Questions about paved driveways

DVerbarg · Jun 12, 2002

having priced both concrete and asphalt, i decided to go with a "gravel" driveway. i just cant see paying these guys that much $$$$$ for the job.

I agree! However, there's these two little girls that can look up into your eyes and say, "Daddy, can we have a smooth driveway so that we can roller blade and use scooters outside?" The concrete is priced out of this world (had a rough estimate of around $40k for plain concrete /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif), asphalt is still a little too pricey, which is where my interest is piqued in this PolyPavement. Its in the plans to try it in a small area this late summer (near the basketball hoop) and see how it holds up over the winter. If all goes well then we'll do the driveway next spring. The cool thing about this is that it can be a DIY job, saving major big bucks. The CFO is excited about it as she wants to have paved walking paths through the property. Me, well I might just end up getting a tiller out of this! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Mosey · Jun 12, 2002

I want pavement so the kids can have a smooth place to ride their bikes, run remote control cars, etc. The gravel is just too hard to ride a bike on, especially for little kids, because the narrow tires on the bikes sink in. City kids have sidewalks to ride on, but in the country we don't have sidewalks. Also, in the winter when I'm pushing snow off the drive it's hard to get the snow off without pushing the gravel into the yard. It will also speed up the yard mowing, since right now I have to slow the blades down when I go along the edge of the drive or the mower sucks up the stones and throws them all over. Also, I grew up playing basketball on gravel and I don't want to make my kids do that. And, another reason for pavement is I won't have to spend time and $15 a month on week/grass killer - if I don't spray it grows up in the center and looks like crap.

The reason I don’t want black is because it gets too hot from the sun beating down on it and you can’t even walk on it in bare feet. The road has lines painted on it, so it can be painted, but that’s in the center and on the sides where it doesn’t get driven on all the time. So, what I don’t know is how much it costs and how long it would last on a driveway.

tdenny · Jun 12, 2002

MrP,

My original estimate for my asphalt driveway was around 10,000 12 foot wide 628 feet long, including some extra areas up and around the house. We figured we could spend that kind of money on a whole bunch of things so we decided to keep our gravel road.
but....
A couple of weeks ago the neighbor kid and his buddies (who used to do ashpalt for a number of years) came up and said they could and would do it for basically cost plus a little extra. The only catch was I had to make the decision right then and there. Not really my style but we said oh what the hell. They did a fantastic job and we are thrilled with the results. I never thought how much I would really appreciate the quiet, lack of dust, ability for my kids to ride there bikes much farther. Additionally I'm sure we greatly increased our house's value and also helped identify areas where the landscaping needs to go.

At any rate I just wanted to tell you that although it sounds like a lot of money (because it is) you wouldn't believe how nice the result is. There is only 1 drawback for me (besides the $$$) is the fact that I can't hear anyone coming far ahead of time any more. tough to have that problem I know. Maybe I'll get a dog that will bark when someone is approaching.

Soundguy · Jun 12, 2002

Well cured asphalt, or older asphalt can be painted with paint designed for concrete. New asphalt, due to the bituminous componets requires a special marking paint ( the kind that they use to do the temp striping before thermoplastic paint is applied after inspection ). Asphaltic concrete can also contained reclaimed terra cotta, and be red, with no paint. Other mixes are available, and some companies will even do special forms that look like brick pavers, but are in reality just an asphalt product.

Try contacting your local public works dept for info on paint suitable for asphalt, or a local road construction company, and ask who does their striping...

Soundguy

Soundguy · Jun 12, 2002

Lets see.. that's about 622 square yards of asphalt.

Here are some ideas of price, I'm taking these off of quotes on our last road job... 1' asphalt is about $3/sy installed.
This needs to be installed on some kind of compacted subgrade, like limerock ( clay in some cases )... or at very least, on a stabilized subgrade... say .45 / sy.
for 6" stabilized subgrade. A prime coat at .20 / sy
( Add another 1.75/sy if they need a compacted limerock base.. figure 4" is ok for driveways, )
They will probably figure in a transport caarge of 200-400 $, and charge you for anny fill if needed.. figure 100 a load.
As a guess, of 622 sy, with no fill needed, 1" asphalt, with a stabilized subgrade, and 4" compacted limerock, you are looking at around .. oh.. i'm guessing 3700 to 5k depending on the contractor, and how he wants to eng. it. This is not inclusive of permits.. but then.. depending where you are... that may not be an issue... again.. depends on the contractor.

Let us know what your quote comes out to.
Asphalt is your biggest price factor... a few cents either way majorly effects price. We have 3 plants near here, so asphalt is fairly competitive... your milage may vary.. also, they may only want .75" and not 1", etc, etc...

Soundguy

"work on a partial barter basis. Just cannot do enough barter to entice him to do the driveway (its only 12 ft wide and about 1400 ft long ) "

Soundguy · Jun 12, 2002

The lines on the pavement, if permanent, are most likely thermoplastic, with silica added for friction. Thermoplastic is consideret permanant, and has to be chipped or milled off the road surface. A road crew spilled a 6' wide puddly of the stuff on the road a while back... had to grind it off.
If the road is slag, or a low maint. road.. a 'temporary' class paint will be used... see my other post on this.

Soundguy

"The road has lines painted on it, so it can be painted, but that’s in the center and on the sides where it doesn’t get driven on all the time."

cup149 · Jun 12, 2002

Has any one had their drive tar and chipped? My drive is old paving that is cracked, chunking or turning to gravel in spots. I wouldn't mind gravel, but hard rain tends to wash it away, snow removal also removes stones and chunks, and it's a bit messy (wife hates loose stones carried into house). I got an estimate for 7000 sq/ft. Sweep off loose material, clean up edges, spray week killer, 2 inches of 2b limestone, then three layers of tar and chip using crushed river gravel, then compacted. This gravel should leave a brown colored surface more fitting to my rural setting. $4800. Two conventional paving estimates were 10,000 to 12,000. I think I'll try the tar and chip. http://www.askbuild.com/cgi-bin/column?127

MrP · Jun 13, 2002

A couple of weeks ago the neighbor kid and his buddies (who used to do ashpalt for a number of years) came up and said they could and would do it for basically cost plus a little extra. 

TD,

Great! Send them over. I know it is a bit of a haul (you being in Seattle and all).

Seriously, we did want to have the black top done. The funds just aren't there. Well... maybe if the wife sells a couple of horses this summer.

The year before I moved in, a black top company came through the neigborhood and cut bargin deals to do driveways. They finished and promptly went out of business. Now everyone who had a asphalt driveway done has problems with cracking. They all look like cr@p.

I have a list of items that I am going improve on/around/in the house. So that 9K will be going elsewhere. The driveway has cost me a total of about $300 for some new stone. We'll have to live with that for a while.

MrP · Jun 13, 2002

Our private roads are tar & chip. Not as nice as asphalt, but it works. However, we are constantly (every 6 months) having to patch, seal, fill and smooth spots on the surface. In addition, we have it resurfaced every three years.

Soundguy · Jun 13, 2002

Here, we more or less call that slag. ( On small scale, this is called a chipseal ) We just sweep the existing surface, tar it amd add the hardpan rock, tar it again and add fines, let it cure a bit, then sweep it. Only major imperfections in the original base are corrected. Minor imperfections will be corrected by the gravel/tar.

That estimate sounds a bit high.. but then, I know that prices for material and labor are very regional.

Soundguy

"Has any one had their drive tar and chipped? My drive is old paving that is cracked, chunking or turning to gravel in spots. I wouldn't mind gravel, but hard rain tends to wash it away, snow removal also removes stones "