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Well in the next year or so we will be putting in a new driveway. As it is now it is about 12 feet deep and 40 feet wide and gravel Bla... We are thinking about concrete, Paved, or even Brick/pavers. Does anyone have anything to add that may help us pick one over the other?
Posts: 176 | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
Depends on how much you are willing to spend. Pavers look great, but cost a ton of money. you could pave and block the sides. Also what are the weather conditions where you live?
Posts: 160 | From: Toms River, NJ | Registered: Mar 2003
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Well it is Indiana... Here is a crappy pic of what I need to do. It is a little longer to the left but you get the idea. also it will be more level with the alley that will be paved at the end of the month.. Posts: 176 | Registered: Sep 2001
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concrete is probably the best, blacktop looks good but doesnt hold up as well , nice rides
Posts: 42 | From: OLYMPIA ,WASHINGTON | Registered: Aug 2003
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There are pro's and cons to every choice. Concrete tends to flake during the winter from salt melting off your car. I had that problem in Ohio even though I had sealer on my concrete. And if you go with concrete, get the type thats is reinforced with fibers. Also use a good wire mesh for reinforcement. Pour it thick enough that it won't break up on you......personally, I would use 2x6's for forms rather than 2x4's. But,if it were my choice, it would be asphalt. I have had both types and prefer ashphalt. If you seal it ever other year, it will last a long time. Plus it can be retopped too rather than tearing it out (which is what you have to do with concrete.)
-------------------- Dave S Black 2000 Camaro SS Posts: 502 | From: Fort Mill, South Carolina....Charlotte | Registered: Aug 2003
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I am going to install a drive way at my new house.Probably use ashphalt due to the fact I would need to be rich to afford concrete to due the very large driveway from the road to the poll barn. Maybe I will line the edges with a paver design. Posts: 5682 | From: Dearborn,Mi. | Registered: Feb 2002
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I have a concrete driveway using coloure concrete and stamped with a pattern. I've had people stop and ask to take a photo to show their builder.
You could use a nice grey stamped concrete drive!
The down side, I clean and seal it every spring to help preserve it from salt damage. It only takes a couple hours and at least I'm outside working!
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Wife & Best Friend Mary - copilot. Posts: 5558 | From: Windsor, Ontario. Canada | Registered: Feb 2000
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Pavers are cool but cost a lot... as others have said concrete can be colored now and made to look like pavers. I think they have advanced technology for driveways... where I live they use diamond saws and put lots of relief cuts in the slabs... after 4 years I don't have any cracks.... one pro with pavers is you could replace one if it got damaged etc.
-------------------- 2002 SS #5973 Posts: 1045 | From: Seattle, WA | Registered: Nov 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Hawkeye: I have a concrete driveway using coloure concrete and stamped with a pattern. I've had people stop and ask to take a photo to show their builder.
You could use a nice grey stamped concrete drive!
The down side, I clean and seal it every spring to help preserve it from salt damage. It only takes a couple hours and at least I'm outside working!
This is Brian's beautiful driveway. I would love to have one like that! Posts: 5682 | From: Dearborn,Mi. | Registered: Feb 2002
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My parents have had black top for about 15 years before getting actual brick pavers. You need to seal the black top every other year..and will eventually crack if prep work underneath is not done correctly. You need an nice THICK later of stones underneath with whatever job you're goign to do. They just put in brick pavers this past fall and it looks AWESOME!! But its pricey!!! I think for our small driveway, it cost around $9k, but was done correct and professionally with top of the line pavers. Here's a bad pic of the driveway (I know, damn Cavy in the way!) ...i'll post more tonight when i get home:
[ 12. April 2004, 09:32 AM: Message edited by: Cavy Dan ]
Posts: 2651 | From: Enola (Harrisburg Area), Pennsylvania | Registered: Jan 2002
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I think the brick would be a real nice touch if you can afford it.
Posts: 272 | From: Woodstock, Georgia | Registered: Aug 2003
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Fbodfather
They don't make songs about Volvos.
Member # 1119
posted
I've had all three.....and I would only go with concrete.
Paving, if done right, is not inexpensive. You can get it paved for a good price, but you'll eventually have an uneven surface if it is not put in correctly (dug up and a lot of base put down).....and it has to be sealed with regularity. Even then, you will eventually have 'ruts' as the ground settles.
