Gravel, Crushed Stone, Soil and Mulch Delivery in Chicago, IL

Winters That Test Every Base

The nearest NOAA normals station is Chicago Midway AP, IL, about 10 miles away. Its low falls to 32 F or colder on 106 days in a typical year. Each freeze and thaw pulls water into a base and then expands it, so a gravel surface or a paver bed here is only as good as its drainage.^[1]

At Midway the median last spring freeze is April 11. The median first fall freeze there is October 31. Base work done in early spring should wait until the ground has thawed and dried, because packing frozen or soaked soil leaves soft spots that sink later.^[1]

The station averages 34.4 inches of precipitation a year, counting snow as melted water. Spring melt and rain on still-frozen ground cannot soak in, so it runs across the surface looking for a low spot. A gravel edge of #57 Crushed Stone beside a walk or a patio catches that water before it reaches a foundation.^[1]

Built Ground Over Old Carbonate Rock

The USDA soil survey maps the ZIP's center point as Urban land, and 90 percent of that map unit is classed as paved or built over. Streets, foundations and fill have covered the natural surface at a downtown point like this one.^[2]

Below the fill, the state geologic map shows the Silurian System undivided at the center point, made of dolostone, limestone and shale of Llandovery age. Dolostone and limestone are hard carbonate rocks, and they make a firm floor far beneath the made ground.^[3]

A USGS elevation reading puts the ground at the center point 630 feet above sea level. For a buyer, the practical rule for built ground is short: dig until the soil feels firm, remove anything soft or full of debris, and build the base back up with clean stone rather than trusting old fill.^[4]

Fill from old construction can hide brick, concrete chunks and voids that settle once a load sits on them. Probing the subgrade with a steel bar before building finds the soft spots, and each one comes out and is replaced with packed Crushed Concrete or Road Base. That small step keeps a patio from growing a dip after its first spring thaw.^[2]

Downtown Homes and Green Space in ZIP 60601

ZIP 60601 holds 10,971 housing units by the Census Bureau's count. Only 2 percent are detached single-family houses, compared with 26 percent across Chicago, which has 1,277,054 units in all. Homes in the ZIP are young, with a median build year of 2003, while the city's median is 1953. Owners live in 28 percent of the ZIP's occupied units.^[5]

In a ZIP of towers and condo buildings, bulk material mostly goes to shared projects: rooftop gardens, terrace planters, plaza beds, and the landscaped strips around a building's base. Garden Soil with Compost fills large planters, and Black Shredded Mulch or Brown Shredded Mulch keeps them from drying out between waterings in summer wind.^[5]

Beds at ground level around a building's base take a different mix. Topsoil brings low spots up to grade, and a lift of Compost worked into the top loosens heavy fill so roots can spread. An edge of River Rock or #57 Crushed Stone keeps mulch from washing onto the sidewalk during spring melt and gives maintenance crews a clean line to work to.^[2]

Stacking a Base That Lasts Through Spring Thaw

Freeze damage starts with water trapped in fine material. So a Chicago-area base starts with digging deep enough to reach firm ground and laying a fabric over it where the soil underneath is fine or mixed fill. That fabric stops mud from pumping up into the stone each spring.^[1],[2]

Next comes a lower course of #4 Crushed Stone or 1-1/2" Crushed Gravel, open and fast draining, followed by Road Base packed in thin lifts. Road Base locks together because its fines fill the gaps, but those fines also hold some water, so it works best sitting on the open stone rather than directly on the soil. A surface of Driveway Gravel or 3/4" Crushed Stone finishes a drive.^[1]

For pavers, swap the surface gravel for a screeded bed of Concrete Sand and fill the joints with Stone Dust Screenings. The Illinois Department of Transportation lists Aggregate Base Course, Section 351, in its Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction. State work follows that section, and private jobs follow whatever the contractor or engineer draws up.^[6]

Plowing and Shoveling Over Gravel

With 106 freezing days a year at the Midway station, winter storms bring snow and ice to clear, and a gravel surface needs some planning for that work. A plow or a shovel blade scrapes loose stone off a drive that carries too much surface gravel. Keep the top dressing of Driveway Gravel or 3/4" Crushed Stone thin over well packed Road Base, so the blade rides on the base and lifts only a little stone.^[1]

Set the plow shoe or the shovel slightly high for the first pass of the season. In spring, after the April 11 median last freeze at Midway, rake the stone that landed on the lawn back onto the drive and add a light top-up where the surface has thinned. Paver joints filled with Stone Dust Screenings stay tighter under a shovel than joints of loose sand.^[1]

Choosing Between Two Drainage Stones

Two stones cover most drainage work in a freezing climate like the one recorded at Midway. Drain Rock is clean and open, with no fines, so water moves through it freely and nothing in it holds moisture to freeze. #57 Crushed Stone is similar but angular, so it packs a little firmer and stays put on a slight slope.^[1]

For a French drain behind a retaining wall or along a foundation, wrap Drain Rock in fabric around a perforated pipe. For a gravel strip at the edge of a patio that people also step on, #57 Crushed Stone holds its shape better. Under a downspout, either stone works, and a ring of River Rock on top looks finished.^[1]

Smaller stone has its place too. #89 Crushed Stone fills between pavers or makes a fine walking surface, and Pea Gravel suits a play area or dog run. Neither belongs in a drain line, where their small size can clog the gaps that water needs.^[1]

Downspouts on a building with a large roof send a strong stream of water to one spot. A splash pad of River Rock over fabric spreads that stream and keeps it from carving a hole in a bed. Where a downspout empties near a walk, a buried line to a pocket of Drain Rock moves the water out of the way entirely.^[1]