Cost to Install a Gravel Path – 2021

| Last Updated: August 24, 2021

National Average Improvement and Repair Cost

Pro

DIY

Hours:

4.1

14.5

Cost:

$ 237

$ 120

Would you do this project? According to our survey, 68% of respondents preferred DIY compared to hiring a pro.

The average price to Install a Gravel Path noted above is cost data to compare a contractor’s estimate with doing it yourself.

What’s the cost to lay a gravel path? The contractor cost to install a gravel path is $237, which includes labor and material compared with doing it yourself for $120 and saving 39 percent. 

A gravel path is more practical than pretty linking different areas around a house and property, and it often becomes a well-worn passage that provides convenience. It can connect a route from the backdoor to the garage or a walkway to the garbage bin in the alley. You can upgrade the gravel by lining it with stones or bricks or leave it natural, however you choose you’ll find it a useful addition to your property.

To create a modest gravel path dig up the soil to prepare it for a base of sand and topcoat of gravel. Dig it out to a depth of about 4 inches, and remove all the clumps of soil. Use a bow rake to level the soil and place vinyl edging along the sides to hold the new material in place. Lay down landscape fabric to curb the spread of weeds, and then fill in the path with a level layer of sand covered by gravel.

A landscape contractor will charge $237 to lay a 4-foot-wide, 40-foot-long gravel path, which includes labor and material; but you can do the job for $120, the cost of the material, and a long day’s work. And you’ll save 49 percent by doing it yourself.

Be inspired by Pinterest and their Explore Garden Path Ideas.

The average price to install a gravel path noted above is cost data to compare a contractor’s estimate with doing it yourself. 

See our guides for more DIY-ing needs:

Welcome! We hope you’ll find the job costs of home improvement projects useful when you’re deciding whether to do a job yourself vs. hire a contractor. We’re the authors of 20 home improvement books, most notably Home Improvement for Dummies©, Bathroom Remodeling for Dummies©, Carpentry for Dummies©, Plumbing for Dummies©, and Painting and Wallpapering for Dummies©. Our most recent book Fix It and Flip It is in its second edition. We’ve appeared as home improvement experts on television programs such as CNN, Dateline, the Today Show, HGTV and many others.