Driveway question (material)

[2500avalanche]

So, I am going to get my new driveway to my house, and I can't believe how much prices have risen in 2 years...
1600sqft at 5" thick and it is 12k$ for concrete, and 10k for asphalt....
SO,
My question is with gravel system. I have seen some good systems that are used out there that are alternative to the above mentioned. (Pavelgrave2 system, etc.,), but does anyone have pics and hints or comments that can help me with this. I will spend around 6k, but not 12k right now....
Thanks

 

[walrus]

, but does anyone have pics and hints or comments that can help me with this. I will spend around 6k, but not 12k right now....
Thanks

I'd go with reclaimed asphalt, the stuff they grind off in roads before repaving. It packs well and looks good.

 

[bczygan]

Save up and get the conc. Nothing is better. Hammer the contractors on price. Getting a little late in the season, isn't it?

Bill

 

[scottzilla]

You may be a little late but mid-late Sept is an awesome time to get asphalt. I got a really great deal. You should make some calls.

 

[2500avalanche]

I am getting ready for March/April. Trying to get qoutes now. It is a 2300 sqft addition, and 3 bays worth of garage!

 

[csp]

I'd go with reclaimed asphalt, the stuff they grind off in roads before repaving. It packs well and looks good.

Agreed. The oils in it keep the dust down as well. Snow melts quickly off of it vs other gravels (if that's even applicable).

 

[nate379]

The asphalt price is way up there and prices here are $$ compared to most places.

I paid about $3k less for double the pavement last year... and most people on here thought that was $$.

 

[zer01]

My brother went with reclaimed asphalt for his driveway and it looks great. I would use the stuff in a heartbeat. It has compacted to the point that it is just like new. I would put a pad in front of the garage but for the driveway portion I would look at going the reclaimed route.

 

[malibu101]

I have a "dirt" alley that is the access to my garage. The town had a contractor install reclaimed asphalt down the alley 2 years ago.
My first thought was "What kind of scrap is this? This won't last. The dirt was better."
Well, 2 years later it is still as fine as the day it was laid. Even with the winters freezes. If I had a need, like the OP, I would not overlook the product.

 

[2500avalanche]

What exactly is reclaimed asphalt?

 

[csp]

As walrus said, it's the stuff they grind off the existing roads before they repave to keep the thickness of the road from getting too high.

Around here it sells for about $11-14/ton, plus delivery.

 

[drmoonshine]

How does one get reclaimed asphalt? Do you or the company buy it from the city?

 

[galute]

I don't know anything about concrete prices but I have many years experience in asphalt work. Are you sure you have the sq ft right? 1600 sqft only figures out to about 20 tons of asphalt. I'm not familiar wiht your state but asphalt is not that high here. Not even close. I would get quotes from other contractors.

 

[2500avalanche]

hmmm interesting

 

[nate379]

They put that back in the mix at the plant here. It is considered waste elsewhere?

As walrus said, it's the stuff they grind off the existing roads before they repave to keep the thickness of the road from getting too high.

Around here it sells for about $11-14/ton, plus delivery.

 

[jhelrey]

Crushed concrete!

 

[Lkdelta]

I don't know anything about concrete prices but I have many years experience in asphalt work. Are you sure you have the sq ft right? 1600 sqft only figures out to about 20 tons of asphalt. I'm not familiar wiht your state but asphalt is not that high here. Not even close. I would get quotes from other contractors.

Any way of finding out how many "cu-YD per ton" or "ton per cu-YD"?

 

[Grumpy365]

Crushed concrete!

Crushed concrete dusts in extreme dry weather. The milled asphalt doesn't. I personally don't like the milled asphalt.

The milled asphalt i have experience with had big chunks of blacktop that i had to work my *** off to get it to spread.(but now looking back, it could have been lack of proper equipment).

The crushed concrete spreads better (in my opinion).

 

[csp]

If you have big chunks of recycled asphalt, just drive over them in hot weather. They will come apart naturally.

I can't stand the dust of recycled concrete. It's worse than gravel out of the gravel pit.

 

[galute]

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Any way of finding out how many "cu-YD per ton" or "ton per cu-YD"?

Sure. It depends on the material you are talking about. Crushed gravel (base) should run around 2700-2800 pounds a cubic yard. Asphalt will run around 3000 - 3200 pounds a cubic yard. This will vary some depending on the type of material in your area but should be a close estimate.

Now to figure how much asphalt or base you need figure it like this. Figure out how many square yards you are doing (length x width in feet divided by 9 equals square yards.) Most materials will average about 110 pounds per sq yd per 1 inch thickness. IE, you want 6 inches base, that's 660 pounds per square yd. You want 2 inches asphalt, that's 220 pounds per square yard. Multiply that by the number of square yards you need, divide by 2000 and you have the ton's needed for the job or divide the pounds needed by the numbers above if you need cubic yard figures. Close estimate of course.

I would also recommend trying to avoid buying materials by the cubic yard. Trucks are measured by what is called "water level full". That means what the cubic yards would be if the bed was full of water. It is nearly impossible to fill a truck bed with any material and get it perfectly full. There will always be voids in the corners and such. You will come up short on your material 99 time out of 100. Buy by the ton if at all possible. You get what you pay for that way. This does not apply to concrete tho. It's the only material that I know of that is sold by a weighed cubic yard.