Proper driveway construction is key; after all, you use the space for more than parking cars. You may have a basketball goal so your kids can play pick-up games in the driveway. Perhaps they make chalk drawings of cartoon characters on it. No doubt your driveway plays a crucial role in the life of your home. Here’s what you should know.
Material types, durability, and cost
Here are the four most common driveway material types, their typical expected wear-and-tear, and their cost to construct.
- Asphalt is popular for most county and state roads because of its simplicity in construction and repair. The material is durable, lasting up to 20 years with good maintenance, which involves periodic sealing. It expands and contracts elastically in heat and cold. Construction costs run up to $13 per square foot.
- Concrete is also durable and can last up to 30 years before major repair or replacement is needed. However, it is more expensive than asphalt, with construction costs running up to $15 per square foot.
- Pave stones, or pavers, are aesthetic and durable. They are also the most expensive and labor-intensive to construct since the stones are laid out by hand like a puzzle, with pieces cut individually to provide symmetry. Installation requires grading, laying drainage material beneath, and leveling the stones with one another, all of which are labor-intensive. The cost to build runs up to $50 per square foot. The good news is that, when individual stones are damaged over the years, you can lift them out and drop in replacements.
- Gravel is the least expensive and simplest, coming in at about $1.50 per square foot. To prepare a gravel driveway, the space is first leveled, and then the topsoil is thoroughly scraped away to remove grass and weeds. Next, landscape fabric is put down before the gravel is dumped and then spread. Gravel naturally drains water after a rainstorm. However, heavy rain can create flowing torrents that wash away the gravel, requiring the homeowner to rake it back. Grass and weeds also tend to poke through, which requires pulling or treating.
Driveway Construction
Preparing the ground is the most crucial aspect of driveway construction. The ground must be leveled by grading, and the vegetation has to be scraped completely away (and possibly treated to keep plants from returning). Drainage materials like sand and gravel are installed before the surface material.
Concrete must have expansion joint seams every few feet so that the surface can expand and contract with outside temperatures.
Gravel driveways need edging to keep the gravel in place and prevent it from spreading and washing outside its proper boundaries.
Repairs
Both asphalt and concrete have repair material available to inject into cracks to prevent them from lengthening and widening. In winter weather, frozen water expands, pushing cracks wider and longer. This can also cause potholes to develop. Filling cracks promptly is important.
Potholes should have rough edges smoothed by cutting out a square to provide a clean edge. They should then be filled with the same material, whether concrete or asphalt, before a sealer is applied.
Related – Keeping Weeds Away From Your Driveway or Patio
