Concrete Driveway Costs: Why Repairing Your Concrete Driveway Is Not A Good Idea:
You probably don’t care about your driveway unless there’s an issue. If you notice cracks, potholes, or other signs of wear and tear, there’s a need to replace or repair it. However, how do you tell if your driveway needs repair or replacement? In this article, we’ll explain the signs that point to when it’s time to replace or repair your driveway.
Whenever you intend to take this crucial step, you must understand the various factors that may affect driveway paving prices. The essential factors to consider are material, size, thickness, and decorative elements.
Key Indicators For Driveway Repair And Replacement
For your convenience, we’ve compiled some key indicators. These signs will help you make the best decision (replace or repair).
Key Indicators For Driveway Repair
When you see flaws in your driveway, you may need to repair or resurface them. Consider a repair if your driveway shows any of the following indicators.
1. Small Cracks
If little cracks form in your driveway, you mustn’t overlook them. These cracks are not only unsightly. So, if not addressed, they will continue to develop.
Small cracks expand and will inflict extensive damage on your driveway. Therefore, the trick is to identify cracks in time. Small cracks of about ¼ inches wide can be fixed. But if you opt to patch your driveway first, remember that the mended areas will likely be darker than the surrounding driveway. And this isn’t ideal for your home’s curb appeal.
2. Collapsed Edges
Crumbling edges on your driveway show that the edges were too weak. However, to prevent future damage, repair it. Consider applying more edging to make it strong again.
3. Drainage Issues
Whenever it rains, you pay close attention to how water flows. The liquid should drain off your driveway if it is appropriately graded. But, when water remains in pools on your driveway, it strongly indicates that it needs repair. Because if water sits, it can permeate the surface and cause significant damage.
Thus, you must contact a driveway concrete contractor to level it properly.
4. Sunken Areas
Do you notice a sloppy movement in your driveway? If the driveway outside your garage is sinking lower than the surrounding garage floor, repair is needed. You can repair it by leveling it again.
5. Discoloration
Your driveway can fade from black to gray due to UV rays from the sun. This shows that your driveway is degrading and becoming increasingly brittle. Thus, making it vulnerable to harm. However, if your driveway is changing color, seal it to prevent it from additional harm.
Note that repairing your driveway is the best option if the condition is minor. However, it is better to resurface your driveway if the surface needs repairs and the foundation is still intact. Resurfacing means replacing only the existing driveway surfaces rather than replacing it. A significant benefit of resurfacing is that it gives your driveway a new appearance.
Resurfacing is more prevalent on asphalt driveways. However, one can also resurface concrete driveways.
Key Indicators For Driveway Replacement
If your driveway has any signs below, consider a full replacement.
1. Cracks
While tiny cracks may be mended, huge deep ones cause significant damage. It is advisable to replace the entire driveway, and this is because larger cracks of over ¼ inches are merely a Band-Aid solution.
Large cracks indicate serious problems. This is because they allow water to sneak in even after a successful repair. It is especially challenging to live in an area prone to freezing weather, as water melting beneath the surface causes more harm. In this case, it is best to replace your driveway surface completely.
2. Bad Drainage
Water will not have much of an impact on a driveway with a good-quality surface. But have you noticed water flow down the center of your driveway and ignored it? This indicates huge drainage problems.
Typically, drainage should drive water away from home. So, if water remains on the spot, it can affect your home’s foundation. Not only that, it can degrade the driveway surface in some locations. Hence, replace the driveway to ensure proper drainage system and prevent further damage.
3. Multiple Potholes Or Bird Baths
A steady increase in the number of potholes is a crucial indicator for driveway replacement. Because, if potholes are over 2 inches deep, they can damage the driveway’s foundation. Potholes will collect water, causing more damage that will become expensive to repair.
4. Multiple Repair Issues
If you’ve repaired your driveway many times, and it still demands more repairs, this may be time to replace it. But, evaluate the expense of repairing with the replacement cost. The time and money spent on multiple repairs may equal the cost of replacing the entire driveway. Then, why not replace the entire driveway?
5. Age
Most driveway surfaces can’t withstand high conditions. Asphalt requires a replacement after 20 years. Whereas, concrete driveways require replacement after 25 years. Therefore, concrete is more durable than asphalt or gravel driveways. The advantage of replacing is that one can reuse a gravel driveway and sand base for a new driveway.
Installing a standard concrete driveway increase home value and its curb appeal.
Asphalt Driveway Cost VS. Concrete Driveway Costs
Asphalt is often less expensive than concrete driveways. Thus, a basic driveway range from $2.00 to $5.00 per square foot. However, asphalt costs fluctuate alongside crude oil prices. On the other hand, basic concrete driveway installation costs between $3.00 and $10.00 per square foot.
Nevertheless, concrete is a cost-effective option. It lasts longer than asphalt, and it demands less management. Concrete driveways shelf life is over a decade, but asphalt only lasts 10 to 20 years before replacement. There are many concrete repair techniques available to prolong its life even further.
Cost Analysis
Let’s conduct a quick analysis. It will help you determine the price gap between concrete driveway and asphalt.
