Although a lot of people do not have the various tools or equipment to really install an asphalt driveway there are numerous actions you can take to prepare the drive for paving work. The driveway without exception will need to have a good base underneath to pave upon. Soft or wet spots will be the most common reason for failure of the pavement itself. Cracking or alligatoring means the ground struggles to carry the weight of the vehicles driven over it. Severe wet spots will cause the pavement to fail totally and breakup into large chunks and cause the entire driveway to fail.
There are on the market ground stabilization fabric materials which can be laid under stone sub base materials in wet areas to help solidify the sub base itself. The material is rather expensive but may allow installation of a driveway where it could not be possible other wise. If placed on the planet earth below the sub base and on the wet area, once the sub base material is properly compacted the ground will support considerably more weight without and shifting or movement. Many masonry supply stores carry these materials. It will require two people to roll out and handle the fabric as it generally will come in twelve foot wide rolls. A local excavating contractor may have some smaller rolls to sell. Give them a go as well.
Our first job is assure you can find no wet spots either by installing some under drains, ditching across the edges to carry away surface water or actually replacing a few of the wet earth with stone or other suitable materials. Sub base materials could be small and large stones, DOT item 4 materials, crushed gravel or bank run sand and gravel perhaps. The material needs to drain well and can be compacted with mechanical compactors. Drainage piping could be twelve inch corrugated piping which when installed can help water quickly pass under a drive or smaller four inch perforated piping run under the driveway areas encased in stone to provide constant pathways for water drainage without soaking the soils themselves. Water will always take the path of least resistance so any drainage piping installed can help the bottom to dry much more quickly than nature allows by itself.
When you have solved any current or potential water problems you can move on to the actual asphalt sub base itself. Most homeowner driveways have a four inch base of gravel shale or item 4 installed once the home was built. On paver stones passing years, car tires break the shale down into very small pieces which will not give a great sub base material. Adding new shale or stone can become a yearly maintenance project to keep a smooth driving surface. Because the stone or shale is pressed into the earth you are developing a thicker and thicker sub base. Depending upon whether you want your brand-new drive to complete up higher or perhaps level than the adjoining lawns or gardens is how much sub base you intend to have ultimately. An average residential driveway is ten feet wide having an actual driving surface area of about eight feet wide. For paving, you will require a good ten foot surface to acquire a nine foot drive. Ten foot drive, eleven foot surface etc. You must have at least six inches of sub base beyond the actual finished paved width on both sides. The extra flat area is used to backup the asphalt and prevent the edges from crumbling. Remember also that asphalt and sub base could be just as much as six inches thick and can require extra topsoil to backup the edge of the sub base and asphalt.
By adding sub base material and keeping the top as level as you possibly can, you will already have the sub base built for the paving man. In many areas of the united states a material called blue stone screenings is available. This material is in fact finely crushed granite and comes in three colors. Blue that will turn a darker blue when wet as time passes. Red that will also turn a lighter blue as time passes and yellow which stays yellow tinted forever. Once graded, this material becomes as hard as concrete on a driveway. I've seen blue stone screening surfaces snow plowed winter after winter without any plowing damage. A new dusting every couple of years maintains the crisp color and in-fills any depressions that may have developed. This makes a super sub-base for finished asphalt.
Well ahead of the time to have the driveway paved you should also install several conduits beneath the driveway for future landscape lighting. Depending upon along the drive, a crossing conduit every fifty feet or so should suffice. If an area is quite rocky or wet, add additional conduits now before paving. Adding them later will demand cutting and patching the asphalt and can not only destroy the driveways appearance but will provide a potential area for surface water infiltration. Conduit is cheap and if you never utilize it, it is best safe than sorry. Plastic (PVC) conduit is preferable to metal as it can last underground forever. Put caps on both ends in order to avoid any nasty surprises later on once you uncover them. Clearly mark the ends with stakes but additionally draw just a little map and take measurements to each end from permanent objects in the yard. Once the grass grows back you will have no idea where the conduit ends can be found. Should you choose this far prior to the actual paving, your vehicle traffic will compact the sub-base and can prevent any future sinking beneath the asphalt and thereby causing the asphalt to crack. You don't want to have to cross the new asphalt with anything down the road..
Call several paving contractors for prices. The nicest guy may not do the nicest job. Make sure you tell each one a similar things you want. In the event that you change the description of the task, you won't get comparable prices. Jot down what you would like done and then provide them with a copy. Ask for a written quote to make sure they included everything on your own lists. Will they pickup all spillage? Are they insured against yard damages to flowers or trees or your home? Just how long is driveway guaranteed? How thick with the rolled asphalt be when done? Loose rolled asphalt 3 inches thick will undoubtedly be only 1 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick when rolled. Ask questions before they do the task. Get a written signed contract and a copy of these insurance policy. Be very careful with down payments. If they insist on one, make sure it is not a major portion of the contract value. Many times a down payment is paid and the contractor never shows again. Do not be suckered in by sob stories. Reputable contractors have open accounts at asphalt plants , nor need your money to buy the asphalt. In the event that you sense something is awry move on to another person. Ask neighbors about his work or stop at someone's house who he's got just paved their driveway. Many people are proud of their new yard and can glad to talk to you. Call the higher Business Bureau and check up on the contractor aswell. It may appear to be you are a bit over cautious but after all it is your hard earned money.
Once you have selected a contractor ask him/her when there is anything else that you can do to save several bucks on the price. Maybe removing a pre-installed asphalt driveway apron or removing adjacent features such as signs or statues or whatever else he figured on doing for you. In the event that you save fifty bucks on the purchase price, that is fifty dollars towards your next project.