I'm starting to think about repaving my asphalt driveway at some point. While thinking about it, I came up with the following question. If you were to apply a new course, say 4" on top of what is there, how do they handle the transition at the garage and street so it remains at the same height?
On first thought, I figured they could remove what's there for say the first 6 ft up to the cement garage apron, and use this as a transition zone. But then there would have to be change in grade starting at the 6 foot point. This has to be a routing problem, so, what do they do?
they dig it back enough to get it to work out,but many ive seen look bad. if you have cracks in your old asphault they will come right thru on he new,so if you got cracks have the old removed and get a good rock base under the new.be sure the paving machine mixes the batch in the hopper as its put down.pavers without the mixer tend to leave a pretty rocky surface.lucas
Companies that do it use a small version of those things you see them using on city streets, where they remove the top layer of asphalt. (Grinder?) They then fix any problem spots in the substrate, and put a fresh layer over the top. Now if you have a cheap thin driveway, there may not be enough material to do that without exposing the gravel pretty much all over. And those machines are expensive, so small companies that don't ever do big jobs may not have them. Just adding another layer is almost always a bad idea. Chuckholes and heaved sections will telegraph right through, since asphalt is not solid. About the only time just another layer is appropriate is if orginal driveway was graded wrong, and you have a low spot with ponding.
Around here, driveway rehabs tend to either just be chip seals, where they squirt the hot goop on the top and roll in tiny gravel, or total tearouts and replacement, with regrading as needed. Replacements, often as not, are concrete, at least for the 30 feet closest to garage. That avoids all those problems from oil drips and parked cars making dips in the summer.
Like they always say on here, call at least three guys out for a site survey and an estimate, and go from there. Drive around your neighborhood, and where you see a fresh driveway, stop and ask who did the work. Ask friends and coworkers who have had work done. In most areas, one or two names will keep popping up. Avoid the no-name guy with unmarked trucks.
You can't. Without a tear-out of the old pavement you will have a feathered edge, birdbaths, and/or a downhill slope into your garage. Suspect any contractor who tells you otherwise.
Get a written spec and guarantee in your contract for no birdbaths. And don't pay until you've thoroughly checked the finished work. Have a plan ready for what you'll do if the job is botched. Most contractors are experts at getting paid off before you notice problems, and then you're stuck with inferior work.
A botched asphalt job has negative value. Less than worthless. Correcting it can require tearing out the whole thing at extra expense, not just a do- over.
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