What does it cost to have a gravel driveway put on your land?

Breaking down my very first investment with the Amish.

Before I pick up where I left off with my story about how one catastrophic hurricane turned me into a conservationist, allow me to break down the very first investment I made with some of my favorite people in the world.

I have had a lot of people online grill me about the costs of everything related to my burgeoning farm. I get it - people want to know if it’s worth their time. However, before I provide you with some concrete stats, I want to say this:

There is no blanket cost for anything related to construction. Period.

There are so many variables at play, from unexpected extra loads of gravel or materials, to extended labor due to weather, difficult land, etc. There is no one-size-fits-all, so please keep that in mind as you continue reading.

Oh, and that you cannot compare your life path to someone else’s. If you are feeling called to buy undeveloped land and follow in this process, pay attention to that calling! Even if the process seems insurmountable, remember that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and are willing to make sacrifices along the way.

Buying a 400-foot gravel driveway from an Amish excavation company

My gravel driveway ended up coming with the following characteristics:

• 400-feet of gravel

• 400-feet of fabric (I had no idea fabric went below gravel to block weed growth at the time)

• 40-foot entrance/turn-off from the main road

• 2 culverts

• 40-foot west-facing turn placed at the 200-foot mark

It took the Amish less than 2-days to complete the work for this. Trust me, you will not find anyone in the game who can work as speedily and precisely as these people can. It was truly art in motion, watching them switch off different machines while work nearly silently, as a dance, together.

To complete my driveway, the Amish had to order around 16-18 deliveries of gravel. They coordinated deliveries from a few different companies simultaneously to get the job done in one-day.

On the first day, they measured the driveway, removed the top soil layer, and returned home before returning the following day for the big excavation work.