Driveways in Charleston
A driveway carries a car twice a day, so its base goes twice as deep as a patio’s: eight to twelve inches of compacted gravel before anything goes on top. We build driveways in pavers, brick, poured concrete, gravel, plantation mix and crushed oyster shell, and we check who has to approve the apron before we quote.
We price a driveway by the square foot, the surface you choose and what has to come out first. Send a photo and rough measurements, and you hear back the same day.
- Base
- Eight to twelve inches, compacted in layers
- Surfaces
- Pavers, brick, concrete, gravel, plantation mix and oyster shell
- Warranty
- Two years on our workmanship
- Part of
- Our hardscaping work
Driveway installation, from tear-out to the apron.
- The old driveway broken up and hauled off, concrete or asphalt
- Dug out to depth, with soft spots taken out and fabric laid on weak ground
- Eight to twelve inches of gravel base, compacted in layers
- A crown or fall so water runs off the sides and away from the garage
- An edge that holds the surface: steel or pavers for gravel and shell, a restraint for pavers
- The apron and its approvals checked with the city, SCDOT or your HOA before we start
- The lawn and beds along both sides put back
Plus tear-out and the apron. The surface you choose sets the range.
Driveway replacement, before and after.
Driveway materials in Charleston, from oyster shell to pavers
The surface sets the price range, the look, and what the driveway does with a summer storm. Six surfaces cover almost every driveway we build.
Buried stumps, old footings and pipes nobody mapped are the surprises in driveway work. If we find one, you hear about it, and the price for it, before we keep digging.
Driveway base depth: what carries the car
The surface you see only spreads the load. The base underneath carries it. For residential paver driveways, the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute calls for eight to twelve inches of compacted base over a geotextile fabric, with more on weak soil. We build to that, compacting the gravel a few inches at a time.
Gravel, plantation mix and shell drives want a base too. Laid straight on sand, they rut under the tires and wash out at the low end in the first big storm.
New construction needs a careful look. Mount Pleasant subdivisions sit on builder fill that keeps settling for a couple of summers after the house goes up, and a driveway laid on a thin base over that fill shows it first. We check the ground before we pick the depth.
- Driveway base
- Eight to twelve inches, over fabric
- Patio base, for comparison
- Four to six inches
- Source
- Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute guidelines
Driveway permits in Charleston: who owns the end of your driveway
The apron sits on public land. The last few feet of most driveways cross the public right of way. In the City of Charleston, a paver, brick or other special-finish apron there counts as an encroachment and needs the city’s encroachment application. The city treats driveways in the right of way as temporary, because it may need to take one up to repair what runs underneath.
State roads go through SCDOT. On a road SCDOT maintains, a homeowner asks for a new driveway apron through the local SCDOT office. North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville and the county each run their own process, and we check which one covers your address before we quote.
The historic districts have a list. The Board of Architectural Review’s hardscaping policy rules out asphalt and plain poured concrete driveways in the historic districts. It prefers pervious paving and plantation mix, allows gravel on a limited basis with nothing bigger than #7 stone, and wants defined edges on the drive and an apron that keeps loose stone out of the storm drain. We plan a downtown driveway to that list from the first sketch.
HOAs have a say too. HOAs in Mount Pleasant, on Daniel Island and in the island communities often set driveway material and color. We put the HOA package together with you.
- Where we build
- Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, James Island, Johns Island, West Ashley, Daniel Island, Summerville, Hanahan and Goose Creek.
Permeable driveways for low Charleston lots
Charleston County averages about 45 inches of rain a year, and a concrete driveway sends the rain that lands on it to the street or to the low corner of your yard. Gravel, plantation mix, shell and permeable pavers let the water soak in where it falls. On a low lot, that keeps a puddle off the garage floor.
The city’s historic district policy prefers pervious paving for the same reason. If a drive still sheds water toward the house, we add a French drain along the low side and send it somewhere it can go.
- Permeable options
- Gravel, plantation mix, oyster shell and permeable pavers
- Rain
- About 45 inches in an average year, per the SC State Climatology Office
Driveway questions Charleston homeowners ask us.
How deep is the base under a paver driveway?
Eight to twelve inches of compacted gravel over fabric, following the paver industry’s guidelines, and deeper on soft or wet ground. A patio gets four to six. The extra depth carries the car.
Do I need a permit for a new driveway in Charleston?
For the apron, in most cases. In the City of Charleston, a special-finish apron in the right of way needs an encroachment application, and on a state road the request goes through SCDOT. The historic districts add staff review, and most HOAs want to approve it. We check your address before we quote.
Can you put pavers over my old concrete driveway?
Sometimes. If the slab is sound and the extra height works at the garage door and the street, pavers can go over it. Cracked or sunken concrete has to come out first, because pavers laid over a failing slab fail with it.
How long does a new driveway take?
Several days for most: tear-out, base, then the surface. Concrete adds about a week of curing before you park on it. You get the schedule with the price.
Does a gravel or shell driveway wash away?
Loose stone laid on sand does. On a compacted base inside a solid edge, gravel, plantation mix and shell stay put, and a top-up now and then keeps them level. We grade the drive so water crosses it instead of running down its length.
Is an oyster shell driveway a good idea?
For the Lowcountry look and a drive that drains, yes. Crushed shell packs firm, stays pale and costs less than pavers. It needs an edge and some upkeep, and some HOAs do not allow it, so check the covenant first.
Can you widen my driveway?
Yes. We match the existing surface where we can, or border the new strip in pavers so the join looks planned. A wider apron needs the same approval as a new one.
Are permeable pavers worth it?
On a low lot or a drive that floods, yes. Rain drains through the joints into a base built to hold it, instead of running off to the street. They cost more than standard pavers, because that base goes deeper.
Send the drive, take the price.
A photo, rough measurements and the surface you want. That is enough for a real number the same day.