Cracked and crumbling concrete driveway? Thinking about about installing asphalt over your concrete driveway? Let’s take a look at a few things you should consider before you take the next step.
“You Can Pay Me Now, Or You Can Pay me Later”
Back in the 70’s, Fram Oil filters created a marketing campaign with the slogan “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later,” which means that you can pay a little for an oil change and new oil filter now, or a lot for an engine rebuild later. This slogan holds true today for most home improvement projects, especially in the driveway business. If you choose to have an asphalt driveway installed, then you must make sure the old concrete driveway is totally removed first. Skipping this step can lead to serious structural problems and result in a a much bigger financial commitment in the future.
Why Complete Removal of Your Concrete Driveway Is Important
If an old concrete driveway looks as if a few sections may have cracked, shifted or settled, then this driveway could be subject to an unstable foundation. Many driveway contractors skip attention to detail in preparing the foundation of a driveway, but your foundation is incredibly important. If the surface of your driveway gives you any indication that there might be an issue with the sub-base, then chances are, there probably is an underlying issue. You need to have the old driveway completely removed so you can correct these hidden problems of the sub-base in order to install a new driveway that will last for many years to come.
“Seven Years of Bad Luck”
When asphalt is installed over a concrete driveway with cracks and shifting joints, this can lead to what we call “mirror cracking” in the new asphalt very quickly. You can’t just simply “seal” the existing cracks and pave over the concrete driveway. Cracking, shifting and settling can also occur from harsh winters with freeze-thaw cycles, causing the driveway cracks to expand and sections to heave or shift, especially if the ground is highly saturated. If the cracks in the concrete driveway expand from the sub-base, the new asphalt surface will “mirror” the concrete base. Do you believe that a broken “mirror” is seven years’ bad luck? Whatever the case, it will certainly be a problem in the near future.
Installation Process: How to Replace a Concrete Driveway with Asphalt
- Demolition and removal of existing driveway
- Preparation of the sub base
- Undercutting, removal of any additional soil and any other adjustments to the sub base
- Rolling and compacting of the sub-base
- Installation of landscape fabric if necessary
- Installation of up to 6″ of crushed stone
- Rolling and compacting the crushed stone base
- Installation of new asphalt, machine laid and rolled to proper compaction
- Complete clean-up including any back-filling of driveway edges with top-soil, seed and straw
How Much Can I Expect to Pay?
The installation process laid out above can be very complicated with many different factors playing a role in the cost. These factors may include:
- Size of the concrete driveway
- Slope of the driveway
- Removal of any tree roots under the current concrete driveway
- Condition of sub-base under concrete driveway and if any further excavation of soil is necessary
- Installation of landscape fabric if necessary
- Any additional drainage solutions
- Equipment mobilization costs if base material needs to be installed and left to settle for up to 30 days prior to paving
As you can see above, this process can become complicated very quickly. Typically, you can find industry pricing to be in the range of $5 – $8 per square foot for converting a concrete driveway to asphalt.
Contact the professionals at F&M Contractors today to learn more about our comprehensive paving services.
About F&M Contractors
The trusted source in concrete and asphalt driveway paving since 1979. Contact us today for a free estimate. Check out where we have been working in your neighborhood!
