Extending an asphalt driveway

[mkirsch1]

When spring shows up, I want to extend the turnaround at the top of my driveway by as much as 20 feet. The existing driveway is in pretty good shape. I figure it's good for at least 5 more years.

Normally I like to pull into the turnaround and back up to the garage, but the turnaround is way too short to do that. In the summer I just drive on the grass. In the late fall, winter, and early spring, I have to make a 3-point turn because I don't want to tear up the lawn.

How to extend:

1. Asphalt
2. Concrete pad
3. Pavers

I'm thinking pavers right now because I think I can do it pretty cheap, and I won't have to deal with tearing up a near-new asphalt patch in 5 years, or busting up a reinforced concrete pad in 5 years. Thoughts?

[Hustlin' Hank]

No matter which way you go, if you put it in correctly you shouldn't have to do anything with it for many years to come. If you plan on replacing or covering your existing drive with black top in 5 years, the new one should match up pretty well with a coat of sealer if you go with the blacktop extension. I don't see a problem.

Hank

[Jim]

No matter which way you go, if you put it in correctly you shouldn't have to do anything with it for many years to come. If you plan on replacing or covering your existing drive with black top in 5 years, the new one should match up pretty well with a coat of sealer if you go with the blacktop extension. I don't see a problem.

Hank

I agree with Hank... I did exactly what you are about to embark on 5 years ago. I widened our asphalt driveway 30 feet. The existing asphalt was still good but since the asphalt company was there with all their equipment I asked them to reseal the WHOLE driveway rather than just the new addition. The extra cost was very minimal and the whole driveway looked new again...this way it will wear evenly............. have photos if you want to see...email me direct at............... morriswelding at sasktel dot net Jim

[Andy]

[N8N]

Why would you tear it up? I'd say just use whatever material you think you will use if/when you ever repave your driveway.

nate

[Colbyt]

If your money is tight I would excavate and use road fill (called DGA here) for the extension. In 5 years it will be well settled and compacted; ready for blacktop. You can even use BT sealer for color after 6 months or so.

OTH, I like Jim's suggestion to fill and blacktop the new area and then add a new layer of topcoat blacktop to the whole thing. This should make the whole thing good for another 20 years. One inch of topcoat, compressed to

1/2" after rolling should not cost all that much once the equipment is on site.

BTDT, both ways. It all comes down to money, desires, appearances. Only you can decide.

[h]

That's what I did (pavers) to create a "temporary" parking space for a full-sized van. I only expected to need it for 2 years and ended up using it for 6. It worked great and was easily removed when the van was sold.

[aemeijers]

Gravel. I don't remember the numbers, but somebody on here will jump in momentarily. The right mix, wetted down and compacted, will be tight enough to not get ruts, and can get reused as substrate when you replace the asphalt. Any of your solutions will require grading and leveling before you install the finish surface. If you know you will want it eventually, I'd go ahead with asphalt. It might not be as expensive as you think, especially if you can be flexible about scheduling. Do the prep work yourself, or have them do it on a slow day, and put the asphalt on when they are doing another job nearby, since you will only be using a fraction of a load.

-- aem sends...

[mkirsch1]

I figure no matter what I choose in 5 years, it won't match the extension.

Matching isn't so much of an issue right now because I know it's only temporary.

From what I'm reading, though, it sounds like it's possible to scab a new section of asphalt on and then top coat the entire driveway. I didn't figure that would work very well for some reason. That sounds like the way to go.

A neighbor is probably going to get their driveway top coated this summer (it's just binder now) so I may be able to give the contractor another job in the area.

[hrhofmann]

What is the existing driveway, concrete or asphalt?