Thinking about paving driveway - things to look out for?

[Jeff Ivers]

I am thinking about having my driveway paved and am looking for information to help me make an informed decision.

The driveway was built 36 years ago by first removing about 8" of topsoil and then laying 3" gravel during construction phase on house. This was followed by 3/4 inch gravel and then, over the years, multiple layers of 3/8 inch gravel. The driveway is 300 to 400 feet long (depending on where I decide to end pavement) and has about a 16 foot wide base. The driveway is very stable and I have no problems with soft spots. I do have shallow weeds growing in center of drive.

Based on preliminary research with regards to cost I am leaning towards asphalt.

What thickness of asphalt should I seek/expect? Are there preparation steps that I need to make sure are included? If asphalt is laid on top of gravel, it will be proud of surrounding lawn - are there special edge finishing requirements?

What is the best way to select a contractor? Should I approach City about permit or expect contractor to take care of that?

Anything else to be aware of or research?

 

[Just Puttering]

Grading & slopes for proper drainage was where I screwed up on my previous driveway. Tried for flat & got puddles & ice patches instead.

 

[Sumboodie]

I wouldn't pave anywhere you expect to park stuff more than a day or two, especially if it's heavy. It'll divot after a while, especially on hot days.
Also jacks, stands, etc sink.
Oh and diesel eats it up bad.

Concrete on the other hand holds up to all that.

I had a few loads of firewood I dumped on my driveway that I didn't get to for ~8 months. It dented

 

[Tchicken]

That long a drive means that the cost advantage of asphalt over concrete is multiplied. But concrete does last longer. Here my next door neighbor and I did the original drives the same summer around 30 years ago. I cheaped out with 4" of asphalt, at that time he paid 3X more for concrete. Mine needs replaced last year, with some minor cracks and sink holes. Theirs still looks good. Consider also that asphalt needs to be top coated every couple years in weighing costs ..

The problem now is the asphalt guys don't want to do driveways I'm finding out. Only one of 10 I called actually came out, and his price was astronomical.

 

[tez929rr]

Have a good concrete guy look at it. Your base sounds decent. I have a lot of paved driveway and after 20 years it still looks great.

Edit: I should have said concrete. Long driveway with a big apron and some sections that go back to my shop. The spur off to the left is gravel but you can’t tell from the drone height.

 

[gregs]

I have a asphalt driveway thats about 30 years old and failing. It gave good service for its lifetime. Not looking forward to pricing out the replacement.. Its got a solid base still just cracked and crumbling in spots. Was thinking how well it would work if I was to clean up all the loose bits and put form boards along the edge and pour concrete on top of it? Was thinking of maybe 4" with wire grid and maybe some rebar along the edge. Could do it in sections with the concrete truck backing up to the top and working our way down doing a truck load at a time.

 

[CluelessPro]

I have a asphalt driveway thats about 30 years old and failing. It gave good service for its lifetime. Not looking forward to pricing out the replacement.. Its got a solid base still just cracked and crumbling in spots. Was thinking how well it would work if I was to clean up all the loose bits and put form boards along the edge and pour concrete on top of it? Was thinking of maybe 4" with wire grid and maybe some rebar along the edge. Could do it in sections with the concrete truck backing up to the top and working our way down doing a truck load at a time.

This could work, but you'll want to tie the new concrete to old I believe. Otherwise, you'll have them separate fairly quickly. Unless you're talking about new concrete over the entire drive.

 

[gregs]

This could work, but you'll want to tie the new concrete to old I believe. Otherwise, you'll have them separate fairly quickly. Unless you're talking about new concrete over the entire drive.

It would be 4" of new concrete on top of old stable asphalt. Its just an idea at this point.

 

[carlaisle]

Asphalt doesn't make a bad driving surface, but don't use it anywhere you'll park anything. Also keep in mind that asphalt deteriorates over time. A concrete driveway that is installed well will be every bit as good 50 years from now as it is today. There is no way to install asphalt to get that longevity - it's just a limitation of the material. I would have the driveway installed such that the surface is flush with the abutting ground. As a general rule, you don't want a driveway to be perfectly flat - it should be crowned or sloped so that whatever lands on it rolls off of it. If cost is an issue, consider doing it in sections. Nothing says you need to do the entire 400' all at once.

 

[rjacobs]

My guess is $45k+ for concrete... thats a bunch of cash...

