Oil and Stone Driveway - Comments Please

[jambx]

Ok, so here it is - I am in need of a new Driveway. Its circular with two large square'ish areas that lie directly in front of five (5) "carriage house style garage doors - it is a total of 5000 square feet of area and it is presently of asphalt.

Since my house is a old Cape Cod (Cottage look) I was initially thinking of pulling it up and using gravel / stone but I have received nothing but negative comments on the maintenance and upkeep let alone the practicality (ie plowing during the winter yada, yada, yada).

So that has lead me to Oil and Stone. I spoke to a few folks and this appears to be a very good compromise but I was also informed that it does not hold up well when a vehicle at rest turns its tires when rest - especially during extreme heat (the base moves).

http://www.stonedriveway.com/

I have received the prices of using Asphalt and its laughable not to mention it isnt the look I was looking to achieve.

Does anyone have any good / bad or ugly things they want to say about the Oil and Stone type of driveway material?

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

~jim

 

[magicheater]

It will raise your taxes similar to concrete and you have to seal it every so many years. Why not go with pavers to keep the theme of your house?

 

[jambx]

It will raise your taxes similar to concrete and you have to seal it every so many years. Why not go with pavers to keep the theme of your house?

I really do love the paver idea. In fact I did a 1000 sq ft patio a few years ago however I would assume the cost would be through the roof (as I know what it cost me for 1000 sq ft and I installed them myself) :confused2:

I guess I am looking for that comprimise between a certain look and cost.

Stone is classic but I can see where is could be a major PIA especailly since I was not going to use a boarder (ie block etc) which would help keep the stone in the drive and not on the lawn.

 

[Haoleguy]

Jim - I've come across this same oil-stone driveway company website before and they do not provide much info on the process and whether this is a porous surface? From an eco-friendly standpoint, using a porous surface that allows for rainwater filtration through the soil layers will reduce runoff into storm drains. Have you thought of using pavers at lawn, road, & garage interfaces so that you can still use stone and not worry as much about stone loss?.....Gary

 

[magicheater]

Have you considered "soilcrete"?

 

[Diamondpilot]

I am wonder why the cost it through the roof. I am getting my drive done this week. Its 4,800 sq ft and they just did the concrete stoop today in front of the barn, about 600 sq ft. That cost just at $1500 for materials and labor. I dug it out and backfilled. They will be back in 1 week to put down 3" of asphalt on the rest, about 4,250 sq ft. They are doing everything including grading, 2" of 5D heavy base, and 1" of 12 finish asphalt for $7500.

Total of $9,000 for $4,800 sq ft of drive.

Chris

 

[MarkV]

During hot weather when the oil is more liquid will it track into the house on shoes? I don't know, just wondering if anyone does.

MarkV

 

[tsteahr]

Ok, so here it is - I am in need of a new Driveway. Its circular with two large square'ish areas that lie directly in front of five (5) "carriage house style garage doors - it is a total of 5000 square feet of area and it is presently of asphalt.

Since my house is a old Cape Cod (Cottage look) I was initially thinking of pulling it up and using gravel / stone but I have received nothing but negative comments on the maintenance and upkeep let alone the practicality (ie plowing during the winter yada, yada, yada).

So that has lead me to Oil and Stone. I spoke to a few folks and this appears to be a very good compromise but I was also informed that it does not hold up well when a vehicle at rest turns its tires when rest - especially during extreme heat (the base moves).

Stone Driveways Of New England

I have received the prices of using Asphalt and its laughable not to mention it isn't the look I was looking to achieve.

Does anyone have any good / bad or ugly things they want to say about the Oil and Stone type of driveway material?

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

~jim

Jim, I see you are in CT. As I'm sure you know, chip & seal road surfacing is very common in CT on secondary roads. It is generally applied on top of existing asphalt. I'm not sure it is something I would do for a driveway. At least it seems to be a big mess when the town applies it to a road. It seems only a small portion of the stone penetrates the asphalt base and most of the stone stays on top until the town street sweeper comes by and picks up the remainder of what is left on top (or it eventually gets thrown off to the road into the weeds). But since it is oil and stone on top of a asphalt base, there is no issue with the base material moving when turning stationary vehicle tires.

However, there is a similar alternative that is more appropriate for a residential driveway. It is recycled (ground up) asphalt with a layer of oil then a top coat of pea stone, then rolled with a steam roller to press most of the stone into the base. I had this type of drive installed at my first house in CT. It can be plowed if you raise the plow skids a bit. There is a loose layer of stone on top, but it is not as deep as a freshly chip sealed road. I found the cost to be about 1/2 of traditional asphalt paving (this was about 14 years ago when the process was fairly new). Where there is some loose stone on top there is no problem with turning tires. There was no problem with tracking oil. The top cost was a small pee stone so that had a tendency to get carried around a bit.

