Crushed Stone, Gravel and Soil Delivery in Yonkers, NY

Hills, Ledge and Old Rock

The USDA soil survey maps the center point of ZIP 10701 as the Urban land-Charlton-Chatfield complex, hilly, very rocky. Half of that map unit, 50 percent, is counted as urban land under pavement and buildings. The Charlton series makes up 20 percent of the unit. Its top mineral layer is a loam, well drained, in hydrologic group B with moderate infiltration.^[1]

The words hilly and very rocky warn of hard digging. Exposed ledge and boulders can turn up a short way below the surface, and a planned trench or footing may meet solid rock. A few test holes before you order material tell you how deep you can go and how much base or fill the job will take.^[1]

The USGS geologic map shows Fordham Gneiss, undivided, at the center point, a Precambrian unit of gneiss, amphibolite, granulite and quartzite. Rock that old and hard does not soften or swell. The ground at the center point stands 310 feet above sea level.^[2],[3]

Snow, Rain and Cold at the Nearby Gauge

The nearest NOAA normals station is Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley, NY, about 5 miles from the center point. It averages 51.2 inches of precipitation and 32.7 inches of snowfall a year. Heavy rain on steep ground moves fast, and snowmelt from a slope can run across a walk or a drive for days.^[4]

The Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley station counts 109 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder. The median last spring freeze there falls on April 20. The median first fall freeze comes on October 26.^[4]

Ice is the main hazard on hilly walks and stairs. A gravel or stone surface that drains well freezes less than one where water pools. Angular stone also gives better footing than smooth stone. Keep a pile of Stone Dust Screenings or fine stone on hand in winter: a scattering on an icy path adds grip without the damage salt does to plants and concrete.^[4]

Walls and Steps on a Slope

Terracing is the classic way to make a hilly yard usable. A series of low retaining walls turns one steep bank into a few level beds or a flat patio. Each wall needs a compacted base of Road Base or Crushed Concrete under the first course, and clean drainage stone behind it. Without that drainage, rain and snowmelt soak the soil behind the wall and push it outward.^[1],[4]

Backfill behind each wall with Drain Rock or #57 Crushed Stone, wrapped in fabric so soil cannot wash into it. Set a perforated pipe at the base and run it out to daylight at the end of the wall. Well-drained loam behind a wall sheds water quickly once it has a clean path to follow.^[1]

Stone steps between terraces work best on a compacted crushed stone base. 3/4" Crushed Stone packed under each tread keeps it level through freezes. Fill around steps and along the paths between them with 3/8" Crushed Stone or Walkway Gravel, which packs firm and gives good footing in wet weather.^[4]

On a steep lot, getting material to the work area takes planning. Bulk stone dropped at the street can be moved downhill by wheelbarrow far more easily than uphill, so plan the drop spot with the slope in mind. Lay a tarp on the drop area if it is paved, which makes cleanup simple once the pile is gone.^[1]

Drains and Downspouts on Rocky Ground

Rock close to the surface changes how water moves. Instead of soaking down, rain can run along the top of the ledge and pop out on a slope, in a basement or under a patio. Curtain drains on the uphill side intercept that flow. Where rock stops a trench, the drain can follow the top of the rock instead of cutting into it.^[1],[2]

Downspouts on a hillside need a hard landing. A splash pad of River Rock or a short channel lined with Riprap keeps the stream from cutting into the slope. Running downspouts into a pipe that drains to a stone-filled outlet lower on the lot takes the water away from foundations entirely.^[4]

Patios built on a hillside need special care with water. Slope the finished surface away from the house and toward a drain or a stone-filled trench at its low edge. On a site where ledge sits close below, build the base up on a compacted layer of Road Base or Crushed Concrete laid over the rock, rather than trying to cut into it.^[1],[2]

Gardens in Thin, Rocky Soil

Soil between rocks on a hillside can be thin and patchy. Raised beds or terraces filled with Garden Soil give plants room to root, and Topsoil blended with Compost works for leveling and topping a new bed. Bring material in rather than digging deeply, since rock can sit only a short way down.^[1]

Mulch holds soil on a slope. Brown Shredded Mulch and Black Shredded Mulch knit together and resist washing downhill in a storm better than loose bark. Red Mulch gives the same hold with a brighter color. Spread mulch in late fall to protect roots through the freezing nights recorded at the nearby station.^[4]

The median last spring freeze of April 20 at Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley is a good marker for setting out tender plants. Perennials and shrubs planted in fall get a head start, since the cool, damp weather helps roots settle before the ground freezes.^[4]

Small spaces suit containers. Window boxes, planters on a stoop and raised boxes in a courtyard all fill well with Garden Soil, and a thin top layer of Pea Gravel keeps soil from splashing onto steps and walls in a heavy rain.^[4],[5]

Housing in ZIP 10701 and the New York Base Standard

The Census counts 28,513 housing units in ZIP 10701. Detached single-family houses make up 13 percent of them. Yonkers as a whole has 85,006 housing units, with detached houses at 25 percent.^[5]

The median home in ZIP 10701 was built in 1967, later than the citywide median of 1958. Owners live in 27 percent of the occupied homes in the ZIP. With many apartment buildings, bulk orders here often come from building owners and contractors repairing parking areas, courtyards, walls and planting strips.^[5]

New York has a written state standard for the stone layer beneath its roads. The New York State Department of Transportation lists it as Subbase Course, Type 2, Section 304, in its Standard Specifications (US Customary Units), Construction and Materials, Volumes 2 and 4 (September 1, 2026). The same principle, graded crushed rock packed in layers, works on a smaller scale under a home walk or pad.^[6]