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Driveways

Inviting, Attractive

The appearance of your driveway creates an impression about your home and way of life. An inviting driveway provides a focal point as passersby and visitors approach your home. And certainly an attractive driveway, one with "curb appeal," adds value to your home investment. So it is worthwhile to plan your driveway carefully. With Hot Mix Asphalt as your material—and some attention to design and construction—your driveway will provide years of lasting service and an excellent return on the investment.

Just What is Asphalt Pavement?

 It's an engineered mixture of aggregate, or stones and sand, with liquid asphalt cement (a petroleum product). Varying sizes of aggregates are heated, then mixed, in exact proportions, with asphalt cement that has been liquefied at about 300°F. While the mixture is still hot, it is delivered to your driveway and paved on top of a base or subgrade that has already been prepared. Very soon after paving, the mixture cools and hardens and you can drive on it right away.

What You Receive with Hot Mix Asphalt?

 You'll recognize several benefits with asphalt pavements, compared to other, more costly options.

  • It is strong and durable.
  • It is engineered to withstand freezing and thawing.
  • No need to worry about salting your driveway in winter. Asphalt is unaffected by salt.
  • Unlike other, more rigid materials, such as concrete, asphalt pavements are designed to flex and "give" with slight settlements or frost heave.

Asphalt lends itself readily to the types of service that are usual in residential areas. If a utility line must pass under your driveway, repairs are performed more easily and quickly than with alternative materials, such as concrete. The same is true if undue ground settlement should occur naturally.

Asphalt driveways can also be designed using porous asphalt, a special asphalt mix that allows water to drain through the pavement into a subgrade reservoir. Porous asphalt can often be used to meet local impermeable surfaces codes and offer a good-looking surface that is easy to maintain.

And asphalt is the most cost-effective option you can choose. Just as it has for millions of homeowners the world over, Hot Mix Asphalt can last many years for you — with only minimal maintenance.

About Quality Control

There are hot asphalt mixtures of various types. Some mixtures are smoother on top than others; some have a higher content of asphalt cement than others. A special type of asphalt mixture is even colored and imprinted to resemble paver blocks. Consult with your homebuilder or contractor to assure that your mixture will provide the surface and performance characteristics you want. Unfortunately, not all consumers closely monitor their driveway design and construction. So it is possible for some builders and/or subcontractors to try to boost their profits at the expense of your driveway's quality. Getting multiple bids, if possible, and having the willingness to work with your builder or contractor to control quality will serve you well.

A word of warning: If someone knocks on your front door and says, "We have a load of asphalt that was left over from paving nearby, and we can pave your driveway at a bargain rate if you'll pay cash," don't take him up on it. Asphalt that is "left over" from another job will be too cool to make a good pavement for your home. As with any business transaction, you want to know who you're dealing with before proceeding, so making a deal on the spot does not make sense. Checking references can save you money in the long run.

Full-depth Asphalt: The Best Option

Full-depth asphalt driveways are built entirely of asphalt paving mixture — from the soil subgrade up. Full-depth driveways keep water out of the pavement. So water never enters the pavement to swell when it freezes. Full-depth asphalt provides a better balance of strength and flexibility — plus durability — than any other material. For improved soil stability, it is recommended that topsoil containing clay be removed or modified. A solid subgrade requires thorough compaction. Paving with asphalt follows. A 4-inch thickness may be adequate, but 5 or even 6 inches of full-depth asphalt will assure you of a stronger, stable driveway under a wider range of climate and loads. As an option, some contractors use 6 to 8 inches of compacted aggregate, or gravel, as a base under 3 inches of asphalt pavement.

"We recommend full-depth asphalt for driveways," says Dave Newcomb, NAPA Vice President of Research and Technology. "We calculate that asphalt can replace aggregate on a ratio of 1:3 in thickness. That is, 1 inch of asphalt pavement is equivalent to 3 inches of aggregate base." Asphalt pavements are best placed in "lifts," or layers. For example, a total of 2 to 3 inches may be spread as two layers each 1-1/2 inches thick when compacted. A good way to pave a 4-inch "mat" is first to place 2-1/2 inches of asphalt, compact it, and then pave the remainder and compact again.

