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If you hire a professional landscaper, you could expect to pay between $90 and $660 to install three cubic yards of river rock. (That’s based on the average river rock installation cost of $30 to $220 per cubic yard.) However, the exact price depends on the kind of river rock you choose. Crushed limestone and riprap are some of the more affordable options, while boulders and Arizona river rock are pricier.

Although it’s not required to lay anything under mulch, it can help to put landscape fabric or plastic weed barrier down and lay mulch on top. The barrier helps keep weeds from growing up through your mulch. It also helps keep rodents and insects from burrowing into the ground underneath.

This will depend on the depth of the structure. For a landscape, patio, or walkway that’s around 2 inches deep, a ton of gravel will cover around 100 square feet or about 0.6 cubic yards. However, if you’re building a driveway, which should be a minimum of 12 inches deep, you’d need about 6 tons of gravel to cover the same area.

Gravel’s biggest pro is its cost-effectiveness. For example, a gravel road or driveway is much more affordable than its asphalt counterpart. Gravel is also much less expensive than the cost of pouring a concrete slab if you’re building a patio or similar structure.

However, regarding comfort and convenience, gravel is far less foot-friendly than smoother substances like concrete or asphalt. It’s also more of a challenge to drive on and may kick up dust, resulting in the inevitable need for extra car washes. Lastly, there’s a chance it might move with rain or snow.