How exactly to Prep a Driveway For Asphalt Paving

Although most people do not have the tools or equipment to really install an asphalt driveway there are several actions you can take to prepare the drive for paving work. The driveway without exception must have a good base underneath to pave upon. Soft or wet spots are the most common reason for failure of the pavement itself. Cracking or alligatoring means the bottom struggles to carry the weight of the vehicles driven over it. Severe wet spots will cause the pavement to fail totally and breakup into large chunks and cause the complete driveway to fail.

There are on the market ground stabilization fabric materials that can be laid under stone sub base materials in wet areas to help solidify the sub base itself. The material is fairly expensive but may allow installation of a driveway where it would not be possible other wise. If placed directly on the earth below the sub base and over the wet area, after the sub base material is properly compacted the bottom will support considerably more weight without and shifting or movement. Many masonry supply stores carry these materials. It will require two different people to roll out and handle the fabric since it generally will come in twelve foot wide rolls. A local excavating contractor could have some smaller rolls to sell. Give them a try as well.

Our first job is assure you can find no wet spots either by installing some under drains, ditching across the edges to carry away surface water or actually replacing a few of the wet earth with stone or other suitable materials. Sub base materials could be small and large stones, DOT item 4 materials, crushed gravel or bank run sand and gravel perhaps. The material must drain well and may be compacted with mechanical compactors. Drainage piping could be twelve inch corrugated piping which when installed will help water quickly pass under a drive or smaller four inch perforated piping run under the driveway areas encased in stone to provide constant pathways for water drainage without soaking the soils themselves. Water will always take the path of least resistance so any drainage piping installed will help the ground to dry much more quickly than nature allows by itself.

Once you have solved any current or potential water problems you can move on to the actual asphalt sub base itself. Most homeowner driveways have a four inch base of gravel shale or item 4 installed when the home was built. Over the passing years, car tires break the shale down into very small pieces that may not provide a great sub base material. Adding new shale or stone can become a yearly maintenance project to keep up a smooth driving surface. As the stone or shale is pressed in to the earth you are developing a thicker and thicker sub base. Depending upon whether you want your brand-new drive to complete up higher or perhaps level compared to the adjoining lawns or gardens is how much sub base you would like to have in the end. A typical residential driveway is ten feet wide having an actual driving surface around eight feet wide. For paving, you will need a good ten foot surface to obtain a nine foot drive. Ten foot drive, eleven foot surface and so forth. You must have at the very least six inches of sub base beyond the actual finished paved width on both sides. The excess flat area is used to backup the asphalt and stop the edges from crumbling. Remember also that asphalt and sub base may be around six inches thick and will require extra topsoil to backup the edge of the sub base and asphalt.

With the addition of sub base material and keeping the surface as level as you possibly can, you will already have the sub base built for the paving man. In many areas of the US a material called blue stone screenings can be acquired. This material is actually finely crushed granite and will come in three colors. Blue that will turn a darker blue when wet after a while. Red which will also turn a lighter blue as time passes and yellow which stays yellow tinted forever. Once graded, this material becomes as hard as concrete on a driveway. I've seen blue stone screening surfaces snow plowed winter after winter without any plowing damage. A fresh dusting every couple of years maintains the crisp color and in-fills any depressions that may have developed. This makes a brilliant sub-base for finished asphalt.

Well prior to the time and energy to have the driveway paved it's also advisable to install several conduits under the driveway for future landscape lighting. Depending upon the length of the drive, a crossing conduit every fifty feet roughly should suffice. If a location is quite rocky or wet, add additional conduits now before paving. Adding them later will require cutting and patching the asphalt and can not only destroy the driveways appearance but provides a potential area for surface water infiltration. Conduit is cheap and if you never use it, it is best safe than sorry. Plastic (PVC) conduit is better than metal as it will last underground forever. Put caps on both ends to avoid any nasty surprises down the road when you uncover them. Clearly mark the ends with stakes but additionally draw just a little map and take measurements to each end from permanent objects in the yard. Once the grass grows back you should have no idea where in fact the conduit ends are located. Should you choose this far ahead of the actual paving, your vehicle traffic will compact the sub-base and can prevent any future sinking beneath the asphalt and thereby causing the asphalt to crack. You don't want to have to cross the brand new asphalt with anything later on..

Call several paving contractors for prices. The nicest guy might not do the nicest job. Make sure you tell each one exactly the same things you want. In the event that you change the description of the task, you will not get comparable prices. Jot down what you would like done and then give them a copy. Ask for  https://huntingtonbeachasphaltpaving.com/  written quote to make certain they included everything on your lists. Will they pickup all spillage? Are they insured against yard damages to flowers or trees or your home? Just how long is driveway guaranteed? How thick with the rolled asphalt be when done? Loose rolled asphalt 3 inches thick will be only one 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick when rolled. Ask questions before they do the work. Get yourself a written signed contract and a copy of their insurance policy. Be very careful with down payments. Should they insist on one, make certain it is not a significant portion of the contract value. Many times a deposit is paid and the contractor never shows again. Do not be suckered in by sob stories. Reputable contractors have open accounts at asphalt plants , nor need your money to get the asphalt. If you sense something is awry move on to another person. Ask neighbors about his work or visit someone's house who he has just paved their driveway. Most people are pleased with their new yard and will glad to speak to you. Call the higher Business Bureau and check up on the contractor as well. It may appear to be you are a little over cautious but in the end it is your hard earned money.

After you have selected a contractor ask him/her when there is anything else that can be done to save several bucks on the purchase price. Maybe removing a pre-installed asphalt driveway apron or removing adjacent features such as signs or statues or whatever else he figured on doing for you. In the event that you save fifty bucks on the price, that is $ 50 towards the next project.