3/8 Chip for Patios in Cottonwood, ID
Idaho Rock Supply handles gravel and aggregate delivery in Cottonwood, ID for two kinds of buyers. Contractors building pads and flatwork order road mix by the load, and homeowners patching a drive or setting a patio order the smaller stuff by the ton.
Both come off the same online order, and both land on site as a tipped pile.
Ground and Conditions in Cottonwood
Across the Palouse hills and the Clearwater and Snake canyons, deep windblown loess lies over Columbia River basalt. That silt loam seals under rain and sheds water instead of taking it in.
Long slopes push runoff onto drives and yards, and water perches where the loess sits on basalt. On flatwork, the base is where that shows first.
A thin base course over ground that stays wet shifts, and the pavers or slabs on top rock and settle at the joints. The fix is a real compacted base under the bedding layer, not more sand.
Sticky loess mud through the wet months is the real constraint here. Hauling and compaction go best from late spring through fall, which is when the ground will take a roller.
Sheet and rill erosion on cropped loess slopes in this part of the state runs heavy, and canyon roads, culverts and creek banks scour under spring runoff and summer cloudbursts. Cold, wet prairie winters bring frequent freeze and thaw.
No published frost depth was found for these counties, and the Idaho code leaves the frost line to the local jurisdiction, so the building official sets it.
Materials for Cottonwood Projects
Bedding is the layer that decides whether pavers and flatwork stay flat. Start with the base: road mix, also called 3/4 road mix or 3/4 minus, is crushed base with the fines left in so it locks up under a roller.
It carries the load under driveways, parking pads, shop floors and shed slabs. On public works plans in Idaho the same material is specified as crushed aggregate, Type I or Type II, called out by type rather than by a class number.
You use it as bedding under pavers and slabs, for backfill and for concrete work.
Mason sand, or mortar sand, is finer and more even. It suits brick and block work, paver joints and anywhere a fine, consistent sand is wanted.
Where the ground is too thin, too stony or too alkaline to plant into, garden soil fills raised beds and planting areas. Screened topsoil, sold as topsoil or screened dirt, is the cleaner choice for lawns and bed prep over basalt ground.
For a finished path or patio surface, 3/8 chip goes over a compacted base as a leveling course and topping. The chips are angular, so they knit together and stay where they are put.
Delivery to Cottonwood and the Surrounding Area
You order online and pick a quantity by the ton or by the yard. Each product page has a calculator if you are not sure which figure you need.
Cottonwood sits in Idaho County, and delivery covers the surrounding county as well, including Grangeville, Kooskia, Riggins, Elk City and Ferdinand.
A dump truck tips the load on site in one pile, so it is worth knowing where you want that pile before the truck arrives.
Questions About Ordering
What gravel is best for a driveway in Cottonwood?
Road mix is the base course for a driveway here, because the fines left in it lock up under a roller. Driveway gravel goes on top as the wearing surface, and it also tops a compacted road mix base on a long rural approach.
How much material will my project need?
It depends on the area you are covering and the layer you are building. Each product page has a calculator, and quantities are ordered by the ton or by the yard, so you can size the load before checkout and pick a delivery date that suits the job.
Order Your Load for Cottonwood
Work out your quantity on the product page, choose tons or yards, and set a delivery date at checkout. Idaho Rock Supply delivers bulk road mix, sand, chip and topsoil to Cottonwood and the surrounding part of Idaho County.
Place your order online when you are ready.