Driveway questions... asphalt, concrete, pavers, etc...

reg... if you go the concrete route you should be able to order it "by the yard" have the truck deliver it and pour. doing most of the manual labor yourself ( or five of your friends) you would have to set up your driveway ahead of time Ie remove all the old crap level, maybe a bed of aggragate... (try home depot for this) try going with half the driveway now and the other half in a year or so....that might take the brunt of out laying the money all at once... Asphalt is cheap , but if you don't prep right you will have potholes and all kinds of other problems that you are constantly patching..

Plus you can write shit in concrete

 

The prep is the hardest process to worry about. Water run off has to be planned or you will end up with puddles in your garage or standing water that will find its way into cracks and ruin that expensive new driveway. You need to plan drainage before you start leveling things out in case you need to dig a trench and run a drainage pipe.

As for the finish material, pavers are great and add value to the home (which is really needed in this economy). They are the most expensive and labor intensive of the popular choices; especially the prep work (leveling, grading, installation). If you go the concrete route there are patterns you can press into the drying mix to mimic pavers or maybe the VFR World symbol! :thumb: You can also add color to the mix or stain it afterward to match the home color and really get a nice result. Asphalt, well its just asphalt... But hey, its cheap!

Which-ever one you decide PM me when you're ready to install; I'll be glad to help.

 

Hey Reg I drive a mixer truck and here is a little tip for ya. 1st go to all of the concrete companies in your area and ask what they do with leftover concrete. a lot of times they have a difficult time getting rid of leftovers and if they find a person willing to take it u get for it free and u have made them very happy. depending in they're local they may have a hell of a time getting rid of leftover material. u just have to have your forms to pour into ready so that when they call and tell you they a couple of full loads that were loaded on the wrong day or whatever you are ready to pour it when they get there. This happens all of the times . we have had to just dump on the ground up to 9 full loads of concrete behind our plant and then they have to pay someone to haul it away. usually to be recycled . couldn't hurt to ask. every load is about a K dollars. and they can't resell leftovers ( not legally anyway) so somebody is getting it for free or actually getting paid to take it. so it may take a while but I know guys that have 20K of concrete work that they got for free. just tell'em when your available to receive it and be ready. some times it might just be a yard or it might be 9 yards= full load. u will need help some good friends. I cant guarantee this will work I can guarantee that they all need a place to go to get rid leftovers. might as well be u. good luck and let me know how it works out for u.

 

Be prepared to spot the driver a few bucks too. They have folks to feed too.

 

One thing about concrete Reg is that if you do it one piece at a time, the finished product is likely to show just that. AS you know, concrete does wear. Stamping patterns into concrete certainly will mask that but stamping is kind expensive as well. I like the looks of pave rs but I don't like the upkeep on them. Weeds and stuff growing through the cracks. And they do settle, especially parking vehicles on them. But I am kinda an anal type of guy when it comes to my yard. Fack, I pressure wash my driveway, the city sidewalks and the concrete curb out front once a year.

When they built my present house, I think they just poured the concrete on top of dirt. No re-bar in it and it cracked really bad. If you pour concrete, try not to disturb the base layer of crushed concrete you already have there. It has settled well into place and will make a good bed from the driveway. If you have to get a machine into there to remove that stuff, be sure to replace it with a good 4 - 6 inches or gravel and get a compacter in and pack that shit down real good before you lay the new concrete.

I will be following suit probably next year. New driveway, sidewalks around to the back and patio. New front steps while I am at it. Think I will get the wife to pay for it. She has more money that I do and the only way I ever get my hands on any of it is if it is for something for the house.

