[MnM]

I am going to need a new driveway for my house.
Does anyone have any companies they dealt with and were happy?
Also whats an average cost per sq.ft?

Thanks

[Stoneman]

Paving: the biggest scam going. Research the company you decide to go with (references, BBB, insurance, etc)...

[hessogood]

do NOT go with CVS. They're gypsys.

Also don't pave a straight driveway...that has no excitement. You need at least three high speed turns and a chicane by the mailbox.

[MnM]

That would be awesome if I had a long enough driveway


EDIT: Its a new construction and I have a gravel driveway now. I wonder if I should just keep it gravel!

[keeena]

Originally posted by Stoneman
Paving: the biggest scam going.

Care to elaborate? I'm looking for a paver too. My driveway (basecoat) is horribly designed...pools water and there are little sinkholes opening up @ base of the garage. Surface is wavy. I'm almost thinking it should be torn up and prepared properly.

I've only got 1 quote for topcoating so far, but feel uneasy. I really pushed at having a grated drain trench @ the garage and the guy told me "no, no, we'll slope the top coat, you'll be fine". Also asked about why the BC was so poor (IMO) and if it needed to be fixed..."no, no, TC will fix it". Not sure what to look for w/ warranties and stuff.

Not cheap either. My driveway is 2-car wide and only about 60'...~$3300 for TC. Not sure what the BC was because it was part of the construction.

[MnM]

so keena would you say your driveway is 20'X60'?

I have gravel as a BC. So I wonder if I just need a TC or do they have to put a BC of asphault?

[RandyO]

most of the scammers are guys that sealcoat the pavement

you should have a good uniformly compacted well drained gravel base under any pavement.

[Stoneman]

I can't really elaborate other than most paving company owners *I* know of are total scumbags. I've NEVER heard anything pleasant about dealing with paving companies. Just one horror story after another...

I'm not sure what the technical, shop-talk is for it. But we're gonna just overcoat our gravel/crushed stone driveway with 'hard-pack'...

[keeena]

Originally posted by MnM
so keena would you say your driveway is 20'X60'?

I have gravel as a BC. So I wonder if I just need a TC or do they have to put a BC of asphault?

25'x60'.

I'm not sure...you'd have to ask an engineer. My guess is that BC and TC may just be references to how asphalt is applied in 2 layers. BC has larger chunks and TC is a finer material and thinner from what I understand (1-2" TC).

I think Stoneman is referring to contractors who put sealer on and call it TC. Thats BS.

Asphalt BC wouldn't be the same as the base "earth" (packed gravel, etc...) that needs to be prepared before asphalt can be applied.

[burnham]

Nashoba, Rice, and Kidco Paving all are good outfits. They may be a little far away from you. Chelmsford/Westford MA area. I have seen all of their work, I think Nashoba is the best.

[SWEET_Z]

How about no pavement:

http://www.alcoa.com/alcoa_consumer_...s_pavement.asp

[keeena]

Originally posted by SWEET_Z
How about no pavement:

http://www.alcoa.com/alcoa_consumer_...s_pavement.asp

Neat stuff, but not looking for a grass driveway.

[RandyO]

Originally posted by SWEET_Z
How about no pavement:

http://www.alcoa.com/alcoa_consumer_...s_pavement.asp

that stuff is expensive and not meant for primary drives & parking areas

[theothersean]

I live in North Brookfield MA we had a gravel driveway and it was a bitch for snow removal being un even and full of stones the plow for the tractor mower wouldn't ride flat leaving snow on the driveway in the tire ruts, and the snow blower would break sheer pins every time we used it throwing stone into the lawn for me to run over with the mower in the spring.. So paving was really our only option.

I have a 175' driveway 12' wide up to the garages and it opens up at the top for parking I think its roughly another 20' x 20' area.

We used accurate asphault in spencer I think the guys name was Richard Monette., also got a quote from spencer paving but accurate seemed to "talk a better talk" guess we won't know the difference anyway.

They came in and excavated down a foot to get all the big rocks out of the gravel , this is what causes frost heaving. then they back filled with crushed stone and sand. Did a 2'' base layer of asphault and a 1'' top coat for a 3'' total asphault surface.

the driveway is on a pretty good up hill grade all the way from the street to the garage and as I said before a lot of square footage. If memory serves me it was in the ball park of $9000.

I am happy with the work, we had a small problem where the asphault overlapped the concrete at the edge of the garage and they came righ out to fix it. Also one of their trucks left a rut in the lawn, I called on it and the next day they were out to fix that too.


The thing I didn't know was that as part of the job they do NOT back fill the edge of the driveway. you want to spread and pack dirt right up to the edge of the asphault so it doesn't crumble on the edges. They didn't tell me this until after it was done. Had I known that I would have asked how much more would that service be? OR I would have had dirt delivered to the yard BEfore the new driveway went in so I didn't have a 10 wheeled dump leaving ruts in my new asphault.

Its an expensive job any way you slice it but in the long run its easier for snow removal and adds value to the property.