Gravel, Rock and Soil Delivery in Reno, NV

Boulders in the sandy loam

The USDA survey maps the ZIP's center point as Oest bouldery sandy loam, 2 to 8 percent slopes, and Oest soil makes up 85 percent of that map unit. The word bouldery is part of the name for a reason: expect large stones in the soil when you dig.^[1]

At that point the soil is a bouldery sandy loam, rated well drained and placed in hydrologic group B for moderate infiltration. Sandy loam lets rain soak in at a steady rate, and the stones in it keep it open.^[1]

Its shrink-swell rating is low, 1.5 percent, so the soil barely changes volume between wet and dry. Slabs and pavers set on a firm base here move far less from the soil itself than from frost or poor compaction.^[1]

The USGS geologic map places the center point on older alluvium and alluvial fan deposits, a mix of coarse and fine alluvium from the Pliocene. Alluvial fans form where water rushing out of the hills drops its load of gravel, sand and boulders, which explains why the ground can change from fine soil to rocky layers within a single trench.^[2]

The ground at the center point stands 4,490 feet above sea level.^[3]

Coarse alluvium drains well. Water moves down through the sand and gravel layers easily, so most yards here need no elaborate drain system. Fine alluvium is the exception: where a fine layer sits near the surface, water can perch on it after snowmelt, and a test hole tells you which kind of ground you have.^[1],[2]

High desert weather

The NOAA station at the Reno weather forecast office, about 3 miles away, averages just 8.1 inches of precipitation a year. In a climate that dry, water-wise planting and dust control matter more than drainage in most yards.^[4]

The same station records an average of 29.7 inches of snow each year. Snow brings plowing, shoveling and spring melt, so drives and walks need to handle both dry summers and wet, cold spells.^[4]

That station logs 102 days a year when the low reaches 32 F or colder. Days often warm above freezing even when nights do not, so soil and stone freeze and thaw over and over through the cold months.^[4]

April 28 is the median date of the last spring freeze at the station. October 27 is the median date of the first fall freeze.^[4]

Low yearly precipitation and a healthy snowfall can sound like a mismatch, but fresh snow is light and fluffy next to rain, so a big snow total adds only a modest amount of water. Much of it melts off after a few days of sun, so drives and walks should shed meltwater quickly rather than hold it.^[4]

Digging and grading on rocky ground

Excavating in bouldery soil takes more effort and the right tools. A mini excavator or a breaker bar does what a shovel cannot. Set aside the larger stones you pull out, since they make good edging, steps or the base of a dry creek bed.^[1],[2]

Once the area is cleared, fill the voids left by removed boulders with Fill Dirt or Road Base, packed in thin layers. An uneven subgrade full of holes will settle under a patio or drive, so take the time to level and compact it before any surface goes down.^[1]

With slopes of 2 to 8 percent, many lots tilt a little. Set out paths and patios to follow the contour where you can, and use steps of stone or timber filled with Walkway Gravel on steeper runs.^[1],[2]

Retaining walls on a sloped lot need clean backfill. Place Drain Rock or #57 Crushed Stone behind the wall, wrapped in fabric, so water from snowmelt drains away instead of freezing against the blocks and pushing them out of line.^[1],[4]

A drive for snow and dry summers

A Reno drive has to drain snowmelt, stand up to plows and stay firm through freeze and thaw. Build it on a compacted layer of Road Base over firm, well drained subgrade. Sandy loam drains well, so fabric is less important here than on clay, though it still helps where fine soil pockets show up.^[4]

Finish the surface with Driveway Gravel or 3/4" Crushed Stone. Driveway Gravel packs firmer and plows cleaner, while 3/4" Crushed Stone stays looser on top. Asphalt Millings are another option for a long drive, giving a dark, dust-free surface that binds as it is driven on.^[1],[4]

Plowed snow piles at the edges of a drive. Give the edges solid borders and a slight crown so meltwater runs off instead of soaking into the base.^[4]

For a patio, compact several inches of Road Base over the leveled subgrade, then screed a bed of Stone Dust Screenings and set pavers or flagstone. Sweep Mason Sand or screenings into the joints. Repeated freezing and thawing loosens joint material over time, so top it up every spring.^[1],[4]

Low-water yards

With little rain, many Reno yards replace lawn with stone and drought-tolerant plants. Decomposed Granite makes a soft, natural-colored ground cover and path surface that packs firm when wetted and rolled. River Rock and #57 Crushed Stone make good rock mulch over fabric, holding the soil in place in wind.^[1],[4]

For planted beds, add Compost to the sandy loam to help it hold moisture, then cover the surface with Wood Chips or Brown Shredded Mulch. Mulch cuts evaporation in summer and buffers roots against cold nights, and planting after the median last freeze in late April gives tender plants their best chance.^[4]

A dry creek bed built with River Rock and a few of the boulders from your own dig carries spring melt away from the house and looks at home on an alluvial fan the rest of the year.^[2],[4]

Wind can carry dust and fine soil across an open lot. Covering bare ground with Decomposed Granite, Wood Chips or rock mulch holds it down, and a row of shrubs planted in Compost-amended beds adds shelter as it grows.^[1],[4]

Sand for a project depends on the job. Concrete Sand is coarse and sharp, so it sets pavers firmly and mixes into concrete. Mason Sand is finer and smoother, the right choice for mortar and for sweeping into tight paver joints. Fill Sand is the plain, low-fuss material for leveling a low spot or bedding a pipe trench.^[1],[2]

Homes in ZIP 89501 and across Reno

Survey figures from the Census Bureau show 3,084 housing units in ZIP 89501. Only 4 percent of them are detached single-family houses.^[5]

Citywide, Reno has 123,756 housing units, and half of them, 50 percent, are detached houses.^[5]

Homes in the ZIP have a median build year of 1975, against a citywide median of 1990. Owners live in 22 percent of the occupied homes in 89501.^[5]