Driveways & Drainage in San Francisco

Roughly $1–$3 per square foot installed, with a typical driveway landing between $600 and $1,800. Gravel itself runs $10–$100 per ton depending on the rock type and how far it's hauled. Length, grade, how much base prep is needed, and site access are the main cost drivers.

Almost always drainage. If water has nowhere to go but down the road, it carves ruts and strips gravel every wet season. The fix is a proper crown plus drainage — french drains, culverts at crossings, and swales to route runoff off the surface. Rebuilding gravel without fixing the water just buys you another year.

A french drain is a gravel-filled trench with a perforated pipe that collects and redirects groundwater and surface water away from where it's causing problems. They run $10–$100 per linear foot. You need one anywhere water is pooling against a driveway, structure, or low spot — they're the workhorse of residential drainage.

Wherever your driveway crosses a drainage path, ditch, or seasonal creek, a culvert carries that water under the road instead of over it. A typical install averages around $4,500 once you include the pipe, headwalls, and earthwork. Road and creek crossings often have permit requirements, so check locally.

For most rural properties, gravel. It's far cheaper to install and repair, drains naturally, and handles heavy equipment and seasonal movement better than asphalt on unstable rural ground. Paving makes sense for short, finished approaches near the house, but for long rural runs, well-built gravel with good drainage is the smarter spend.