We have a small city lot with nowhere to park except on the street. We tore down our very old shed and want to put in a driveway. The shed was sinking into the ground and so the ground around it is uneven. I’ve dug up and removed some bushes and a gate post. What do I do next? Do I need to even out the ground before adding gravel? Can it just be evened out with gravel? I feel like these are dumb questions, but I’ve never done anything like this before. Thanks!
Figure out why the shed was sinking. Drainage issues maybe? You need to stabilize the area before investing in gravel. And, no, you don’t want to infill with gravel first. You need to level the area with fill dirt, and then you can lay/compact the gravel on top of that.
First thing to do though is figure out why your shed was sinking.
Ah, so what you’re really saying is that I should find someone who knows what they’re doing and pay them! 
That’s an interesting idea about the sinking shed. It was tilting downward in the front by about 30 degrees. It was 143 years old and had no floor so I just assumed it was due to age.
Thanks for your thoughts.
At the very least, fill the low spots with 2s, then top with #57 limestone. The 2s can be recycled rock as they won’t show. But a 30 degree list does sound a bit Titanicish.
Dennis
I heard a quote recently that applies here: “Sometimes the best tool for the job is a cheque book.” If you insist on DIY, I would hit Home Despot or Youtube and learn. At the very least you’ll learn some stuff.
That is my motto! We’ve been DIYers for decades, but age and accompanying physical degradation has put a stop to some of that.
At the very least, you ought to talk to someone who does driveways for a living and get their thoughts. If economizing is a consideration, you might be able to have them quote part of the job with you doing the rest. Or have them do all the dirty work, and you do the finish landscaping.
We didn’t have the collapsing building issue, since the soil here is pretty heavy with clay, but we got a guy to come out, level the area, and put down asphalt millings. Kinda wish we’d done it ages ago, instead of parking in dirt/mud for 11 years. It makes such a difference!
There’s a guy on my street who did his own driveway a few years back.
In cross section it now resembles the letter W because he didn’t give it anywhere near enough of a foundation to support the massive weight of a car going up and down the driveway.
I’ve finally got a number for someone. I’m going to call him today and see what our options are.
Get 2 or three quotes if you can. Talk to them and go with the people that seem the most competent, not just the cheapest.
Best practice is to remove all soil/loam/organic material down to undisturbed clay/pit run or what ever the substrate is in your area. Surface is then built back up with road crush (or pit run for bigger holes) and compacted. A bobcat or backhoe is really the tool for this.
Many a parking spot has been achieved simply by spreading road crush on a dry, level, and stable area. Such a spot isn’t always available though, and any significant amount of topsoil/loam will result in an unstable surface.
Depending on the city, the very first thing that you want to do is to see if you need a permit. Some places would require one just to tear down the shed.