You're the Boss

If you're having a new home built, you can specify to your builder that you want an asphalt pavement driveway — as do millions of homeowners across all new-home price ranges. If your builder hasn't done so when you buy, he likely will soon hire an asphalt contractor to pave driveways. As the owner, though, you are still the boss. You can plan for, request, and obtain top-quality performance. If your driveway is in bad shape and needs either a complete reconstruction or resurfacing with asphalt, you'll want to talk directly with two to four contractors. Consult the Yellow Pages or ask your neighbors for names of paving companies. You can ask their advice about what's to be done, but once you decide upon and define your project, it is good business to obtain at least two bids.

Here's a cost-saving tip: If you can arrange with some neighbors to have all your driveways paved at the same time by the same contractor, savings will result for all owners because it gives the paving contractor economies of scale.

Placing an Overlay

Existing driveways of asphalt or concrete can be overlaid with Hot Mix Asphalt — with excellent results. Usually for driveways, a surface course 1-1/2 to 2 inches thick will suffice. Before paving, be sure the contractor patches any serious holes or cracks with asphalt and compacts it. Otherwise the trouble spots may reflect upwards through your new pavement.

How to Hire a Contractor

All reputable contractors who seek your business in good faith will provide references and phone numbers of satisfied customers. Some firms even maintain a list of recent customers and phone numbers. A few quick calls will help protect your investment. Ask references about qualifications such as contractors' quality of work, attention to details, on-time performance, and ability to finish work completely. These suggestions are the same as recommended by the Better Business Bureau. Here are some other points to consider:

  • Check gates for clearance; know who's responsible for re-hanging them, if necessary.
  • Decide whether you, a plumber, or someone else will raise any water valves or sewer inlets to meet the new asphalt around them.
  • Assign specific responsibilities and make notes.
  • Surface drainage is very important. Make sure your contractor plans and builds adequate surface slopes to produce good drainage. So-called "ponding," or standing water, on or near the driveway, is undesirable.

Once you have taken bids and selected the contractor you want, you’re ready for the contract. A construction contract should detail such items as the responsibility for grading work and accuracy, for compacting the subgrade and base, for measuring compacted pavement thicknesses, for pavement slopes and smoothness, payment schedule, and guarantee of the finished product. It’s important to make sure your contractor has adequate liability insurance. Ask for written proof of it.

Your Best Buy

Just as with buying a new roof or deck, good business practices prevail with installing a new driveway. Be informed. Seek multiple bids. Get references. Surveys show that quality-conscious companies belong to trade associations, such as the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association (IAPA). Use IAPA’s Find a Contractor tool.

Is there a particular season when I should have my driveway paved?

The main concern as to when to pave a driveway is temperature. Asphalt must be placed and compacted while it is hot. Lift thickness and air and surface temperatures play significant roles in how fast the mix cools and therefore the time a contractor has to complete the work. Because seasonal temperatures vary throughout the U.S., average air temperatures serve as a better guide for paving than a particular range of months. The following table, developed using MultiCool software, illustrates the effect of temperature and lift thickness on time available for c

Note: Red areas indicate temperatures where these lifts of asphalt
are not recommended and yellow indicates caution. Table developed based
on 300°F delivery temperature and 175°F final temperature.

The amount of time a contractor requires to place and compact your driveway will depend on the size of the job, amount of handwork required, and available equipment. As a general guide, you should probably allow at the very least 20 minutes for the contractor to place and compact a lift. Therefore, if you are having a 1-1/2 inch lift placed, the air and surface temperatures should be above 70°F. For a 2-inch lift, there is a little more leeway, but the air and surface temperature should be above 40°F. The above times are based on a mild wind condition (less than 10 mph) and should be decreased by about 5 to 10 minutes for every additional 10 mph of wind speed. The use of warm-mix asphalt may allow lifts to be placed at lower temperatures while still achieving the desired level of compaction.

It is also important to ensure that the soil or rock on which the pavement is being placed is firm and dry. If this is not the case, then it is recommended that paving be delayed until the subgrade is appropriately firm and dry.

 

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