gets built.

Rough grade vs. finish grade

Rough grading shapes the dirt - cutting high spots, filling lows, setting slope so water runs where you want it. Finish grading is the final, tighter pass that leaves a surface ready for gravel, sod, a slab or seed. A lot of "grading" problems are really a rough grade that got called finished. We do both, and we tell you which your project needs.

How a gravel driveway is actually built

Strip the soft topsoil (you never build on it), lay a geotextile fabric over soft or clay ground so the stone cannot sink into the mud, then a compacted base of ABC / crush-and-run for strength, topped with a surface course like #57 stone - crowned in the middle so water sheds to both sides. Skip any of those layers and you get ruts and potholes by the next wet season.

Water is what destroys driveways and pads

Grade, crown, swales and the occasional culvert all do one job: move water off and around your surface instead of through it. Standing or channeling water undermines the base, and once the base goes the surface follows. We grade with drainage first and looks second - because the drainage is what makes it last.

Compaction is not optional

Loose fill and loose stone rut, sink and pothole. We compact in lifts as we build so the driveway or pad is firm enough to carry loaded trucks, not just cars. It is the least visible part of the job and the one that decides whether it holds up.

How it runs

Four steps to build-ready ground.

1

Site Walk

We walk the property within 48 hours, check access and utilities, and confirm the full scope.

2

Flat Quote

One written, all-in number within 24 hours. We pull permits and order disconnects.

3

We Do the Work

Our iron, our operators. Teardown, clearing, grading and haul-off — debris sorted and gone.

4

Build-Ready Handover

Lot rough-graded and clean, with documentation for your builder or lender.

FAQ

Straight answers.

How much does a gravel driveway cost?

Small stone top-ups start at $1,000. A regrade with crown and fresh stone typically runs $1,500–$2,500, and a full rebuild with a surge base and #57 on top runs $4,000–$6,000. Length, base prep and stone move the number — we quote it flat after measuring on site, never hourly.

Can you fix a driveway that washes out?

Yes — we regrade for proper crown and drainage and add culverts or swales where needed.

Do you do building pads?

Yes — compacted, graded pads for barndominiums, modulars and outbuildings.

How long will it last?

Built on a proper base with a good crown, years — the base and drainage are what make it last.

Do you fix drainage problems?

Yes — regrading, culverts and swales to move water where it should go.

What kind of gravel is best for a driveway?

A proper driveway is two layers: a compacted base of ABC (crush-and-run) for strength, topped with a surface course like #57 stone for drainage and drivability. A single layer of the wrong stone is why so many gravel drives wash and rut.

Why does my gravel driveway keep washing out or potholing?

Almost always one of three things: no compacted base (it was laid on bare dirt), no crown (water runs down it instead of off it), or no compaction. We fix the cause, not just the symptom - otherwise you are re-graveling every year.

Do I need fabric under my driveway?

On soft, wet or clay ground, yes - geotextile fabric keeps your stone from disappearing into the mud and dramatically extends the life of the drive. On firm, well-drained ground it may not be necessary. We call it on the site walk.

Can you fix an existing driveway, or only build new?

Both. We regrade, re-crown, add base and resurface tired driveways all the time - often for a fraction of a full rebuild. If the base is shot we tell you honestly rather than burying good money in a bad foundation.

How thick should the gravel be?

It depends on the traffic and the ground, but a typical residential build runs several inches of compacted base plus a surface course - more for soft ground or heavy loads. We spec the depth to what the driveway actually has to carry.

One crew, the whole site

We don't stop at the teardown.

Most demo companies hand you a cleared lot and leave. We're a full site-work outfit — the same crew takes your property all the way to build-ready.

Site Work

Grading & Driveways by City

Local pages with job examples and pricing for your area.

Charlotte

Tell us about the site.

Send the address and what you're dealing with. We'll walk it within 48 hours and hand you a flat, all-in number.

📞(980) 351-5115

Tap to call · A real owner picks up · Site walk within 48 hours

Grading
& Driveways.