 

well it looks like your priorities are the top half of the drive and where Terri parks. Your probably looking at a day for prep then a day for pouring and finishing.... I know for a while concrete was in high demand due to a mining failure. so it has been mixed up almost to the amount needed. but , Hey who knows. stop a cement truck driver one day and ask him about it. If you fcan work out something your going to have to be flexible about the stuff being delivered.... ... Oh.... check to make sure you aren't going to need any permits...I know this sounds wierd but you are here in California and they require a permit to do any kind of upgrades. your in SLO county , IIRC you shouldn't but check just to be on the safe side

 

Well one thing that I've seen before is hollow or patterned concrete blocks 4" thick layed on their sides, tampped in and filled with Dirt and planted with grass as a more eco friendly option and it allows water to flow through. Mowwing short is quick and easy. I've see recycled plastic products for this purpose too. Also recycled rubber pavers as well... Anywhere near you to buy recycled bricks from a big commercial demmo?

 

there is no longer the high demand for concrete now a days crusty that was when china who is #2 in cement producing was hoarding it for that huge dam they were building. I drive for Cemex they are and have been for quite sometime been #1 in cement and #2 in agragate worldwide. and the housing bubble didnt help at all. and as far piece work u get the right finisher and wont be able to tell the diff. if I was going to buy concrete I would definitely do it now. everybody is trying underbid everybody else. even my company and nobody gets it cheaper the we do. If you can get a finisher who works for 1 of the bigger contractors with an account that does side jobs, and they all do. he will get a great price on the concrete and let him know that you know he does when he gives u a bid. lot finishers out of work. just go to you nearest flea market and look at all of the finishing tools for sale. I did last weekend and couldn't believe it. just don't pay for the work up front. and like crusty said stop a driver they know all of the good finishers in your area.

 

I like pavers, personally. Designs, colors, and definitely add a touch of class or elegance to any residence. But no doubt expensive. I trust your friend is good with them. If not, I've seen paver jobs fall apart/shift/sink within a years time.

In your area, do you have to be concerned with Quakes? How will the concrete hold up? Assume you need expansion joints? Based on all your other posts it doesn't sound like it gets cold too often by you, but still may be a consideration.

Here in Jersey asphalt is probably the most common choice. I did my driveway about 4 years ago. Ripped up the old, and put down a layer of quarry process (QP) about 3 inches thick. Let that sit for about 2 weeks as we drove on it (in addition to having it rolled). Had the driveway lined with Belgian Blocks. Eventually had the asphalt done at something like 4.5 inches compressed down to 3. 3100 square foot driveway and recall it being about $4500 (not including the Blocks, which are disgustingly expensive).

Bang for the buck (out here at least) is definitely asphalt. They work the same way as concrete haulers - if they have leftover at the end of the day, the will look to sell it cheaper.

 

I did a big ass driveway on one of my properties done in asphalt. I waited until the road crew was coming through the area, went and chatted them up, threw in with a guy that had a liquor store bait shop down the street, we each threw in 1k and the crew came over on Saturday and knocked out both jobs. So it cost me 1k, looks good, is big and wide, and if you put a seal coat on it every once in a while, lasts for yrs.

Add about 250 bucks for the load of gravel I had the guys from the hardware store deliver for underlay, sorry, almost forgot that.

Dont know for sure, but Id bet your motorcycle that money went directly to someone's pocket and the county never knew, and I dont want to know. :whistle:

Give a try, since you are known for your ....thrift.....there's nothing better than talking your way into a new driveway. :thumbsup:

 

Damn......Bear just called you a tight wad.......

now that waswn't very nice

 

Hey Reg, I've spent 5 years setting up and pouring concrete driveways, stoop, sidewalks, etc. I won't recommend concrete, but its what I know here in Wisconsin. Hopefully your garage is higher than the road out front, they will pitch the concrete to the side with the best drainage. Whatever the height of the garage is to the road they will dig down to virgin ground or add to and compact to the specified height the concrete will be from garage to road at probably a half inch to the foot of pitch. Whatever your local requirements are. Most likely they will pour a four inch slab. I dont know anything about earthquakes, but here in Wisconsin, concrete heaves because of frost, but settles back down in the spring thaw. If you do concrete, ask for them to sawcut it with a machine, rather than tooling by hand the joints. This makes for more even cracks, because concrete does always crack. A 20 by 20' piece should be cut into four even 10 by 10's, for example. Concrete is good with a broom finish and can be pressure washed. Will last a long time and look decent if originally done right. For your sit. I would recommend doing the approach first in front of the garage because I'm sure the price of concrete per yard is pretty high in Cali. Here last I knew it was about 90 bucks a yard. Compared to 72 when I used to do it. The best way to go about this is to find someone who does concrete for a living, and have him do it on the weekend with about four of your friends. He will be able to set it up right, and set it up for future pourings. I did concrete and took side jobs all the time, those guys like the extra money and free beer.

