Paving and overlays
Asphalt Paving and Overlays
Two driveways paved on the same day with the same mix will last very different lengths of time, and the difference is almost never the asphalt. It's whether the base was graded, compacted and drained, or whether the mat was laid over whatever happened to be there.
Booking now. Sealer needs warm pavement to cure, so the season closes well before the year does.
Overlay or tear out and replace?
An overlay is new asphalt laid over the old surface. It's roughly half the cost of a replacement, it goes down in a day, and it's the right answer when the existing base is sound and the surface has simply worn out. It's the wrong answer when the base has failed, because an overlay follows the shape of what's underneath. Lay one over a surface that's cracked into squares and those cracks come through the new mat within two or three years, and the overlay only delayed the replacement. That conversation is worth having before the quote, not after.
From our jobs
Job Photos
What decides the price.
Asphalt tracks the oil market, so a number from last season is not a number for this one. Every job here is measured on site and the number is fixed before work starts.
Overlay
Per square foot
Measured on site
- Existing base sound, surface worn out
- Overlay or full replacement, priced after the base is checked
Tear out and replace
Per square foot
Measured on site
- Old surface out, base rebuilt, new mat laid and rolled
Gravel to asphalt
Per square foot
Measured on site
- Common out in the townships, where drives are long
- Grading and drainage are most of the work and most of the cost
The setup on a long rural drive is spread over more area than on a short town one. If you've been told a long drive is prohibitive, it's worth a second number.
How the Work Goes
The base is the part you never see and the part that decides everything.
Work out where the water goes
Before anything else. Grade and drainage decide the lifespan, and they're the one thing that can't be fixed later without starting again.
Remove, or prepare what stays
Full replacement means the old surface comes out. An overlay means the existing surface is cleaned, failed areas cut out and patched, and the edges prepared.
Base, graded and compacted
Compacted in lifts to the right depth for what will drive on it. A driveway and a lot that takes delivery trucks need different bases, and building both the same way is how one of them fails early.
Lay and roll
Hot mix laid to the design thickness and rolled while it's hot. Compaction is time-limited, which is why paving is a day that runs to the weather.
Tell you when to seal it
Not this year. New asphalt needs six to twelve months to cure before its first seal, and sealing too early traps the oils and does more harm than leaving it alone.
Where We Do This
Driveways, overlays and small lot paving across northwestern Wisconsin.
How much does a new asphalt driveway cost?
Can I overlay the driveway instead of replacing it?
When can a new driveway be sealed?
How long does a well-built driveway last?
Can you pave a gravel driveway?
When can we drive on new asphalt?
Tell us what the surface has to carry.
Free estimate, measured, including whether the base under your surface is worth building on.
(715) 450-9897Call and describe it. On a driveway we can usually tell you what you're looking at while you're on the phone.
Get an estimate
Send the form and we'll call you back. The estimate is free.