Asphalt versus concrete?

[Kevin54]

I had a concrete turnaround drive in front of our house. I had it taken out and put in asphalt. For one, the winters we were having we were getting ice buildup on the concrete that would become a safety hazard. With asphalt....the sun comes out and everything is melted off.

 

[Jeepster04]

I've always been a fan of concrete. Mostly b/c I can finish it myself, it lasts longer, no need to coat it in cancer, its easily repairable by me if needed, and its better to work on. Asphalt works great for roads where you need a smooth quiet surface but its it'll never be in my driveway.

 

[Steve W.]

All good points, especially those regarding purpose, location and preparation.

I had my drive installed about four years ago. Starts at about 24' wide at the street, then flares to what used to be the turn-around area and continues another 75 feet back to the new shop, widening all the way. Total is about 3700 square feet.

One estimate from a local reputable concrete company was $38,000, but might go up, based on what they found when they removed the existing blacktop.

I only got one estimate from a blacktop company, but it's one that I have known for years (but never used). They found some spongy conditions under the turn-around and suggested some Geo-Tex before the rock, which was an additional expense (only about $650) and the total was just under $17,000.

They ripped out the old driveway in less than a day. Did some of the prep work, found the spongy stuff, installed the Geo-Tex and the rock on the next day. Let it 'dry out' for a couple of weeks while they finished up another large project that had been put on hold, then came back and laid the new blacktop in a day. VERY happy with the results and the price.

.

 

[Joemctag]

Maybe you’d be really glad you put concrete in the 20 x 20 pad and just as glad you did the 100 ft driveway with asphalt. A lot of people around here have long, too-narrow concrete driveways because of concrete’s cost. Then they add on 4 ft more width with pavers. If the pad and drive were, say, 50 ft long, total, I myself would do all concrete. What’s the neighborhood like? Expensive houses should have concrete or pavers to look good.

 

[countrybumpkin]

I'm in a similar situation in Northern Illinois.

I'm planning on concrete for the pad and lined asphalt for the drive.

Reasons being:

-I can expand the shop onto concrete in the future if I want. Or at least anchor a carport down.

-I can resurface the drive easily

-I can save a little bit of money on the drive

-The combination with the lined drive can look really nice if you do it right.