Q&A  driveway contractors

The national range for tearing and replacing a driveway is between $6,275 to $8,500. The average is $7,394 for a poured concrete driveway as per Angie’s list members. The average cost is $3,500 to $7,000 which $3 to $10 per hour, roughly.

For construction sites, we can also create access drives for equipment and machinery. The Best Driveway Materials. There are four main materials used for driveways: gravel, concrete, asphalt and pavers. Each one has its pros and cons: Gravel is a great choice if you have a small budget and need a functional driveway.

If your driveway is 20-30 years old, it’s time to replace it. Driveways that old almost certainly have rotten foundations that need to be replaced. However, even newer driveways can have bad foundations.

Relative Affordability. Pound for pound, aggregate is the cheapest of these four common driveway materials. A basic gravel driveway can cost as little as $0.50 per square foot – an order of magnitude less than a professionally installed asphalt, stone, or concrete driveway.

As for thickness, non-reinforced pavement four inches thick is standard for passenger car driveways. For heavier vehicles, a thickness of five inches is recommended. To eliminate standing water, the driveway should be sloped towards the street a minimum of one percent, or 1/8 inch per foot, for proper drainage.

Sealing an asphalt driveway gives it a fresh, black finish, but the job should be done only once every two or three years. Sealing the driveway yearly can lead to unsightly hairline cracks and peeling. … Many people believe that concrete driveways don’t need maintenance, so they may never apply a sealer.

The Work of Concrete Contractors. Concrete is the most commonly used material in construction and used to build walls, roads, floors and more.

The average cost of a concrete driveway, by comparison, is almost $7,400. Other sources estimate the cost to install an asphalt driveway to be between $2,300 and$10,300. Homeowners typically pay per square foot. Reibling adds the average cost per square foot is between $3.50 and $4.50.

Fiber mesh is used in patios, sidewalks and driveways because the material is placed through and through. Therefore there is no labor cost associated with installing steel in your pour. Wire mesh is similar to fiber mesh in that it increases concrete strength and makes it more durable.

“Driveways should be at least 6 inches deeper than the thickness of your brick. So if you are paving a driveway with 2 1/2-inch thick bricks, you need to dig a level hole that is 8 1/2 inches deep.” “For vehicular traffic, excavate 9 to 11 inches deep to allow for base material and 6 to 8 inches of gravel.”

Paving a typical two-car concrete driveway of 16 feet wide and 38 feet long (610 sq. ft.) without curves or slopes costs $3,040. Therefore, the average cost per square foot amounts to $4.99, although it can be higher if excavation is needed.

Concrete resurfacingIf your driveway is experiencing cracking, scaling or spalling, the best solution is to resurface it with a concrete overlay. … Before you can resurface existing concrete, it’s important to remove any unsound concrete and repair noticeable cracks so the overlay has a solid base to bond to.

Nearly any size crack can be patched with concrete or cold-patch asphalt, depending on your driveway type, or with some very effective specialty materials. Clean cracks and holes of plants and debris, then hose them clean and spray them with weed killer. … Or, you can simply mix concrete and apply it with a trowel.

Whilst initially more expensive than asphalt, in the long run concrete is cheaper than asphalt. This is thanks to the high durability and low service costs of maintaining concrete. In comparison, asphalt requires more regular resealing and upkeep work due to its shorter longevity, and thus maintenance costs are higher.

While concrete is a blend of Portland cement, sand and gravel, cement is the dry,powdered substance that is mixed with sand, gravel and water to become a binder for concrete. Mixing sand, gravel, water and cement in the right proportion is essential to producing durable, high-quality concrete.

Leave the warning tape in place to let delivery vehicles and others know that they need to stay off your concrete. After One Week – After 7 days, it’s OK to drive on your new concrete with normal passenger vehicles. Avoid driving near or across the edges of the driveway, though, since those areas are still weaker.

In the east, the average cost for driveway sealing is typically between $.10-$.16 per square foot. So for a 1000 sq. ft. driveway it will cost between $100-$160. In the upper-midwest, many driveway contractors charge per 1000 sq. ft., typically between$85-$100 per 1000 sq. ft. with a minimum charge of $100.

The water should weigh roughly half of that of the cement added. A concrete mix of 1 part cement : 2 parts sand : 4 parts coarse aggregate should be used for a concrete slab. Concrete must be placed within half an hour of mixing.

Heated Driveway Costs. Typically, the cost of a heated driveway system is between$12-$21 per square foot. Looking at our data, the average cost of a radiant heating system installation is $3,892, with a low of $1,300 and a high of $7,500 in that range.

Chances are these slabs weren’t poured over an unstable base, but rather, frost heaving moved them. Each individual slab can move at the expansion joints, and if you have an unstable base, the condition can occur more often. A concrete pavement that moves will damage any asphalt overlay over time.

However, cracks and damage can occur. Fixing concrete takes a number of materials because it does not readily adhere to other concrete. … If you need to patch a concrete surface or pour new concrete on top of old concrete, you must invest in a strong bonding agent and a concrete patching mix.

Relative Affordability. Pound for pound, aggregate is the cheapest of these four common driveway materials. A basic gravel driveway can cost as little as $0.50 per square foot – an order of magnitude less than a professionally installed asphalt, stone, or concrete driveway.