Service S / 06
A driveway is a drainage problem with a surface on top.
Asphalt, concrete, and paver driveways, parking areas, and commercial approaches, built on a base that will still be there in fifteen years.
Almost every failed driveway on this coast failed underneath. The surface gets blamed because the surface is what cracks, but the cracking is a symptom. Water got into a base that was too thin, too dirty, or never properly compacted, it froze over a New England winter, it lifted the slab, and the following spring it did it again.
So we spend the money where you cannot see it. Excavate to a real depth rather than a convenient one. Geotextile separation where the subgrade is soft, which along this shoreline it very often is. A processed aggregate base compacted in lifts, not dumped and rolled once. Positive fall away from the house and away from the garage slab, with somewhere for the water to actually go.
Then the surface. Asphalt if you want the best value and a quick return to use. Concrete if you want a forty year surface and are prepared to pay for the reinforcement and jointing that stops it cracking. Pavers if the house deserves them and you want a surface that can be lifted and relaid rather than sawn out. We will tell you honestly which one suits your grade, your budget, and how you actually use the space.
Scope at a glance
| Surfaces | Asphalt, poured concrete, concrete and clay pavers |
|---|---|
| Typical duration | 2 to 6 days residential, longer for commercial lots |
| Season | Asphalt from spring through autumn, concrete year round with protection |
| Base depth | Set by the subgrade after excavation, not assumed at quote |
| Return to use | Asphalt in 24 to 72 hours, concrete after 7 days |
| Also offered | Sealcoating, crack repair, striping, curb and sidewalk work |
What is included
What the work covers
- Excavation and subgrade preparation. Dug to a depth set by the soil rather than the quote, with soft spots dug out and replaced instead of bridged over.
- Base construction. Processed aggregate placed and compacted in lifts, with geotextile separation over soft or silty subgrade.
- Drainage. Grading that moves water away from the structure, plus trench drains, catch basins, or a French drain where the fall alone will not do it.
- Asphalt. Binder and top course laid hot at the right temperature, with joints and edges detailed so water cannot get in at the perimeter.
- Concrete. Reinforced slabs with control joints cut on time, correct air entrainment for freeze thaw, and a finish chosen for grip in winter.
- Pavers and edging. Concrete or clay pavers on a compacted bedding course with restrained edges, laid to pattern and swept with polymeric sand.
- Commercial lots and approaches. Larger areas, loading zones, line striping, accessible bay layout, and curb and sidewalk work.
- Repair and resurfacing. Crack routing and sealing, infrared patch repair, overlays where the base is sound, and full replacement where it is not.
Detail
Why the cheapest driveway quote is almost always the most expensive.
There is a version of this work that costs about half what we charge. It involves scraping off the old surface, laying two inches of asphalt over whatever is underneath, and being somewhere else by the time the first winter finishes with it.
It looks identical on the day. It looks identical for about eighteen months. Then the edges start to ravel, the low spot holds water, the water freezes, and by year four you are paying for the whole job again on top of what you already spent.
When you compare quotes, the number to compare is not the price. It is the excavation depth, the base thickness, and what the contractor says they will do if they find soft ground. If a quote does not mention any of those, it is not really a quote for a driveway.
Questions
What homeowners ask us first.
If yours is not here, call and ask. We answer our own phone.
Asphalt costs less up front, goes down faster, tolerates ground movement better, and is easier to patch, but it needs sealcoating every few years and will want replacing sooner. Concrete costs more, takes a week to cure before you can drive on it, and cracks if the jointing is done badly, but a properly built concrete drive will outlast an asphalt one comfortably. On a sloped or heavy shaded site we usually lean asphalt. On a flat approach to a house where appearance matters, concrete or pavers.
Asphalt is usually drivable within 24 to 72 hours depending on thickness and weather, though it stays soft for the first few weeks and you should avoid turning the wheels while stationary. Concrete needs seven days before vehicles and around 28 days to reach full strength. Pavers can be used almost immediately once the joints are sanded.
Sometimes, and we will tell you when. An overlay works if the existing base is sound and the cracking is limited to the surface. If the cracks are wide, the edges are crumbling, or there are areas that move underfoot, then the base has failed and an overlay is money spent twice. We core or excavate a test area before recommending either.
Yes, including new construction, overlays, crack sealing, sealcoating, line striping, accessible bay layout, and the curb and sidewalk work around them. On occupied commercial sites we phase the work so you keep access, and we can work nights or weekends where the business needs it.
Related
Most projects touch more than one of these.
Next step
Ready to price it properly?
Send drawings if you have them, photographs if you do not. We will come back with a scope, a number, and a timeline you can plan around.