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Find Local Driveway, Patio, Paving Pros. Get Up to 4 Quotes Now. It's Quick, Free, and Easy!
WHY DO
DRIVEWAYS COST SO MUCH?
Here is something you should know!
The cost of
Materials, Trucking, Gas, Insurance
& Labor have sky-rocketed in
the
past
few years.
As
a result, the quality of workmanship
& materials is on the
decline.
The
main factors on how much you are going to spend
on a new driveway largely depends on the material
& labor you want
provided.
The
expensive driveways are the
most labor intense!
I have
listed the
following driveway materials in
order:
With
the most
expensive installations on top,
The least
expensive Driveway's at the bottom.
*
asterisk = Videos
at bottom of Image locations
- *COBBLE
STONE if
you can even find the precious
granite.
- *PAVERS
OR BRICK
with there various colors and
design patterns. (The term pavers refers to man made pre-cast blocks)
- *STAMPED
&
COLORED CONCRETE with various
design patterns.
- CONCRETE
in it's
most natural form any
variations will alter price.
- STAMPED
& COLORED
ASPHALT know as
street print.
- *ASPHALT
an
economical choice, has flexibility because it is made of an oil based
by-product.
- *MACADAM Also known as
Tar & Chip, a stone base w/
hot oil to secure
smaller color stones which produce a rough surface (often with
loose stone)
- *STONE DRIVEWAYS
if you
like maintenance,
(constant movement of stone and don't forget about weed growth)
- *GRAVEL
DRIVEWAYS of
course every
driveway listed above
has much of the precious material but they are not exposed. Gravel is always a good
place to start if money is an. issue because it can be covered at a
later date with the material of your choice!!!
- *RECYCLED
GRAVEL also
known as R.A.P is even a
better tribute to any driveway. It cost less because it is man-made and
contains crushed asphalt, crushed concrete and brick but I have found
it to be a great base for going over or to leave exposed. The product
holds very well In rain and snow and is very durable. Water seems to
penetrate it well and it does not turn to mud very easily (as will the
more expensive gravel with clay).
All of the
above products are usually installed by the sq./ft. or sq./yd.
depending on product used and the contractor that is installing the
driveway.
1 Square foot = 12" x
12"
1
Square
yard = 9 square feet
To determine
the square footage multiply the width by the length
for example:
50' x 100' =
5000sq/ft
Or
555.5 sq/yds if you
divide 5000 sq. ft by 9.
Generally
the larger or commercial jobs are converted into sq. yards.
Driveways are
usually configured by the square foot.
Cobble
stone, pavers & brick applications
These
are the Rolls Royce's of the driveway entrepreneur!
Real driveway art where the look and designs make a statement!
There beauty, elegance and
grace also comes with a hefty price tag.
The reason they cost
so much, is each piece has to be hand set one
at a time, and each piece has a purchase price.
Much time is spent hand
laying these products not to mention color and design patterns and
cutting hundreds of them to fit.
Think of is as putting
together a
large 10,000 piece puzzle, on your hands and knees, where each piece
weighs about 10 lbs., and you have to make the pieces fit as you go!
This
is a time consuming task, there-fore
making it very expensive.
Imagine having to
purchase 10,000
pieces for
example:
and each one
cost $3.00, this product would cost the contractor $30,000.
Before
he can even begin to bid on the driveway installation and labor cost,
he would need to know exactly what product, colors and design pattern
that you desire!
- Cobble stone may cost as much as $5.00
each
- Bricks or Paver can cost anywhere from
.50 cents to as much as $3.00 each with a great variety of shapes and
colors.
- Durability:
last a lifetime & some pavers come with a warranty
- Price range:
$10 sq/ft - $60 sq/ft
- Maintenance:
semi-annual washing & sealing, weed control yearly
Stamped
& colored
concrete
The
durability of concrete with a more
distinguished look.
These
driveways come in a variety of styles and colors. Not as time consuming
to install as a paver or brick driveway. They add a touch of character
& beauty far beyond the standard concrete installations.
Your
concrete professionals can show you the many patterns & designs as
well as color options. These driveways also have a very long life
expectancy (sometimes 50 years).
They
need to be installed
properly and survive the first few seasons without
cracking.
All concrete installations need expansion joints which control where
the cracking will take place.
Re-bar or wire mess is also helpful to
increase it's strength and decrease the chances of cracking.
- Durability:
30-50 year life expectancy
- Prince range:
$5. sq/ft. - $24. sq/ft.
- Maintenance:
semi-annual washing & sealing
top
of page
Concrete
Good old fashion concrete! It's hard to beat
the
durability of this product provided it doesn't crack within the first
year.
Cracking is more of a problem in the northern
climates because
frost is always inevitable. Frosts heaves are one of the major causes
of surface cracks in all driveway
products.
All concrete installations need joint
expansions which control where
the cracking will take place. Re-bar or wire mess is also helpful to
increase it's strength and decrease the chances of cracking.
For an additional cost, a color additive
can be applied to make a more appealing driveway, ask your concrete
professional! Concrete also can have a multitude of finishes and
dressed with stone (aggregates) or slate toppings.
Be careful not to
make the
finish real smooth or it will become slippery when wet! On the downside
concrete can be difficult to keep clean and stains can be difficult to
remove.
- Durability:
30-50 year life expectancy
- Prince range:
$3. sq/ft. - $12. sq/ft.
- Maintenance:
semi-annual washing & sealing
top of page
Stamped & colored
asphalt
The
method of making asphalt look like brick
has been patented
by a company know as Street Print.
