Driveway & Road Construction
New gravel driveways, long private roads, turnarounds, culverts, and rebuilds of drives that wash out or turn to mud.
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New gravel driveways, plus repair and regrading, from gravel driveway contractors based on Whidbey Island and working Camano Island and north into Skagit County.
Whidbey Dirt Works builds and repairs gravel driveways on Whidbey Island, Camano Island and north into Skagit County. We start under the rock. The soft material comes out, the subgrade gets shaped and packed, then base rock goes down in lifts. A crushed rock top course finishes the surface, shaped with a crown so water runs off it. Rock arrives by dump truck from a local supplier. Our excavators and a roller compactor attachment place it and pack it. We are based on the island, out of Langley, so the crew and the machines start the day here.
This page is the gravel driveway itself, new or rebuilt. Roads are a separate job. Our page on long private roads and culvert crossings covers road building and shared access. Pads, cut and fill, and grading the subgrade before the base rock goes down sit on the dirt work page. The ditches and pipe a driveway ties into belong to the drainage page. Here we build new gravel driveways and repair tired ones. We also regrade, widen, extend, and add turnarounds and parking pads.
Tell us about your project — we’ll get right back to you.
Under the topsoil, much of this island is dense glacial till mixed with rock. Locals call it hardpan. Water perches on top of it and runs sideways to the low spot. The ground under a driveway stays wet. Dump gravel on that soft ground and it disappears by spring. The rock works down into the mud and the mud works up. That is why a load of driveway gravel spread over a soft base buys you a single wet season.
The company came out of building custom homes on this island, so we build a driveway from the bottom up. On a new drive we start by clearing the driveway corridor and stripping the sod and organics. Where the ground stays soft we keep digging out soft subgrade until we hit ground that carries a loaded truck. The tilt rotator on our excavator shapes the subgrade to fall, and the roller compactor attachment packs it. Base rock goes down in lifts, each one compacted. A crushed rock top course goes on last, crowned so water sheds to both sides.
Most of the gravel driveway repair calls we get do not need a full rebuild. Potholes, ruts, washboard and soft spots on a drive with a sound base are a regrading job. We rip the surface, pull the material back across the low spots, reset the crown and roll it. Where the top course has thinned out, fresh crushed rock goes on before the roller. Timing matters here. A regrade done in the dry months packs down and holds. The same work in February just moves mud around.
A rebuild is the answer when the base is gone. Soft spots that come back every winter are one sign. So are ruts that return a week after a regrade. A driveway that keeps sinking has a base problem and a water problem. More rock on top will not fix either one. We price ditching and culverts that keep water off the drive alongside the rebuild. We dig the failed section out and rebuild the base in lifts. We do not pave asphalt and we do not seal coat.
In unincorporated Island County, driveways are on the list of work exempt from a building permit, along with sidewalks. That exemption does not cover work that breaks other county rules. Inside city limits the city handles it. A new entrance onto a county road is a separate question. Island County Public Works issues an access permit for a new driveway entrance, a relocated one, or an existing entrance. That approval has to be in hand before the county issues a building permit. We tell you if your driveway needs one.
Ground near a bluff, a steep slope, a wetland or the shoreline comes with rules. Island County Code 11.02 regulates clearing, filling and excavation near water and slopes. That covers any quantity within 200 feet of a regulated shoreline. Surface drainage cannot be sent across the face of a marine bluff. We check the county critical area maps before we cut a driveway near one. Timing matters too: the wet months here run November through March, and new gravel placed on saturated subgrade sinks. Late spring through early fall is the easy window.
Free, no-obligation estimates across Whidbey Island & Island County.
(360) 632-5159From the first walkthrough to the final one, here’s exactly how your project runs.
We come out and look at the actual ground — the growth, the slope, the wet spots, the access — listen to what you want done, and give you a straight, written estimate. No pressure, and no guessing at a price over the phone.
We lock in a date, plan equipment access and where the debris goes, and account for drainage, buried utilities, and anything on the property that has to be protected. You know the plan before a machine moves.
Our own crew runs our own machines, and the job is supervised on site. We keep the ground under control, keep you posted, and read what we find as we dig instead of forcing the plan through it.
We walk the finished property with you, deal with the debris the way the plan called for, and leave the ground clean, graded, and draining — ready for whatever you are building next.
Common questions about gravel driveways across Whidbey Island & Island County. Don't see yours? Give us a call — we're happy to help.
New gravel driveways, long private roads, turnarounds, culverts, and rebuilds of drives that wash out or turn to mud.
Cut, fill, shape, and finish grade — building pads, yards, and lots left level, compacted, and draining away from what matters.
French drains, footing drains, infiltration systems, culverts, and swales — engineered to move water off your property and away from your foundation.
Full lot and acreage clearing: trees, brush, blackberry, stumps, and fence lines taken back to clean, buildable ground.
Complete site development — excavation, foundation digs, utilities, access, and prep, handled start to finish by one crew.
Precise trenching and installation for water, sewer, septic, power, and gas — bedded, backfilled, and compacted so nothing settles later.
Three decades clearing, grading, and digging on Whidbey. We know what is under the topsoil here — glacial till, hardpan, rock, water that sits where it should not — and what it takes to leave ground that drains and builds right.
A registered Washington general contractor, bonded and fully insured on every job — a real, accountable company, not a rented machine and a handshake. Your property and your liability are covered.
You get an honest walk-the-property estimate and a plain-English price — no surprise add-ons, no lowball-then-upcharge. We tell you what the job really takes, then we show up and do it.
We live and work here. No ferry delays, no out-of-town crews, no subbing the job out and hoping. One company handles the job from the first call to the final grade, and our own machines and operators do the work.
Need land cleared, a lot graded, a driveway put in, drainage fixed, or a storm mess hauled off? Reach out for a free, no-obligation estimate — we’ll walk the property, give you a straight price, and get your job on the schedule.
Tell us about your project — we’ll get right back to you.