Overall the drive was easier to deal with than a gravel drive but not as convenient as a asphalt drive. If you fell down you would skin a knee pretty bad - much worse than a gravel drive. It was not pleasant to kneel on or crawl under the car. I don't think it would be the best choice if you have young kids for that reason.

The house I had it installed at was in a rural, farm area and a asphalt drive did not look rite. This recycled asphalt drive was the right look. But from a practical standpoint, I prefer a regular paved drive.

For those that don't live in new england: In this area brick pavers are not a option for any significant length of driveway. A drive that would cost say $6k to asphalt would cost $50-70k for pavers. Only for the very wealthy.

 

[dodge man]

Around here it's called oil and chip. If EVERY THING goes perfect, it would work out great for a driveway. If you are starting out with a perfect rock base, being smooth and level, and they put down the perfect amount of oil, the perfect amount of chips, you would be happy with it. The problem is it rarely works perfect. It ends up rutted and low in places, in other places there will be too much oil, and it will bleed when it gets hot out. The first time you put it down, you may want to do it twice(two layers) or it won't hold up very well.

It's not a bad choice, I would take it over gravel, but its not as good as asphalt or concrete.

 

[gwjd]

if you asphalt is still sound and looks bad the cip and seal thing is great saves the rip out cost to

if its wavy and ruted you need major repair

 

[jambx]

Great feedback everyone - thanks.

Although I am not sure if I have been swayed one way or another just yet.

I am very interested in the process tstarhr spoke about and would love to know what the process is acaully called as I have only heard the terms Oil and Stone and Chip-Seal (dodgeman refers it as Oil and Chip). Can you proved any additional info? I also see you are in CT as well - was there an outfit you could recommend or have dealt with?

Diamondpilot - the costs that were floated by me to date have been $14,500, $13,800 and $12,900 for 5000 square feet (that includes picking up 3000 sq ft of the old driveway - compacting the old and 2000 sq ft of the new base and laying 2.5 inches of new material. These # to me seem ridicules.

As for Pavers - tstarhr was right on with his summation - I was quoted $12 / sq ft for my 1000 sq ft patio a few years back so for a 5000 sq ft drive I would assume it would be in the neighborhood of ~$60K.

As for Appling Oil and Stone to my existing drive - I was told they could not due to the fact my surface had been coated with a Jenite (sealer).

I am thinking of maybe just using stone and dealing with the stuff - I didnt want to go through the added expence of outlining the drive with pavers to retain the material from entering the lawn especially since I have must have ~500 linear feet of drive.

Just came across a old thread - this too has me seeing double. Great Pros and plenty of Cons

http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/i-heart-my-tar-and-chip-driveway/

 

[mikefromnh]

If you are after the rural look, I say go for the plain stone.

Plant spreading herbs such as thyme that can take the abuse as a border. In no time you will have the rustic farm look. Maintenance is easy -- just have some more stone delivered when it looks worn out.

It is best if you have a section of driveway to plow onto instead of pushing the stone onto grass.

 

[tsteahr]

Great feedback everyone - thanks.

Although I am not sure if I have been swayed one way or another just yet.

I am very interested in the process tstarhr spoke about and would love to know what the process is acaully called as I have only heard the terms Oil and Stone and Chip-Seal (dodgeman refers it as Oil and Chip). Can you proved any additional info? I also see you are in CT as well - was there an outfit you could recommend or have dealt with?

Diamondpilot - the costs that were floated by me to date have been $14,500, $13,800 and $12,900 for 5000 square feet (that includes picking up 3000 sq ft of the old driveway - compacting the old and 2000 sq ft of the new base and laying 2.5 inches of new material. These # to me seem ridicules.

As for Pavers - tstarhr was right on with his summation - I was quoted $12 / sq ft for my 1000 sq ft patio a few years back so for a 5000 sq ft drive I would assume it would be in the neighborhood of ~$60K.

As for Appling Oil and Stone to my existing drive - I was told they could not due to the fact my surface had been coated with a Jenite (sealer).

I am thinking of maybe just using stone and dealing with the stuff - I didnt want to go through the added expence of outlining the drive with pavers to retain the material from entering the lawn especially since I have must have ~500 linear feet of drive.