To my knowledge, to become a street
print installer, a contractor needs to purchase the copy rights from
Street
Print. This means the cost is going to be high, and the number of
contractors that can install Street Print will be low.
Street Print
installations are no doubt beautiful, but be aware that the color tends
to fade and there is a on-going maintenance cost associated with this
product.
The coloring is more expensive than seal
coating and needs to
be done every couple of years. These types of driveways have all the
durability of asphalt and have no weed control problem associated with
brick or paver installations.
Street Print
is basically asphalt that
looks like brick and comes in a variety of colors.
- Durability:
10-30 year life expectancy
- Prince range:
$3. sq/ft. - $12. sq/ft.
- Maintenance:
semi-annual washing & coloring
top
of page
The plain old black look that just keeps America
rolling! Nearly every
road in the world is made of asphalt because it is the most
economical.
Resistant to cracking because it is made of
oil which
gives it more elasticity than concrete. Easier to keep clean because it
is already black. The downside is the heat that it draws on a hot
summer
day (because
of it's
dark color)!
Asphalt can also be applied over concrete or
be re-applied
over existing asphalt. This method is known as resurfacing, and is only
as good as the base you are
covering.
Watch
This Video
For
example:
If you apply new asphalt over badly cracked concrete or asphalt, within
a year or so
the resurface
(the new asphalt placed on top) will
crack also.
Asphalt with age becomes brittle and
dries out from the elements, so
the older it is, the more vulnerable to cracking. I believe that
seal coating rejuvenates the elasticity in asphalt and should be
applied every 2 - 3 years
Asphalt Berm or Curbing can also
be used on Asphalt pavements.
Berm is Installed by the Linear foot to create Landscaping Islands in
parking lots or to prevent water runoff on steep driveways, or as a
curb.
- Durability:
10-30 year life expectancy
- Prince range:
$1. sq/ft. - $6. sq/ft.
- Maintenance:
semi-annual washing & seal coating
top
of page
Macadam driveways are basically crushed stone
or
gravel driveways that
are sprayed with a hot oil (liquid asphalt) placed on the compacted
gravel base.
Also know as Tar & Chip when
applied to existing asphalt or concrete driveways (resurface).
A layer of 1/4” - 1/2” colored stone is then
applied to fill the
voids then rolled in. Cement sand slurry or a coat of asphalt is
sometimes used as a binder.
This system is an
alternative to asphalt and is popular, not only for
its color choices, but also for its reasonable cost.
Macadam driveways
come in a variety of colors & stone sizes, provide good
traction on
icy roadways, and require minimal maintenance. It lacks the longevity
of concrete or asphalt, but can be rejuvenated every 6–10 years with a
new coat
of liquid asphalt & different stone color at a reasonable cost.
- Durability:
6-10 year life expectancy
- Prince range:
$1. sq/ft. - $4. sq/ft.
- Maintenance:
Constant loose stone
top
of page
Stone driveways are a bit crude, the
stone can move so much, that maintenance can be an ongoing problem.
Stone can be purchased in a variety of
sizes and color, and may be practical for large
applications. They should always be applied on a good solid gravel base
and never exceed 2"- 4" in depth.
Stone, when used as a driveway will
often
end up in your garage, and make a great item for kids to throw through
a
window, probably why it is not allowed in many cities as a driveway
material.
Stone driveways are seen more in rural
applications where the
driveways are so long, it wouldn't be practical to use concrete or
asphalt.
Maintenance is constant, always in need of re:grading and
weed control.
Stone driveways are often lined with a border to help retain the
material.
- Durability:
Lifetime (of maintenance)
- Prince range:
$1. sq/ft. - $4. sq/ft.
- Maintenance:
Constant loose stone & weeds
top
of page
Gravel driveways are the least
expensive driveways.
However every driveway is made of
gravel and then
covered with the many choices listed above.
In a way, everyone has a
gravel driveway with a finish on top. Gravel driveways unfinished, do
hold very well if they are not on a steep hill (which rain will wash
away eventually) or in a low spot, always under water.
The best gravel to leave exposed
for
a long time is R.A.P. (recycled
asphalt product), a great product on any
driveway. It cost less because it is a recycled blend of crushed
asphalt, crushed concrete and crushed brick.
I have found
it to be a great base for paving or to leave exposed. The product
holds very well in rain and snow and is very durable. Water seems to
penetrate it well and it does not turn to mud very easily (as will the
more expensive gravel with clay).
Gravel driveways are only as good
as
the gravel used. Some river bank gravel's are very sandy and get very
sloppy in rain and don't compact well. Most good compact able gravels
are man-made and called processed gravel.
Some processed gravel's are
more expensive than R.A.P. and do not hold up to rain and snow as well.
Most processed gravel's contain a clay mix which has great compacting
features but clay gets soupy when wet. .
If you have a large driveway
project and money is issue, I
suggest you start with a good solid gravel base of R.A.P. leaving
it exposed for a year or more until you can afford the desired finish.
It will cost you a little
bit
more to have just gravel installed for now
and having it finished later, but it will break up the cost and have
time to fully settle & serve it's purpose. You can also do your
driveway project in stages. If you have a very large driveway, finish
one small section at a time, step by step to fit your budget!
- Durability:
Lifetime
- Prince range:
$.50 sq/ft. - $3. sq/ft.
- Maintenance:
minimum (except washing away on hills and
occasional re:grading and weed control)
If you would like to receive
free driveway information!
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