Poll: Concrete or Asphalt Driveway?

[filmmaker]

Originally posted by: allies
CONCRETE! I don't know how old you are, or if you have any kids, but if you have a basketball hoop get concrete -- I can't stand playing basketball on asphalt it gets everything dirty as hell.

My .02

Yes it does. I remember as a kid scrubbing my basketball down because there was so much flithy black tar on it.

 

Asphalt gets VERY VERY hot in the summer. I don't like that. OTOH, I think asphalt looks nicer...but that's just me.

 

[filmmaker]

Originally posted by: jumpr
Asphalt gets VERY VERY hot in the summer. I don't like that. OTOH, I think asphalt looks nicer...but that's just me.

You like looking at a large section of black rock?

EDIT: I do respect your opinion, though.

 

[Chaotic42]

I'd say concrete in the south, asphalt in the north. I'd be too worried about concrete cracking in the winter up north, and asphalt would get *way* too hot down south.

 

[filmmaker]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I'd say concrete in the south, asphalt in the north. I'd be too worried about concrete cracking in the winter up north, and asphalt would get *way* too hot down south.

You should come see my neighbors concrete driveway. Indiana is still hot as hell during the summertime.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: filmmaker

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I'd say concrete in the south, asphalt in the north. I'd be too worried about concrete cracking in the winter up north, and asphalt would get *way* too hot down south.

You should come see my neighbors concrete driveway.

Neighbor? You mean the bank?

 

[filmmaker]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: filmmaker

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I'd say concrete in the south, asphalt in the north. I'd be too worried about concrete cracking in the winter up north, and asphalt would get *way* too hot down south.

You should come see my neighbors concrete driveway.

Neighbor? You mean the bank?

No, legally I still reside in my parents house.

 

[optoman]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I'd say concrete in the south, asphalt in the north. I'd be too worried about concrete cracking in the winter up north, and asphalt would get *way* too hot down south.

My parents have concrete and they live just outside Chicago. They have had the driveway for about 15 years and it still looks good. Very little blemishes and only one crack down the center which is the fault of the company that laid the driveway. They should of put one of those indents down the center of the driveway since it is so wide. It would of hidden the crack. It has stood up to road salt, oil, gas and everything my brothers and I threw at it.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: optoman

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I'd say concrete in the south, asphalt in the north. I'd be too worried about concrete cracking in the winter up north, and asphalt would get *way* too hot down south.

My parents have concrete and they live just outside Chicago. They have had the driveway for about 15 years and it still looks good. Very little blemishes and only one crack down the center which is the fault of the company that laid the driveway. They should of put one of those indents down the center of the driveway since it is so wide. It would of hidden the crack. It has stood up to road salt, oil, gas and everything my brothers and I threw at it.

Ah. Well I would have thought the water getting into the concrete, then freezing and expanding would tear it up.

 

[filmmaker]

Originally posted by: optoman

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I'd say concrete in the south, asphalt in the north. I'd be too worried about concrete cracking in the winter up north, and asphalt would get *way* too hot down south.

My parents have concrete and they live just outside Chicago. They have had the driveway for about 15 years and it still looks good. Very little blemishes and only one crack down the center which is the fault of the company that laid the driveway. They should of put one of those indents down the center of the driveway since it is so wide. It would of hidden the crack. It has stood up to road salt, oil, gas and everything my brothers and I threw at it.

Haha... then why the poll? The choice seems obvious.

 

[optoman]

Haha... then why the poll? The choice seems obvious.

Trying to justify the cost and also looking for opinions on asphalt since I have never dealt with it before.

 

[bernse]

We don't always walk on the carpet, but we do walk into the kitchen when we are unloading groceries and for other reasons. If you track it into one part of the house then it will get everywhere. I don't know what you walk in but the worst I have ever seen on my shows is dirt. If I have gum or something like that I will usually clean it off when it first gets on them.

Kind of funny, don't know if its a culture thing (Canada/US) or not but I don't know *anybody* that wears their outdoor footwear into their house short of an absolute emergency. Everyone I know would bring their groceries to the entrance/landing of their house. Once all the groceries are inside, they'd take off their shoes and put the groceries away. My entryway of our house has a throw-rug that we stand on when we take on/off our shoes.

Is it common in the US to keep your footwear on when you go inside? I smell a poll in the making!

 

[LAUST]

Asphalt is Ghetto

 

[CraigRT]

concrete will last so much longer...
we have asphalt that gone redone a while back (5 years maybe) and is sagging and looking sad already... a concrete driveway will be there for life.. if you plan on STAYING there... do the concrete if you can afford it.

 

[Dedpuhl]

Speaking from a Civil Engineer's point of view:


Concrete all the way. Low maintenance...easy to clean...durable. The new mixes are pretty darn good.

I would never use asphaltic pavement on my property. It is not aesthetically pleasing. It stinks. Depending on the mix, it bleeds tar/gunk. It warps. It sucks. The only reason why roads are paved with it is cause it's cheap.

 

[Analog]

call the cement mixer.

 

[Ferocious]

Concrete definately.

But it is critical to find a good contractor.

Many concrete jobs are done very badly.

 

[Sundog]

I was asking myself the same questions recently. I live in Minneapolis and see lots of concrete and asphalt driveways. We just bought a house with a crumbling asphalt driveway.

The fence is this year, replacement of the driveway is next year.

If you found an outfit that will do everything for $5K I think that is pretty good. Just make sure it includes:
1. Destruction and removal of old driveway (and dump costs)
2. Laying of a proper foundation; proper excavation, grading and compacting of the soil, addition of at least 6" of class 5 compacted (may be more than 6" in your area)
3. Cost of lumber for the forms and mesh (or rebar if that is what they use in your area), the mesh should be no more than 2" from the surface
4. Installation of control joints at minimum intervals of fifteen feet and also down the center, around here it is done every ten feet. Concrete will shrink as it hardens-about 1/16 of an inch per ten feet.
5. For corners, if your driveway has any, the control joint should radiate outward from the corner into the slab.
6. Four inches of concrete is the absolute minimum, 5" is much better in severe climate areas.


Now for the goodies. For under $200 in materials, we are going to plumb the driveway with the correct tubing for in ground heat. We may or may not hook up boiler to actually use it, but it will be a cheap way to increase the value of the house come selling time.

Also I am looking at getting black colored concrete.


Have fun, we will be ripping up our driveway next spring, ordering the concrete and pouring away!

 

[optoman]

Sundog - You are exactly in the same situation I am in. I haven't gone that far into depth with what concrete involves because we were about 90% sure we wanted asphalt until about 3 days ago when we talked to a neighbor. Thanks for the tips and have fun with the new house.

 

[ElFenix]

concrete > asphalt

 

[Spencer278]

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
damn rich people and there fancy stuff, get that asphault out of there and throw some gravel down to help hold the dirt together.

 

[Ornery]

No option for pavers or brick? I might go this route myself. Pavers are beautiful to look at, not much more, if not the same price as concrete, and they can be used again and again, unlike concrete or asphalt. I believe the homeowner can do quite a bit of the installation of pavers or brick, too.