Pavers look great, but again, if they aren't put in correctly, you'll get dips and ruts. And they are expensive!
Concrete, on the other hand, can be competitively priced....and if done correctly, you shouldn't have problems other than cracking (and only if it was not done correctly) You can stain concrete, or, as Hawkeye points out, have it embossed. Further, a builder friend of mine tells me that, correctly done, concrete is priced just slightly higher than paving.
A good concrete driveway will last for years. (Mine was put in back in 1935.....yes, nineteen thirty five) and does not yet have a crack in it. I do pressure wash it every other year to take off the 'leaf stains' (I have monster maple trees.....)
Lastly....ask around and go look at other jobs...the cheapest price is usually NEVER the best deal....you get what you pay for.
Two last things....how long has your driveway been there? You want to make sure that the ground has settled before you do anything. AND: consider drainage! You may want to put a catch basin in or at least provide drainage to take the water way from running into the yard. A heavy rain can swamp your yard very quickly!!!!
posted
I have had all threee types as well. The most important aspect of any driveway is the preparation of the base. Ideally it should be 6-6 inches of compacted gravel. The more effort spent on the base will have more bearing on how well a driveway stands up in the long haul than aynthing else.
Having said that, my preference from least to most is paved, then brick/concrete pavers then concrete.
An asphalt driveway should be at least (absolute minimum) 2 inches of asphalt. Asphalt is only cheaper because a lot of contractors use at most 1 inch thick and use an asphalt without a lot of binder in it. This stuff is easy to spot becasue it looks porous. The other problem with asphalt is that it gets soft in the summer, resulting in tire markings and forget about using jack stands on it. Dripping oil is a disaster to.
Pavers are better because the surface is harder and heat/sun has no effect. They can also be removed for spot repairs. One of the problems with pavers is weeds. grass etc growing between the pavers. Also, the base prep is absolutely crucial to avoid sinking.
Concrete is my first choice. It is durable done properly. It can be coloured and stamped with different patterns. We replaced our asphalt with coloured patterned concrete. The pattern is a small fieldstone pattern and coloured to go with the brick on the house. It is 5 inches thick, with wire mesh reinforcement. I supervised the pouring and finishing to make sure it was done properly. (I used to work for a very large general contractor)
It has been in for two three years now, and still looks perfect. This will be the first year that we will reseal it.
If you are worried about salt you can specify the use of Type 50 concrete rather than the normal Type 10 concrete. It costs more, but Type 50 is a sulfate resistant concrete meaning that the surface should not flake with salt.
Posts: 383 | From: Oakville, Ontario Canada | Registered: Jan 2003
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Fbodfather
They don't make songs about Volvos.
Member # 1119
posted
one other thing....asphalt tends to "track" when it's new......and also after resealing..... The dealership was mostly asphalt...and you could see the path where my father walked into their bedroom to his chest of drawers to empty his pockets every nite....it gets on your shoes and can ruin carpeting.
-------------------- Posts: 749 | From: Detroit | Registered: Aug 2001
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Maybe I will just get a bunch of gravel down for now and after a year or two it should be compacted enough to get a cement drive. Posts: 5682 | From: Dearborn,Mi. | Registered: Feb 2002
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Pavers are better because the surface is harder and heat/sun has no effect. They can also be removed for spot repairs. One of the problems with pavers is weeds. grass etc growing between the pavers. Also, the base prep is absolutely crucial to avoid sinking.
With ours, the guy that did the pavers used a sand/cement mix inbetween the pavers, giving it even more strength. If you drench it enough,the 'cement' wil become loose and you're able to pull a brick out if need be. This compound is not only to prevent weeds, but give the driveway more strength and durability.
I think that colored concrete is a neat idea, and looks very similar to the pavers, with less cost! Posts: 2651 | From: Enola (Harrisburg Area), Pennsylvania | Registered: Jan 2002
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I went out to my new house last night and the nice house next door was had a new driveway poured. I asked the contractor to come over and give me an estimate. He measured the drive from the street to my pole barn. It is 161' long and I wanted it double wide.He says it will need 53 yards of concrete and is 4200 square feet. The estimate price was $11,000! Looks like there will be no cement drive in the near future. If ashphalt is going to be only a couple grand cheaper,I will go for the cement. Right now it looks like a few yards of crushed gravel is going to have to make due. Posts: 5682 | From: Dearborn,Mi. | Registered: Feb 2002
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