Another option is crushed red granite, which I'm not sure is available out west. Its small decorative red rock that crushes donw nice and hard, and looks good also. Especially with a border of some kind, very popular here.

Good luck reg, I know it can be a headache deciding this stuff.

 

Now that ^^^^ sounds like the most informed advise so far. I like that tid bit about the cut expansion joints rather than the trowelled ones. I did not know that.

I have one of these, the yellow one, the 12 inch Whirl-a-way jobby. It sure makes short order of any concrete cleaning. And I mean really short order.

Pressure washer surface cleaners

But I didn't pay anywhere near $200.00 for my attachment. Mine was only about $100.00 for the exact same thing.

 

the cleaner the rock underlayment, the better. Compact the hell out of the gravel, (as the father-in-law says, compaction, compaction, compaction!) also helps out a lot. If you go with concrete, put down a good mesh, and stronger PSI concrete. It will be thicker, and a little harder to move, but will last longer and less prone to the breaking and cracking. Believe it or not, but we do get quakes here in the Midwest. There is a big fault line in southern Illinois that has moved a couple of times. Nothing like the California quakes, but still we do get the shakes once in a while. Anchor it well to existing, if it is there, but do not punch through your foundation, which will cause leaks down the road.

I think there is also a blacktop that can be done. Something else to look into.

Check with you local laws as well, for rate of drop, and what kind of inspections you have to have as well. Laws vary from city to city, or county to county.

 

Good advice there, Jesus.

 

My two cents:
- I know total cost is a bitter pill, but you will save in the long run doing it all at once, vs getting crews out there 3 or 4 times for small jobs. Consider it an investment in your home, and you will get more for less money by doing it all at once.
- Labor is cheap right now
- Research all options fully to ensure you are happy with your choice.
- Ditto on the drainage. Its something you don't consider until you have all kinds of issues afterward. There are some other choices out there, like permeable concrete which will let water drain right through it, but of course its more expensive.

I bought a new house a couple yrs back, the concrete drive was only about 40 ft long. Each 10 ft section was bordered nicely with bricks. Well I had the builder build me a garage in the rear, so negotiated to have the drive extended another 80 ft or so, to meet the garage. I even drew out a nice rounded turnaround up near the garage on the right.
Well, first, the extension I got was concrete only - no brick borders. I assumed they would brick it, and they never had any intention. So the driveway "changes" now halfway up it. Lesson learned... think about and make sure you agree on DETAILS before the work!

Secondly, they brushed the surface of the new concrete FAR more aggressively than the original portion - so much so that it not only looks different, but will tear up anything that touches it, including your knees etc while working on the car.

I *really* wanted to go with something more environmentally sound than 80x10 of solid concrete, and considered bricks, pavers with holes, permeable concrete or even doing a "split" drive with a 3 ft grass section in the middle between where the car tires would ride. Bottom line was my builder had never worked with the permeable concrete, and none of the others would match the original portion. Even though the new one doesn't match perfectly either I guess I am glad with my choice.

Oh, one final note. When they troweled the joints every ten feet, it created some huge lumps/waves of residue on either side of the joint tool. They told me it was called "cream" and was mostly water, and would either fall off or be easily removed. Wellll, that was all BS, as it's been almost 3 yrs and it is still there, in some areas big enough to break your toe on if you stub it by accident. On the flip side, I can hear anyone driving up the driveway from inside the house, as the tires slap over them. Gives me some warning when wifey is home!

 

How's the driveway coming? In LA you can't get a permit for an asphalt driveway unless you already have an asphalt driveway. IMO asphalt is the cheapest and easiest to build and maintain.