Just came across a old thread - this too has me seeing double. Great Pros and plenty of Cons

I Heart My Tar & Chip Driveway

Took me a bit of time to remember who did that drive... It is called a McAdam drive. It was done by Larry Torti paving. I was very pleased with his results. He is out of RI. When I had it done he was only set up to work in RI but I was able to convince him to come just across the border into N. Stonington, CT. If I wanted to have this type of drive I would call Larry and see if he will work in CT or if not who can he suggest. If you want McAdam I would start with Larry rather than talking with a regular paving company. I got quite a bit of negative comments about McAdam from regular paving places that wanted to do asphalt. You want to have McAdam done by someone with extensive experience in that process.

Good luck. And if you do find someone who does good McAdam work in CT please let us know. Thanks

 

[brin]

Great feedback everyone - thanks.

Although I am not sure if I have been swayed one way or another just yet.

I am very interested in the process tstarhr spoke about and would love to know what the process is acaully called as I have only heard the terms Oil and Stone and Chip-Seal (dodgeman refers it as Oil and Chip). Can you proved any additional info? I also see you are in CT as well - was there an outfit you could recommend or have dealt with?

Diamondpilot - the costs that were floated by me to date have been $14,500, $13,800 and $12,900 for 5000 square feet (that includes picking up 3000 sq ft of the old driveway - compacting the old and 2000 sq ft of the new base and laying 2.5 inches of new material. These # to me seem ridicules.



As for Pavers - tstarhr was right on with his summation - I was quoted $12 / sq ft for my 1000 sq ft patio a few years back so for a 5000 sq ft drive I would assume it would be in the neighborhood of ~$60K.

As for Appling Oil and Stone to my existing drive - I was told they could not due to the fact my surface had been coated with a Jenite (sealer).

I am thinking of maybe just using stone and dealing with the stuff - I didnt want to go through the added expence of outlining the drive with pavers to retain the material from entering the lawn especially since I have must have ~500 linear feet of drive.

Just came across a old thread - this too has me seeing double. Great Pros and plenty of Cons

I Heart My Tar & Chip Driveway

Jambx - Here in Georgia we use gravel called " crusher Run " I used it on a one of my driveways when we built our house 5 yrs. ago and I have not had to even use a back blade on it...I have done nothing to the road and it is like concrete right now..no ruts or anything.. Here is the key ...you have to use really wet crusher run.....crusher run is a mixture of small gravel and ground up dust like cement and if it applied when it is wet and soupy, and smoothed with a back blade and rolled..it will set up and hold up like cement..That has been my experience.

 

[forgeblast]

Around here we have a saying "they either skip it or chip it". It seems if they do not repave a road they will just chip them, using the tar and adding a layer of chips. But due to the increase in the amount of water trucks for the gas frac industry our roads are horrible, my car bottoms out on the paved road in places because the road is that bad. I hope they pave it this year, because now they are just filling in the pot holes with modified stone.

 

[patrick_g]

There are pavers with holes in them expressly for driveways. You let the grass grow in the holes and mow it just like a lawn. The pavers support the weight of vehicular traffic so there is no rutting of the driveway. They are easy for a DIY project, they look good, and require minimal if any maint.

Pat

 

[ToadHill]

Are you near the sea shore? Take a look at crushed sea shells.

 

[Redneck in training]

Try this.
Permeable and Porous Concrete Pavers - The Concrete Network

Popular in Europe for many years.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Diamondpilot - the costs that were floated by me to date have been $14,500, $13,800 and $12,900 for 5000 square feet (that includes picking up 3000 sq ft of the old driveway - compacting the old and 2000 sq ft of the new base and laying 2.5 inches of new material. These # to me seem ridicules.

I Heart My Tar & Chip Driveway

That seems a little high but you are in a higher cost of living area. Remember its a lot of work and will last you 25 years if maintained. I have been the other routes and you are lucky to get 5 years out of them with the winters we have. Makes no sense to me to put $2000 into it every 5 years and still have to deal with weeds, loose rocks, ect.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

Jambx - Here in Georgia we use gravel called " crusher Run " I used it on a one of my driveways when we built our house 5 yrs. ago and I have not had to even use a back blade on it...I have done nothing to the road and it is like concrete right now..no ruts or anything.. Here is the key ...you have to use really wet crusher run.....crusher run is a mixture of small gravel and ground up dust like cement and if it applied when it is wet and soupy, and smoothed with a back blade and rolled..it will set up and hold up like cement..That has been my experience.

That will not hold up in the north with the freeze and thaw cycles. We do the same and it last a year at most before issues arise.

Chris