asphault blacktop vs concrete driveway

[maxspeed96ct]

Hey just , im still in the planning stages of my garage build. Plan is to break ground in aug.

Just doing some final planning ods and ends now, my question is in regaurds to a driveway. I have a one car driveway now and will have to add on almost another half. Driveway is about 30~35' long and will start as a one car and flare out to a 2 car .



I was wondering how much more it would cost to just redo the entire thing in concrete . I like the look much better, plus I can maybe pop in some snow melt radiant ( since the garage will have radiant heat). I haven't gotten on the phone yet to get any qoutes. But I figured Id ask here first.

What are the cost differnaces between doing a black top or a concrete driveway.

Any one in either industry want to share their insight .

 

[bgarrett]

If you will 'search' I think you will find that difference in cost is minimal but concrete is 100 times better

 

[Nighttrain]

Lots of threads on this lately. Concrete will cost more up front but will last a lot longer witn no maintenance. blacktop is usually cheaper but will require maintenance and need to be re-done years down the road. There are a lot of things to consider though, do you already have a soild gravel base? Where are you located? Are you putting rebar in the cement? For a small area like your I would go cement and never worry again about it.

 

[maxspeed96ct]

Lots of threads on this lately. Concrete will cost more up front but will last a lot longer witn no maintenance. blacktop is usually cheaper but will require maintenance and need to be re-done years down the road. There are a lot of things to consider though, do you already have a soild gravel base? Where are you located? Are you putting rebar in the cement? For a small area like your I would go cement and never worry again about it.

I am located in CT , Im worried about concrete cracking due to cold weather.

Im leaning towards the concrete aswell, even if its just alittle more it will look a million times better .

Right now I dout theres any gravel under the blacktop. Im going to talk with my foundation contractor to see if hes interested to do it while hes here, maybe get a better price that way ?

 

[evs1]

A friend of mine just had a new driveway poured in concrete. He was told that with the spike in oil prices the materials were cheaper to the point of offsetting the labor cost. It was less money. Plus he doesn't have to re-seal it every year.

 

[58Yeoman]

My blacktop driveway is about 180' (was here when I bought the place), and I like that when I clear snow off in the winter, the sun will heat it up to melt the remaining bit of snow. I would've preferred concrete for way less maintenance, but it would've cost a lot to do it in concrete...I guess. Go with concrete, you won't regret it.

 

[MoonRise]

I am located in CT , Im worried about concrete cracking due to cold weather.

Im leaning towards the concrete aswell, even if its just alittle more it will look a million times better .

Right now I dout theres any gravel under the blacktop. Im going to talk with my foundation contractor to see if hes interested to do it while hes here, maybe get a better price that way ?

Prep work (and costs) for both 'surfaces' are similar (or -should- be). Dig down to 'solid' ground, put 'proper' layer(s) of properly compacted gravel/underbase/etc, apply 'top' surface.

Concrete needs to have formwork done, asphalt does not (but may have 'edging' done to make it all look nicer and neater, ex: 'curbing').

Concrete may or may not be 'more' durable, but in areas that freeze in the winter and use various salt-based ice-melt products (either you directly or run/drip-off from roadway 'salt' from vehicles onto your driveway) you DO have to be aware of and concerned with chloride-based freeze-thaw damage and spalling of the concrete. Concrete suppliers can supply concrete that is more resistant to that freeze-thaw spalling and the chloride-based iced melters, but it costs more for those mixes (air-entrainment, fiber additives, and higher-strength concrete).

With 'proper' sub-base, the concrete really is not vulnerable to 'freezing' damage itself. With improper sub-base, there could be freeze-thaw or frost-heave damage to concrete (the concrete will crack and then depending on the amount of frost-heave that is occurring the now-separated pieces may or may not rise/settle and make a gap or lip or sink area).

Blacktop (aka asphalt) does have a slight sun-in-the-winter-helping-melt-snow-and-ice advantage over the lighter-colored concrete.

You could opt for colored/dyed concrete instead of 'plain' concrete.

YMMV. Especially if 'flakey' contractors screw things up (putting 'extra' water in the concrete to make it 'easier' to slop into place is a bad no-no, but is done by contractors who really don't understand how to work with concrete properly).