Asphalt should be less than half of that.

400ft is a big enough job that I would think you could get somebody to come out to do it. Standard driveways anymore I dont know if the hot mix guys want to even get into that.

 

[tez929rr]

My guess is $45k+ for concrete... thats a bunch of cash...

Asphalt should be less than half of that.

400ft is a big enough job that I would think you could get somebody to come out to do it. Standard driveways anymore I dont know if the hot mix guys want to even get into that.

But - that’s a get what you pay for sort of deal. IMHO the concrete is well worth the price premium. Lasts twice as long (at least) with basically zero maintenance. YMMV. All that concrete in my picture above was $30K, 20 years ago. They removed a cattle guard and filled in the space in addition to everything else.

 

[Steve W.]

My guess is $45k+ for concrete... thats a bunch of cash...

Asphalt should be less than half of that.

I realize that prices can/will be different in different areas, but you definitely need to guess again.

I put in a new driveway to replace my existing driveway to the garage and extend it to the detached shop in the rear. This happened in 2017. My calculations show it to be about 3700 square feet. The one estimate I got for concrete was for $54,000. I had several estimates for asphalt, went with the one whose work I trusted for $17,000. Very pleased with the work, it's still doing well.

OP's driveway is between 300 and 400 feet long, 16 feet wide, so will be 4800-6400 square feet, or roughly 1.5 times the size of mine. At that rate, concrete will be at least $80,000.

.

 

[rjacobs]

I realize that prices can/will be different in different areas, but you definitely need to guess again.

I put in a new driveway to replace my existing driveway to the garage and extend it to the detached shop in the rear. This happened in 2017. My calculations show it to be about 3700 square feet. The one estimate I got for concrete was for $54,000. I had several estimates for asphalt, went with the one whose work I trusted for $17,000. Very pleased with the work, it's still doing well.

OP's driveway is between 300 and 400 feet long, 16 feet wide, so will be 4800-6400 square feet, or roughly 1.5 times the size of mine. At that rate, concrete will be at least $80,000.

.

Oklahoma is probably on par with Texas as far as flat work, probably cheaper actually. And if his base is in good shape it wont take much work to smooth it and form it.

Im getting concrete poured today and the flat work was $7 a sq... NOW thats while they are out here doing the slab work for my building so the cost of the pump truck and some other odds and ends is amortized out. His cost on the flat work if he came back later was still $7 a sq., BUT I would have had to rent another pump truck($1500), paid his guy for more skid steer time($500 min), more dirt($500 a load), etc... so it would have likely been closer to $9 a sq. ft. maybe $10...

400x16=6400x$7=44800... Even at $10 a sq. thats 64000...

We do a lot more concrete down here than asphalt(it dont last for **** when its 100+ for 3-4 months) so concrete is "cheaper" here than up north is my guess. I believe Oklahoma is the same way. Very few asphalt roads up there, everything that I have been on "for the most part" in Oklahoma is concrete... NOW as soon as you get into Missouri and Kansas that changes to asphalt. Hell Arkansas has a ton more asphalt than Texas and Oklahoma.

 

[rjacobs]

But - that’s a get what you pay for sort of deal. IMHO the concrete is well worth the price premium. Lasts twice as long (at least) with basically zero maintenance. YMMV. All that concrete in my picture above was $30K, 20 years ago. They removed a cattle guard and filled in the space in addition to everything else.

oh im not arguing that at all... BUT the difference between 50-60k dollars and say 20-25k dollars means "this job gets done now" vs. "this job gets done in 2-3 more years as I save up".

I dont know the OP's age, but if he is say 70, is he going to give a **** that the asphalt only lasted 15-20 years vs. 50 years for concrete? If he's 25 years old and plans to stay on the property forever then the concrete makes more sense IMO...

 

[mikedodge]

This is location dependent. Around here it's all asphalt you dont see concrete driveways anywhere and unless the job wasn't done right or it's old there's never problems parking vehicles on them or divets from repeated use.

Call a couple contractors in for estimates have them break down what they intend to do and make your decision off that. They should know what's required to make it last.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

It seems this thread is devolving into a debate between asphalt and concrete - which, in the opinion of the OP, is off topic. To further clarify, I have large concrete aprons in front of both my house and my shop where all parking is done. What I am interested in paving is the gravel that currently ties the road to those aprons. Here, in NE OK, most of the roads are asphalt. I will soon be 75 and am not really worried about what happens 30 years from now. I am interested in info on how to find and select a good contractor for asphalt and issues to make sure will be covered such as thickness, width, how edge is formed and other things I haven't even thought of yet.

