Finally! After 6 years of parking on the grass, tracking in dirt and grit, waiting until the day we could add a garage and construct an actual driveway, it’s finally here! Once the garage addition was complete, the first order of business was getting the driveway in order. Because of the length, we chose asphalt. Asphalt is less expensive than concrete but it requires a little more maintenance and doesn’t last quite as long. That said, it was the right choice for us. I actually like the way the black asphalt ties in with our house. Our main concern was how hot it would get underfoot but the majority of the driveway is shaded. So far, the heat hasn’t been an issue. Things may be different in the middle of summer. Anyway, here are the details and cost breakdown of our new asphalt driveway.
New Asphalt Driveway Process
Culvert Replacement
The first thing we had to do was replace the culvert. The old culvert was a narrow PVC pipe and had incurred some damage over the years. We had it replaced with a metal culvert and had them do concrete end caps so it looks nice and clean. The total cost for new culvert installation was $4k.
Asphalt Paving
Once the culvert was in place, it was time to prep for the new asphalt driveway. First, the paving company excavated the dirt and grass from the area that would become the driveway. We marked everything out with them prior to excavation so we knew where the asphalt would begin and end, and how it would curve to meet the garage. They excavated about 6.5″ deep.
After the dirt and debris was excavated, they brought in and installed 5″ of crushed concrete base material. Everything is compacted down with a huge roller. After that they laid 1.5″ of asphalt and compacted it down.
In addition to our main driveway, we added a small section of asphalt off of our pull-through garage bay on the backside of the garage.
The process was interesting. A dump truck dumps asphalt into the paver and the paver drops asphalt in sections. It is hot and the smell is so strong. They spread it out and compact it down by hand and then the big roller machine comes in behind them.
As you can see, the driveway opens up a lot close to the garage. Originally, we had a 10′ driveway before it opened up, but we added 3′ in the last hour because we felt like 10′ was too narrow. We extended the asphalt on the left side of the garage too, to allow for a large parking area. In total, our driveway is about 270 feet long and about 5,800 sq ft of asphalt.
As you can see, the driveway opens up a lot close to the garage. Originally, we had a 10′ driveway before it opened up, but we added 3′ in the last hour because we felt like 10′ was too narrow. We extended the asphalt on the left side of the garage too, to allow for a large parking area. In total, our driveway is about 270 feet long and about 5,800 sq ft of asphalt.
The total cost for our asphalt driveway was $27k. In the end, we weren’t 100% satisfied with the results. There were a few low areas that Mike had them go back and fill. The asphalt was not a cohesive color and a lot of areas were white and blotchy after they sanded it down, which they do to avoid tire damage to the asphalt. They offered us a small discount and our first seal coat will be free of charge. Overall, it looks so much better and did a lot for not only our curb appeal but also just how we live! The end result wasn’t 100% as anticipated but it takes up to a year for asphalt to fully cure and its appearance will change over time.
*One thing to note. The culvert replacement was done by a local landscape supply company and the asphalt by a separate company that specializes in paving. Neither of which are related to the general contractor responsible for our garage addition. Just wanted to clarify. It was tricky finding a company to do the culvert and there are not many asphalt companies that serve residential properties so we had to dig a little.
