driveway paving

Does anyone have any expertise in driveway paving?

Right now I have a driveway that is one car wide and two deep. This works out sub-optimally, especially when you consider that we own two large vehicles (a full-size pickup and midsize SUV). I am looking to widen the driveway and have received several quotes.

One of the contractors wants to put down a single 3" layer of "commercial grade highway" asphalt over a 6-8" stone base. He claims that is how roadways are built, and while slightly less attractive is more resistant to tire marks. Everyone else is talking about a 1.5" top coat over a 1.5" or 2" binder / base coat with a comparable gravel base. The contractor who wants to put down the single 3" commercial grade has offered to due to the two layers for the same price if I so desire.

Has anyone else encountered something similar? Is this guy just trying to get away with a cheaper, less durable job? Or are there real tangible benefits? I know precisely zero about paving.

By no means am I an expert in driveway paving, but I have been researching it lots lately as my almost 30yr old originally installed asphalt at my house needs replacing with some expansion as well.

I've interviewed 4 paving contractors. The ones who have been in business the longest all recommend the same 6-8" stone base that you were told as well and at a minimum of 4" of asphalt, with 6" being much more resistant long term to wear and thermal expansion/contraction changes.

My next door neighbors redid their driveway 4 years ago now, and I went over to look at there's and ask what they did - they did "thin" top coating layer only as my neighbor described it, and there are already numerous areas of both upheaval and depressions/settling that have already occurred.

I'm going to go with a thicker asphalt layer, once we're done having some heavy construction equipment operate in my yard later this fall

drjeff said:

By no means am I an expert in driveway paving, but I have been researching it lots lately as my almost 30yr old originally installed asphalt at my house needs replacing with some expansion as well.

I've interviewed 4 paving contractors. The ones who have been in business the longest all recommend the same 6-8" stone base that you were told as well and at a minimum of 4" of asphalt, with 6" being much more resistant long term to wear and thermal expansion/contraction changes.

My next door neighbors redid their driveway 4 years ago now, and I went over to look at there's and ask what they did - they did "thin" top coating layer only as my neighbor described it, and there are already numerous areas of both upheaval and depressions/settling that have already occurred.

I'm going to go with a thicker asphalt layer, once we're done having some heavy construction equipment operate in my yard later this fall

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Interesting. I got quotes for 6 people. None of them recommended over 3.5" of asphalt. Most were 1.5" top coat over 1.5" or 2" of binder.

yeggous said:

Interesting. I got quotes for 6 people. None of them recommended over 3.5" of asphalt. Most were 1.5" top coat over 1.5" or 2" of binder.

Click to expand...

Some of what I think may be in play with my driveway situation is that from the street to my garage my driveway is concave in nature, almost "U" shaped in the house to driveway cross-section and due to water run off down my driveway from the street (I live on a slight turn in the middle of a hill on my street where even with a clean storm drain just above my driveway I still get a significant amount of water run off from my street that tends to pond in the middle of my driveway/yard, especially in the winter/spring when snowbanks along the edge of my driveway often prevent any runoff from my driveway surface into my front yard and I often can end up with a 25 to 30 foot long section of my driveway that can have a few inches of ice on it - in that area, I have had significant asphalt degredation and frost heave like upheaval occur - the contractors felt given the shape of my driveway/yard, and the reality that the other option of bringing in truckloads of fill and regrading the majority of my front yard and installing a couple hundred feet of drainage pipe not being very appealing to me or my wife, that going with a thicker layer of asphalt would be the best long term solution....

I guess that time will tell. Based on what the contractor who I'm likely to go with for my driveway did in a semi similar situation with my office parking lot 6 yrs ago know, I feel comfortable with his advice and the quality of work I've seen and driven over every day at work since he finished that job

With 6" of asphalt you are still going to get frost heaves and depressions, that is really over kill. When you need to do repairs or replace it will cost much more to remove and dispose. The only way to make your driveway heave and depressions proof is to put in a good subsurface drainage and go with reinforced or post tensioned concrete which is much more expensive but will last forever. You have to be careful what snow melt product you put on it.

For the 3" of commerical grade in one layer- that makes me skeptical. Highways are paved in two lifts also. I would ask the contractor for references of homeowners he has installed commercial grade in before and see if they like it. Most likely he is going to put down 3" of resedential grade all at once. He also needs the heavy vibrating rollers to compact the 3" at once. 1.5" compacts much easier.

I went to check out one of his jobs and it looked good. Still not sure about longevity though. He said the mix is colloquially called "state top" and is not a binder course. I tried to find some other references to this practice. There is not much, but Angie's List is supportive if you believe them.

https://www.angieslist.com/articles/tips-hire-asphalt-paving-contractor-your-driveway.htm


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I am skeptical of the base, the base is what prevents heaving. Road bases go well below frost level, also be sure to do proper drainage to protect the base