i’m thinking of having my driveway replaced this summer. Its in really bad shape! i know Bearcat says cement 
but is there a big differnce in price between cement or asphalt>>> its roughly 21 ft X 39 ft or 820 sq ft.
it currently is asphalt, the driveway faces the west of the house so the sun does a nice job of melting the snow and ice!! at this point i’m leaning back to asphalt but not hard set……any opinions??????/
I have opinions….thats what gets me in trouble here. 
Got a bid 2 days ago 700 sq. ft. $6090. Inc. tear out repour 4”. This is added to a $16,000 bid for new footing, floor and drive for garage addition. my neighbor paid closer to $10 for just a drive about the size of mine. Surprised, concrete hasn’t gone up near as bad as the rest of the build.
I was in the same boat two years ago. Our asphalt driveway was badly degraded. We priced out both asphalt and concrete and I just could not justify the additional cost of concrete for a driveway as large as ours.
If you consider a good asphalt driveway will last a minimum of 20 years, what I looked at is this is likely a one and done situation. I’m also with you I like the snow melting ability of asphalt.
I’d say whatever you do get on the list with a company. We booked our job in April and the company was all full by early may.
LOL
Not to hijack but good one Dutch
I have opinions….thats what gets me in trouble here.
you can pm me your opinion dutchy, I’ll still like you!!! 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dutchboy wrote:</div>
I have opinions….thats what gets me in trouble here.
I replied on a different site where I seem to get into less trouble.
I just redid my asphalt driveway last fall. Went with asphalt again as my driveway doesn’t get much sun in the winter and it’s a fairly uphill slope so I need all the melt I can get. They took out my sinking apron as well and backfilled it and put the asphalt right up to the pad. Plenty happy with it. Concrete would’ve been double the money if not more.
Timely topic…We’re at $5.75 a foot for concrete if we book before May 1st with the same guys who did our ICF, basement, and garage.
The concrete price seems fair, but I’d like an asphalt bid too considering we will eventually have 1100’ of driveway to do down the road. Does anyone know what an asphalt job is going for per sq ft? We’re going to need ~1200sq ft give or take
My vote is concrete. But asphalt is just fine as well. I think concrete is way better looking and for the weight I have parked it’s needed for me. It took 1 season for my asphalt to collapse under the duallys of my truck, which I get isn’t most guys issue
Concrete. It’s your fault if it asphalt!
Concrete. It’s your fault if it asphalt!
and why is that???
the heaviest my driveway would deal with are standard size vehicles!!!!
It depends on how long you want the driveway to last. The strength of asphalt is in the base that it is placed on. The problem is a lot of companies don’t put enough or the quality of base needed for asphalt to last. If concrete is done correctly it will last many decades.
It depends on how long you want the driveway to last. The strength of asphalt is in the base that it is placed on. The problem is a lot of companies don’t put enough or the quality of base needed for asphalt to last. If concrete is done correctly it will last many decades.
pretty sure that’s why my current driveway looks the way it does. It’s base is definitely gonna need so work, cement or asphalt!
Not to minimize your project, but 800sqft is a small project for either asphalt or concrete. On that little, I would be surprised if there is much of a cost difference.
For asphalt, not only the base prep has to be good, but your compression ratio is everything. If you get a cheap asphalt price, be careful. Generally speaking, people do a tissue thin asphalt just to be cheap or they don’t know any better.
Concrete guy is supposed to be at my place tomorrow (Monday) at 830 to start on my project. He charges $6.25 a Sq ft. Supposed to be 5 inch thick but I forget lb per Sq inch rating. Carbon fiber RR in 2 ft square. I have 4 pads and 2 sidewalks to do for a total of approximately 1700 Sq feet. Will measure when done to tally the total bill.
I would wonder where you are located, I just had my driveway done in spring valley mn. 5.5 inches thick with cement. (If you like color add dye) I did all the dirt work and prep that was minimal. they set forms and rr 6k labor $4500 for cement 36 yards should last a few years!lmao CONCRETE is what I would recommend, no less than 5.5 inches
Good thing, concrete has only gone up a buck or so since I last had it done. Unlike my 2 garage doors that have gone up $3,000 since bid last year.
What is the price difference and how long do you plan on living there is how I would go about it
What is the price difference and how long do you plan on living there is how I would go about it
I’m going to start sniffing around for prices soon. Actually going to talk to the city to see if they have any asphalt work in the plans this summer.
As far as moving, I’m planning on dying here!!
Scratcher, I’m located 7 miles N of Ill. border in Badger land. Got 3 bids and all quoted 5 inch. All 3 companies been doing concrete for 25 to 35 years. Hope they know what they’re doing. 
Scratcher, I’m located 7 miles N of Ill. border in Badger land. Got 3 bids and all quoted 5 inch. All 3 companies been doing concrete for 25 to 35 years. Hope they know what they’re doing.
5 inch is plenty
What is the price difference and how long do you plan on living there is how I would go about it
Same. That’s exactly how I would approach it too.
I would make sure you request your contractor uses a 7 bag mix because of the freezing climate we live in it will help with the driveway from scaling. Do not put any kind of salt on driveway and make sure to not park outside on the driveway the first winter if possible. Apply a sealer 28 days after the pour it will help with salt penetration the first year. Rebar is a must for longevity of the driveway fibermesh is a waste of money except for the initial cure cycle.
I just bit the bullet last year – had my asphalt ripped out and had a concrete driveway poured. Never looking back! SO glad we did it. Sticker shock is a thing, but we’ve already paid it off, it’s done, and I have zero regrets.
I had a gravel driveway for a lot years with only a small pad in front of the garage.
Asphalt is cheaper but you get what you pay for. With Freeze thaw happening a lot in MN, Asphalt will breakup. I’ve seen dandy lions poke through it.
I bit the bullet last year and did concrete. 1st section was 28 yards and 2nd was 32 yards. They dug out the top 5 inches of gravel, until they almost hit the breaker rock and the base was as solid as it gets. It was about $20k for the 60 yards of concrete with dig out and pour.
Little spendy but it should out live me.
We’ve got about 16-17 yards to have poured for our slab.
Question for concrete experts…
I’ve heard from some say people it’s better to wait and let things settle over time before doing concrete work near a build. This 40′ wide spot in front of the garage had 18″ of breaker put down in October and a skim of class 5 with fines as needed this Spring. The tentative plan is to pour at the end of the build in June, then finish the remaining 1100′ of driveway with class 5 on top of the 18″ of breaker. The breaker was run with a road compactor in the fall. I could easily dribble a basketball down it and would break a shovel trying to dig in it.
Would you be comfortable pouring the slab in this area yet this year, or would you go a year longer on the breaker in front of the garage? The original soil in the area was a sandy loam on top of clay. Most of the sandy loam was dug out before the breaker went on, but it’s crazy how much of the breaker has been eaten by the soil.
If you’re going to be parking heavy items on there even if it’s your pick up truck or turning vehicles such as trailers. Go with concrete if you go with asphalt the base and sub base are very important so make sure that’s done properly
Maintenance is a consideration also. Initial price favors asphalt, but you don’t need to spend 700 bucks a year for a guy to seal it every spring if you use concrete. If you don’t keep up with asphalt it will break apart and look terrible. Concrete driveways typically just do their job for a long long time with no extra expenses. No settling in the high traffic areas, etc.
A good class 5 crushed driveway is the way to go.
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