Gravel, Stone and Soil Delivery in West Valley City, UT

Snow totals and cold nights at Salt Lake Triad CTR

Weather normals for the ZIP come from the NOAA station at Salt Lake Triad CTR, UT, about 6 miles away. It averages 49.0 inches of snow a year, the biggest single factor in how a drive and a yard get used through the cold months. Shoveled and plowed snow has to go somewhere, and every pile turns into meltwater on the first warm afternoon.^[1]

The same station averages 17.7 inches of precipitation a year, counting rain and the water in that snow. That is a modest total, so beds need watering through the dry months, yet melt from piled snow can still pond on flat ground for days in late winter.^[1]

Salt Lake Triad CTR records 81 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder. Melt that runs onto a drive during the day and freezes at night can loosen stone and open small potholes. A drive with a crown and a free-draining base sheds that water before dark, which is the main defense against winter damage.^[1]

The median last spring freeze at the station falls on March 31. The median first fall freeze lands on November 8. Tender plants and fresh seed belong after the March date, and a fresh layer of mulch should go on before the November date.^[1]

Very fine sandy loam on level ground

The USDA soil survey maps Kidman very fine sandy loam, 0 to 1 percent slopes, at the ZIP's center point. The Kidman series makes up 95 percent of the map unit, so the soil there is about as uniform as a survey ever records. Its top mineral layer is very fine sandy loam, a soft soil of very fine sand grains with some silt and a little clay.^[2]

The survey rates Kidman well drained and places it in hydrologic group B, moderate infiltration. Rain and melt soak in at a steady pace. Shrink-swell is low, at 1.5 percent, so the soil barely moves as it wets and dries, and a slab or a paver patio on a good base stays level.^[2]

The weak points of this ground come from its fine grains and its flatness. On a 0 to 1 percent slope, water has almost no natural fall, so it stands wherever the surface dips. Very fine sand also turns soft and mushy when saturated and can wash or blow away when bare and dry. The two problems point to the same fix: build the slope in by hand and keep the soil covered.^[2]

A test pit shows how deep the soft surface layer runs on your lot before you order base. Dig a narrow hole a little deeper than the planned build and press the walls with a thumb. Firm, dry very fine sandy loam can carry a compacted base directly, while a soft, wet layer near the top should come out first so the stone rests on sound ground.^[2]

Building a driveway on flat ground

Begin by stripping turf and dark topsoil, then grade the subgrade so it falls gently to one side or crowns in the middle. On level ground, the base itself must create all the slope a drive needs. Lay woven fabric over the shaped soil to keep fine sand out of the stone. Plan a spot for plowed snow at the low end, where its melt will drain toward the lawn or a ditch rather than back across the drive.^[1],[2]

Build the base with Road Base in thin, wetted lifts, packing each with a plate compactor until it stops moving. For heavier loads, start with a course of 1-1/2" Crushed Gravel or #4 Crushed Stone below the Road Base. Crushed Concrete works well as an alternative. Finish with 3/4" Crushed Stone or Driveway Gravel. Asphalt Millings give a firmer, darker surface that a snow shovel glides across and that sheds melt toward the edges.^[1],[2]

Along the low side, a shallow trench of #57 Crushed Stone wrapped in fabric collects melt and runoff and lets it soak into the well-drained soil below. That one detail keeps the edge of the drive dry and firm through the freeze and thaw.^[1],[2]

Fill Dirt or Topsoil for a new yard

Owners leveling a lot or filling a low corner often weigh these two. Fill Dirt is subsoil with little organic matter. It packs firmly, settles little, and suits the bulk of a raised area, the space behind a short wall, or a hole left by a removed stump. It is a poor growing medium, so it should sit below the root zone, not at the surface.^[2]

Topsoil is the dark, organic top layer that plants want. It suits the final few inches of a lawn or a bed, spread over the Fill Dirt or the native Kidman soil. On flat, well-drained ground, a good order of work is to shape the grade with Fill Dirt so water moves away from the house, compact it lightly, then spread Topsoil on top and seed or sod. Blending Compost into that Topsoil gives grass a richer start and helps the very fine sandy loam below hold moisture through dry weeks.^[2]

Beds and winter cover

Very fine sandy loam warms quickly in spring and drains well, so beds can be planted soon after the last spring freeze. Mix Compost into the top layer to add nutrients and help the soil hold water, or build raised beds filled with Garden Soil for vegetables and flowers.^[1],[2]

A thick layer of Brown Shredded Mulch or Wood Chips protects roots through the cold months and stops bare soil from blowing when the ground dries. Black Shredded Mulch and Red Mulch offer the same cover in other colors. Along the foundation, a strip of River Rock or Pea Gravel over fabric keeps snowmelt from soaking the soil against the wall, and paths of Walkway Gravel or Stone Dust Screenings stay firm through wet spring weeks.^[1]

Flat lots also gain from a simple dry creek bed. A shallow, winding channel lined with fabric and River Rock, running from a downspout toward the lowest corner or the street, gives melt and storm water a visible path. Most of the year it reads as a garden feature, and in late winter it keeps water from spreading across a level lawn and standing there until the ground thaws.^[1],[2]

Homes in ZIP 84119

The Census counts 17,080 housing units in ZIP 84119. West Valley City holds 41,433 units in total.^[3]

Detached single-family houses make up 42 percent of homes in ZIP 84119, well below the citywide share of 66 percent.^[3]

The median home in ZIP 84119 was built in 1985, matching the West Valley City median of 1985. Owners occupy 57 percent of the occupied homes in the ZIP. ZIP 84119 lies in Salt Lake County, and Gravel Valet also serves West Jordan and Provo.^[3]