 

[Recoveryman]

Jeff: Pavers will lie big time. If you specify certain thicknesses, inform them that is after its rolled, not when dumped out of the truck. Did I remember to let you know they lie? Good luck.
Recoveryman.

 

[jkeyser14]

It sounds like you have a solid, stable base. If there are any low spots fill them with gravel NOW or it will transfer through to the asphalt as well. Kill all of the weeds because they can grow through asphalt while it is still soft/pliable. Ask for 4" compacted asphalt and you should be good to go.

Don't park on it for a couple weeks so it has time to harden. Avoid turning car tires on it as well, since that can also tear it up while it is still soft.

 

[Codyboy]

Oklahoma is probably on par with Texas as far as flat work, probably cheaper actually. And if his base is in good shape it wont take much work to smooth it and form it.

Im getting concrete poured today and the flat work was $7 a sq... NOW thats while they are out here doing the slab work for my building so the cost of the pump truck and some other odds and ends is amortized out. His cost on the flat work if he came back later was still $7 a sq., BUT I would have had to rent another pump truck($1500), paid his guy for more skid steer time($500 min), more dirt($500 a load), etc... so it would have likely been closer to $9 a sq. ft. maybe $10...

400x16=6400x$7=44800... Even at $10 a sq. thats 64000...

We do a lot more concrete down here than asphalt(it dont last for **** when its 100+ for 3-4 months) so concrete is "cheaper" here than up north is my guess. I believe Oklahoma is the same way. Very few asphalt roads up there, everything that I have been on "for the most part" in Oklahoma is concrete... NOW as soon as you get into Missouri and Kansas that changes to asphalt. Hell Arkansas has a ton more asphalt than Texas and Oklahoma.

Not sure if your talking about cities in TX or rural.
Here in SE Texas all the highways, FM Roads, parking lots etc.. are all asphalt.

OP if you have a good base it should last a long time. No matter how compact you think it is , I would run a vibratory compactor over it. Especially down the middle and the edges (where you probably very seldom drive on it).

I have never seen a driveway around here with 4" of asphalt . Not saying it can't be but most around here are 2" thick.
The base is where the strength is at .

The state repaved the FM road near us and it wasn't the normal way. Not sure what process it was though. Should have stopped to ask them.
It seems to be holding up just fine with a lot of truck traffic.
I mention that because it may be a less expensive way to do it.

 

[nutjob]

When you get quotes make sure they spec the asphalt mix size and understand what that will look like.
Here is a guide: https://www.cpa-pave.com/asphalt-materials/

I had a new driveway installed this spring and it was 3" thick 9.5mm mix. This replaced the old 1" thick driveway so even after the work they did on the base layer the edges were higher than before. You will need to decide how you will deal with this, they remove a lot of base so finish is about even with grass or you will need to add topsoil and tapper back into the lawn. The edges were formed at about a 45 degree angle.

Hope some of this helps

Kevin

 

[tez929rr]

Not sure if your talking about cities in TX or rural.
Here in SE Texas all the highways, FM Roads, parking lots etc.. are all asphalt.

OP if you have a good base it should last a long time. No matter how compact you think it is , I would run a vibratory compactor over it. Especially down the middle and the edges (where you probably very seldom drive on it).

I have never seen a driveway around here with 4" of asphalt . Not saying it can't be but most around here are 2" thick.
The base is where the strength is at .

The state repaved the FM road near us and it wasn't the normal way. Not sure what process it was though. Should have stopped to ask them.
It seems to be holding up just fine with a lot of truck traffic.
I mention that because it may be a less expensive way to do it.

Interstates are hot mix here (hill country) but everything else is chip seal, which can be good if done correctly.

 

[reader2580]

I had part of my asphalt driveway replaced with concrete in 2023 when the slab was poured for my new garage. The concrete contractor said he normally charged $12 per square foot for a driveway. I got a substantial discount because the trucks he brought in broke up the first few feet of my good condition asphalt driveway. I had him replace the first 30 feet.

This is Minneapolis metro area.