Driveways and rock roads
Driveway Contractor in McKinney, TX
Driveway contractor for McKinney, Frisco, Denison, Pilot Point and rural properties across North Texas. Gravel, chip seal and asphalt millings driveways, plus grading and repair of the one you already have.
Steele Construction LLC builds and repairs driveways for homeowners and acreage owners in McKinney and across North Texas. We do the dirt work under the driveway, cutting, filling and compacting the base, then surface it in gravel, chip seal or asphalt millings. We also regrade and repair existing driveways that have rutted or washed out, and set culverts where a long rural drive crosses a ditch. Free estimates, one day response.
Surfaces
Three Driveway Types We Build
Every driveway we build starts the same way: the base is cut to grade, built up where it needs to be, and compacted. The surface goes on top. These are the three surfaces we install.
Gravel Driveways
Gravel or flex base spread over a compacted, crowned base. The most common surface on rural drives, easy to add to over time, and the right choice when a drive is likely to be extended or reworked later.
Gravel drivewaysChip Seal Driveways
A compacted base sprayed with liquid asphalt and covered in a layer of rock chips rolled into it. Harder wearing than loose gravel, no dust, no loose rock in the yard, and the look of a paved drive on a ranch road.
Chip seal drivewaysAsphalt Millings Driveways
Recycled asphalt millings spread over the base and compacted. The millings pack down tight, shed water and firm up further with heat and traffic, giving a dark, solid surface at a lower cost than new asphalt.
Asphalt millings drivewaysExisting driveways
Driveway Grading and Repair
We provide gravel and rock driveway grading and repair throughout North Texas. Existing driveways may need regrading when ruts, potholes, erosion or poor drainage begin to damage the surface and base.
Driveway repair can include reshaping the base, restoring the crown for proper drainage, repairing ruts and potholes, adding new gravel or rock, and compacting the finished surface.
For new driveway construction, we handle the site grading and dirt work needed to establish the driveway path and elevation. This can include cutting high areas, filling low areas and compacting fill in lifts to create a stable base for the finished driveway.
Choosing
Which Driveway Surface Fits Your Property
Three surfaces, three different answers. Here is how they compare on what people actually ask about.
| Feature | Gravel | Chip Seal | Asphalt Millings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface | Loose rock over a compacted base. | Rock chips bonded to the base with liquid asphalt. | Recycled asphalt compacted into a solid surface. |
| Dust and loose rock | Some of both. | Little of either. | Little of either once packed. |
| Look | Rural, natural. | Paved look on a ranch drive. | Dark, solid, close to asphalt. |
| Upkeep | Regrade and top up as it wears. | Low. Reseal when the surface wears through. | Low. Packs tighter with use. |
| Cost | Lowest to install. | Middle. | Middle, below new asphalt. |
| Best for | Long drives, drives that will change later, tight budgets. | Drives where dust and loose rock are the complaint. | Drives that carry heavy traffic and need a firm surface. |
On a long rural drive in Denison or Pilot Point, gravel is usually the starting point and chip seal or millings are the upgrade once the base has settled and proven itself. On a shorter drive near the house where dust and tracked rock are the problem, chip seal or millings from the start. The site visit settles it, and all three go on the same compacted base.
Acreage
Long Rural Driveways and Culverts
We build and grade long rural driveways for acreage and properties outside McKinney and throughout North Texas. Driveway construction can include cutting and filling, building up low areas, establishing a crown, compacting the base and grading for proper drainage.
Where a driveway crosses a bar ditch or low area, we provide culvert installation to carry water beneath the drive and help prevent erosion and washouts.
For new construction and acreage development, we can handle the driveway, culvert installation and drainage along with land clearing, house pad construction and septic installation under one sitework scope.
Questions
Driveway Questions
What driveway surfaces do you install?
Gravel, chip seal and asphalt millings, all on a compacted base we cut and grade first. We also build rock roads on acreage and ranch property.
Can you fix a gravel driveway that has ruts and potholes?
Yes. The fix is a regrade: cut out the ruts, reshape the crown so water sheds, add new material and compact it. Topping up gravel without reshaping the base does not last.
Do you pour concrete driveways?
No. We do the dirt work under a concrete driveway, cutting and compacting the subgrade, and hand it to the concrete contractor. We build and surface gravel, chip seal and millings driveways ourselves.
Does a long driveway need a culvert?
Anywhere the drive crosses a ditch or a low spot where water runs, yes. The culvert lets water pass under the drive instead of washing across it.
Which surface is cheapest?
Gravel is the lowest cost to install. Chip seal and millings cost more up front and need less upkeep. Every driveway is quoted after a site visit based on length, how much base work is needed and the surface. Estimates are free.
Can the driveway be part of a new build?
Yes. On a new lot the driveway, the house pad, the septic system and the clearing are usually one contract with the same crew.
Get a Driveway Estimate
Send the address, roughly how long the drive is, and whether it is new or a repair. We walk it with you, look at the base and the drainage, and put the price in writing.