A Guide to Pricing Your New Driveway
By Jay R Armstrong, C.E.T.
Is it time for a new driveway? What should I do
and who should I call? Here is a simple guide to
things you should consider when pricing your
new driveway. What type of shape is the
driveway in right now? Is the driveway new with
a new house? Is the driveway 30 plus years old
with a lot of cracks and missing chunks of
asphalt? Is the driveway 5 to 10 years old but has
deep ruts? Is the driveway 10 to 20 years old with
just a few cracks?
First, what is a good driveway? A driveway starts
with a strong gravel base. The strong gravel base
must be placed on ground free of any topsoil or
organic material. This ensures there is no water
held under the driveway. Water can cause soft
areas or settling and cracking from the freezing in
winter. The minimum for a strong gravel base is
12” of gravel with at least the top 4” being
crushed gravel but preferably the entire 12” being
crushed gravel. The crushed gravel is also called
Granular ‘A’. The gravel base must be well
compacted and allowed to settle for a few weeks
before paving on it.
be sure that the excavation and gravel base for the
widening is included in your price for the paving.
If your driveway is 30 plus years old and has a lot
cracks and is missing chunks of asphalt you must
remove the existing asphalt and repave with a
minimum of 2” of asphalt. The existing base must
be regraded and well compacted. When getting a
price for the removal and repaving also ask for a
quote to excavate and replace the existing base if
needed. This will save any disagreements about
extra billing if the base is found to be insufficient.
If your driveway has deep ruts this is a sign of a
poor base. The asphalt must be removed and the
existing base must be excavated and replaced with
a good base and repaved.
(Paving crew paving a driveway)
The asphalt surface should be a minimum of 2”
after it has been compacted or called the finish
thickness. Thicker asphalt may be required if the
vehicles that use the driveway are heavy like
motor homes, large trucks or vans. There are
several types of asphalt that are used for
driveways. HL4 and HL3 are sometimes called
road grade asphalt. These asphalt mixes are
coarser with more stone and are stronger but they
look stony. HL3a, HL3m or HL2 fine mixes are
sometimes called driveway mixes. These mixes
are finer with more sand and are softer but they
produce a smooth finish.
If you have a new house make sure your builder
has supplied you with a good base. If you would
like an area larger than what the builder installed,
If your driveway is 10 to 20 years old with little
or no cracking it could be overlaid. This is placing
a single layer of asphalt over the existing asphalt.
If there are any cracks, they should be repaired
prior to the overlay. If these cracks are not
repaired they will show through in as little as a
few months. The driveway must have tack coat
applied, which is a form of liquid asphalt prior to
the paving to ensure a good bond between the
new and the old asphalt.
There are also many variations that you could
want, like widening your driveway or adding
additional parking spots. This type of work should
follow the same principals.
look at their work. Warranties are also very
important, and they should be a minimum of one
year.
Driveways are a large investment. The cheapest
price does not mean the best quality work.
(Water leaking under this catch basin has forced it up
cracking the asphalt)
Water must be addressed in all situations. The
water must always have a place to go. The
driveway grade should be away from all buildings
and toward grass areas or the street. If this cannot
be done a catch basin or drain should be installed
but there also must be an outlet for these
structures as well.
(Asphalt can be placed in any shape or size)
Jay R. Armstrong, C.E.T. is president of McCann
Paving Inc. For further information on these and
additional types of projects please contact:
info@mccannpaving.com
Phone: 519-271-0353, 519-539-6699
Fax: 519-271-5742, 519-469-3413
Or visit our website: www.mccannpaving.com
(Rusted out driveway culvert, must be repaired prior to
paving)
Selecting a contractor can also be difficult. You
may have one knock on your door wishing to
quote on the driveway. If a contractor says they
have some extra asphalt from another job,
BEWARE! This is a means of pressuring you into
a quick decision. You can take their written quote
but tell them you wish to get at least two more
quotes before proceeding with the work. Then
take the time to research their quote. Get three
quotes and compare them. Are they pricing the
same work? Is the area of work the same, is the
thicknesses the same and is the type of asphalt the
same? Ask the contractor for references and go
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