Driveway quotes - need help

[ACobra289]

I know this isn't about a garage so I hope it's okay to post.

We need to replace our old crappy concrete driveway. Budget is a concern so we are considering asphalt as well as concrete. I’d like to get some opinions on the estimates we have received so far. To be honest I am not thrilled with any of them, but I wanted to see what others thought. I didn't post prices because I wasn't sure what the forum policy is but I can if that is allowed.

I live in Winston-Salem, NC and our soil is typically clay.

Company #1. They only do concrete. Price was very reasonable, but he said they do not use any base under the concrete. They tear out of the old and if there are any low or soft spots he said they’ll put some base there to level it out. Pretty much everything I have read online indicates there should be at least 4 inches of compacted base. They would use 3000 PSI with fibers.

Company #2. The owner is an old friend of my wife’s family. He quoted 3 different jobs.

A. Tear out and replace with asphalt.

• Remove existing drive and dispose.
• Cut out dirt and grade to accept 4.0 inches of crushed stone.
• Place 2.0 compacted inches of hot mix asphalt.

B. Leave current concrete driveway and put 2” overlay of asphalt

• Remove 2.0 foot area of concrete at garage.
• Remove any loose gravel or pieces of concrete.
• Wedge low area at drive entrance to smooth out the grade remove any loose material and dispose.
• Tack drive with a hot emulsion tack coat to ensure proper cohesion of two surfaces.
• Place 2.0 compacted inches of hot mix asphalt.

C. Remove and replace (concrete)

• Remove existing concrete and dispose.
• Cut out 2.0 inches of dirt and dispose.
• Place 2.0 inches of crushed stone and compact.
• Form and place concrete drive (3000 P.S.I. With fiber)

Company #3. Gave 2 quotes.

A. Tear out and replace with asphalt.

• Remove existing concrete driveway.
• Grade, shape and level ground elevation using a motograder/tractor/skidsteer
• Deposit 4 to 6 inches of crush and run as primary base.
• Grade, shape and level primary base elevation using a motograder/tractor/skidsteer
• Stone base shall be thoroughly compacted as water is applied from our watertank, using a twin vibratory roller for maximum compaction
• Pour I-2 hot mix asphalt over surface to be paved using a self-propelled laser paving machine with a heated vibratory screed. Laying down smooth and consistent mats, the asphalt will be poured to form a 2 ½ inch layer which will compact into a 2 inch thickness once rolled.
• Tamp edging of asphalt driveway where necessary.

B. Overlay existing concrete driveway with asphalt.

• Clean existing surface using brooms, walk-behind high-powered blowers, or pressure washers to remove any loose gravel, dirt, dust and foreign materials and remove from site.
• Remove vegetation (grass/weeds) where necessary.
• Apply hot tack to specified areas to be resurfaced and or patched for bonding between the old and new layers of pavement.
• Low areas will be pre-filled by applying an asphalt layer of variable thickness to eliminate sinking.
• Pour I-2 hot mix asphalt over surface to be paved using a self-propelled laser paving machine with a heated vibratory screed. Laying down smooth and consistent mats, the asphalt will be poured to form a 2 ½ inch layer which will compact into a 2 inch thickness once rolled.
• Tamp edging of asphalt driveway where necessary.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Here is our driveway in its current state. The previous homeowner did the poor patch job before we bought the house. It’s been slowly crumbling away in the 20 years we have lived here.

The house AC used to drain on this area so that's why this small section is flaking away.















Thanks,
Bill

 

[boobag]

are you in a freeze thaw area? have you figured out why the concrete broke into so many places? are the broken pieces thin?
i think one of the issues with asphalt over concrete, is that if the cracks in the concrete move, those cracks transfer through the asphalt too.
if it were me, i'd go pavers, just for the fact that it doesnt crack like concrete, and any low spots can be easily fixed later on. however, pavers will be more expensive.
if you go concrete, make sure there are a lot of expansion joints or saw cuts, because concrete will crack, and the joints help to keep the cracks in the joints themselves.
if you go asphalt, i'd recommend a solid base be prepped. at least 4" compacted gravel. and if possible, 3-4" asphalt.

 

[Stinger]

Hard to help decide without knowing the price quotes. Obviously Company #1 is out though...

 

[wildstyle]

I just finished up 1300 sq ft of concrete driveway.

We excavated down to undisturbed ground (removed roughly 18" of material)

Brought in fill (3 " minus crush) and it was packed using a 1000lbs plate compactor.

Then we formed and set rebar at 12" centers and poured 5.5" of concrete. Total was 23 yards of concrete.

Prep cost me $1800 and concrete and labor was $5800

 

[CNGsaves]

OP . . . throw out any "overlay existing" quotes as that is short-term "lipstick on pig" approach only suitable if you were selling house soon . . . not good.

+1 for Do It Once, Do It Right !!

Narrow your choices down to 3:
1) CONCRETE: Tear out everything and remove material to undisturbed soil. Put down base, and pour concrete with rebar reinforcement. Appears that most of neighbors have concrete so you'll match level of quality in neighborhood.
2) PAVERS: Tear out everything and remove material to undisturbed soil. Put down base, then sand, and finally pavers. Research whether this would be cheaper for your Real Estate taxes as not a "permanent" improvement to property like concrete.
3) ASPHALT: Tear out everything and remove material to undisturbed soil. Put down base and roll out asphalt.

 

[ACobra289]

Thanks everyone. I just wanted to confirm that base was indeed needed under the concrete.

The size of the driveway and turnaround area is approximately 2100 square feet.

I don't have the quotes with me here at work, but here are the ballpark prices.

The quote from the first company for concrete without base was around $8400.

Quotes from the 2nd company:
Tear out and replace with asphalt. $6200.
Leave current concrete driveway and put 2” overlay of asphalt $3650
Remove and replace (concrete) $11,200

Quotes from the 3rd company:
Tear out and replace with asphalt. $8200
Overlay existing concrete driveway with asphalt. $3800


I would love to go with pavers, but I don't think we would be able to afford those.

I have a couple more inquiries out to companies, but I haven't heard back yet.

I don't mind paying a fair price for quality work. I just want to make sure I am actually getting quality work.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[scottydosnntkno]

Where do you live? I build, manage,renovate, etc many homes in the detroit area. No one uses base material for a driveway around here.

Level the dirt where it's going to be poured, set forms and pour. There are thousands and thousands and thousands of existing houses with concrete driveways done like this with no issues.

Having done many myself, and having friends in the concrete business, base for a residential driveway is way overkill.

For what it's worth, our main subsoil is sand or sandy soil as well

 

[ACobra289]

Where do you live? I build, manage,renovate, etc many homes in the detroit area. No one uses base material for a driveway around here.

Level the dirt where it's going to be poured, set forms and pour. There are thousands and thousands and thousands of existing houses with concrete driveways done like this with no issues.

Having done many myself, and having friends in the concrete business, base for a residential driveway is way overkill.

For what it's worth, our main subsoil is sand or sandy soil as well

I am in NC. We mostly have clay.