 

[mike_s]

What are the cost differnaces between doing a black top or a concrete driveway.

besides all the differences listed above.... Asphalt is a LOT hotter in the summer time.

do you want extra heat radiating?

do you like walking on asphalt bare footed? you can on concrete.

 

[Twiggss]

You could opt for colored/dyed concrete instead of 'plain' concrete.

this is a route I would look into. get a darker color added with your idea of heating it would be

 

[darkk]

A friend of mine did his drive way in concrete about 15 years ago. He lives in Eastern Ct. It is about 25-30 ft wide and is around 75-85 long. He poured his by hand in sections of about 12-15 wide and about 15 ft long. He has fiber strips between the sections. He poured another concrete drive on the other side of the property to a garage about 5 years ago that's about 24x50 and that is in sections like the first drive. There have been no heaves, cracks or spawling on any of it. I've had concrete drives and will do it again when I'm ready. No more ****** asphalt drive for me. You can also seal the concrete with a surface treatment with a common garden sprayer every couple years for added protection. CONCRETE

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you will 'search' I think you will find that difference in cost is minimal but concrete is 100 times better

20 years ago, that is what my Dad found.

 

[maxspeed96ct]

Thanks Dark.

Also the more I think of it Im not sure if ill do the snow melt.

But if the prices are close I think I might go with the crete, it does look 100x better. Theres one house in my neighbor hood with it, and it realy stand out in a good way.

 

[ConCretin]

I agree with most of the comments so far - a properly constructed concrete driveway will be slightly more expensive but will outlast asphalt by a large margin.

Asphalt will weaken in warm weather while concrete will not. In cold weather, the greater mass and lighter color of concrete will lead to more ice compared to asphalt.

 

[Hoyer Motorsports]

In college, at Purdue University, I had took a semester on building materials and spent weeks on "concrete". My professor said cement is a worthless powdere until its mixed with water and aggregate to form concrete. Concrete is lighter than aluminum and stronger.
Just had to share....

 

[Chevy72pu]

I had asphalt put down when my house was built. It wasn't the best job but I was never satisfied. When we remodeled, we dug it up and went with concrete. I don't regret it at all.

 

[pauls340]

Maxspeed, go with the concrete and in CT, track down a product called Vapor Lock 20/21 http://www.spggogreen.com/pdf/Vapor Lock 20 20 Information Sheet.pdf a concrete admix. No slabcurl, dry shrinkage cracking, zero salt intrusion and it could cost you less than 30c/ sqft. Never wears off, waterproofs and vaporproofs concrete. My 3 yr old garage has zero moisture related issues. Good luck.

 

[maxspeed96ct]

Maxspeed, go with the concrete and in CT, track down a product called Vapor Lock 20/21 http://www.spggogreen.com/pdf/Vapor Lock 20 20 Information Sheet.pdf a concrete admix. No slabcurl, dry shrinkage cracking, zero salt intrusion and it could cost you less than 30c/ sqft. Never wears off, waterproofs and vaporproofs concrete. My 3 yr old garage has zero moisture related issues. Good luck.

ill check it out, thanks bud

 

[joes169]

Maxspeed, go with the concrete and in CT, track down a product called Vapor Lock 20/21 http://www.spggogreen.com/pdf/Vapor Lock 20 20 Information Sheet.pdf a concrete admix. No slabcurl, dry shrinkage cracking, zero salt intrusion and it could cost you less than 30c/ sqft. Never wears off, waterproofs and vaporproofs concrete. My 3 yr old garage has zero moisture related issues. Good luck.

Do you get a commission every time you share this link???

 

[sirsloop]

go concrete.

/thread.

 

[GOLF for LIFE]

Going with concrete. My present concrete driveway was poured in the 1920s and is now in poor condition. Was considering asphalt but as others have said concrete will last much longer.

 

[Mr onetwo]

I agree with most of the comments so far - a properly constructed concrete driveway will be slightly more expensive but will outlast asphalt by a large margin.

Asphalt will weaken in warm weather while concrete will not. In cold weather, the greater mass and lighter color of concrete will lead to more ice compared to asphalt.

Hey dude, I know you are one of the "masters of concrete" (just look at the work you have done on your house project). I am in Belfast,ME...what would you suggest with that climate for a recipe for a driveway that will last for 25 or 30 years(I'll be gone after that and won't care) I am not one to skimp on concrete...I would very much value your opinion.