For this purpose, we’ll use a standard 600-square-foot driveway. Yours could be bigger or smaller. For example, the driveway size for two automobiles usually is 20 to 24ft wide and 18 to 20ft long. Now, suppose our driveway is 24 feet long and 20 feet wide.
Below are the cost;
Material Area (Square ft) Unit Price Total Cost
Asphalt driveway 600 $2 – $5 $1,200 – $3,000
Concrete driveway 600 $3 – $10 $1,800 – $6,000
As a result, the least cost of a concrete driveway for 600 square feet is $1,800 and the highest cost is $6000. On the flip side, a minimal asphalt driveway costs per 600 ft is $1,200. And its total cost is $3,000.
A concrete driveway is far less expensive than asphalt from the above analysis. However, various factors determine the standard cost of installing concrete and asphalt driveways. They include; your region, the constructor, landscaping, wage costs, etc. So before you start a driveway project, do your findings.
How Much Does A Concrete Driveway Cost?
Getting estimates from driveway contractors in your neighborhood is the best way to determine how much your job will cost. You can also estimate it using the concrete driveway cost calculator. However, to help you plan your budget, below are some usual concrete driveway prices.
Concrete Driveway Cost Per Square Metre
A concrete driveway costs between $65 and $85 per square meter.
A sloped surface is around $10 more expensive per square meter than a level surface.
Colored concrete ranges in price from $75 to $95 per square meter.
A beautiful pebblecrete, stenciled, or stamped concrete driveway costs $100 to $150 per square meter. This includes the cost of the concrete.
Concrete Driveway Cost Per Square Foot
Concrete driveway cost range from $4 for paving over gravel. Also, the average cost per square foot for decorative elements is $20. Most new concrete driveways costs between $6 and $20 per square foot. This is because concrete comes in various shapes, textures, and finishes. Furthermore, the thicker the driveway you pour, the more expensive it is.
Thick driveways are more sturdy and are more durable than thin ones. Although, they are more expensive. So, it is more costly to pave an old driveway than to replace it.
Concrete Driveway Cost Per Cubic Yard
Almost all concrete is measured in a cubic yard. And this costs $125 to $150 per cubic yard. It also applies to driveways. However, several individuals prefer to buy in square feet rather than cubic yards.
Factors That Affect Concrete Driveway Installation Costs
The following are the most common concrete driveway cost factors you must consider when planning a new driveway installation.
1. Driveway Size
The average cost of installing a new asphalt or concrete driveway is $7.65 per square foot or $5,355 for a 40-foot-long, 16-foot-wide residential driveway with a modest parking pad next to your residence. For driveway removal, extensive excavation is necessary. Hence, most concrete contractors will charge more.
2. Driveway Thickness
Most driveways are 4 inches thick and have a strength of 2,500 to 5,000 psi (pounds per square inch). They include wire mesh inside the concrete to offer additional stability and prevent cracking. Thus, install a concrete driveway with 6 inches of 5,000 psi or more rigid concrete if you intend to park heavy equipment on a driveway.
3. Existing Driveway Material Costs
Asphalt is quite simple to remove. Because of the usage of jackhammers and the subsurface rebar that holds it together, concrete removal is burdensome and costly. Installation and material costs between $30 and $.80 per square foot. Concrete driveway labor costs $2 to $4 per square foot or 50% of the total cost. Payment for old driveway removal fees will increase cost estimates.
4. Existing Driveway Removal
Removing an old concrete driveway is a distinct type of site development for a new concrete driveway. To install a new concrete driveway, you must break the existing ones. The uneven ground must be leveled. If the ground slopes naturally from the home to the street, the contractor will grade the driveway carefully to ensure good drainage.
A driveway contractor has access to the machinery to do this enormous task fast and often charges $1 to $4 per square foot.
5. Decorative Elements
These include pigment, acid stain, embedding tile or stone, and stamp to simulate pebbles or cobblestone. Others are flaring the driveway where it meets the road for simpler access—or installing a roundabout on the side of the drive so you may enter traffic ahead. Most driveways are plain gray concrete. But you can spice things up with a stained or stamped driveway.
These decorative features are expensive and attractive. Colored concrete is an added expense of .75–$1.25 per square added to a standard concrete mix. A stained driveway costs $6 to $12 per square foot, while a stamped driveway concrete costs $8 to $15 per square foot. At the same time, a plain gray concrete driveway range from $5 to $7 per square foot.
6. Finish
We don’t recommend polished concrete for the outside driveway because it is always slippery. Most poured concrete driveways are smooth or have a broom finish, textured finish, or even an uncovered aggregate surface for a more natural look. Installing a simple finish costs between $6 and $8 per square foot. At the same time, the other basic finishes range from $8 to $12 per square foot.
7. Concrete Driveway Aprons
Most towns need a concrete driveway apron to link a driveway to the road. It is usually the same width as the driveway and includes a walkway. If you don’t have a concrete apron, the typical cost to install one is $3 to $10 per square foot. They are considered a public access place. Therefore, check with local authorities to ensure they are built to standard.
FAQs
1. What Is The Average Cost of Installing a Concrete Driveway
The typical costs of installing a new asphalt or concrete driveway are $7.65 per square foot or $5,355 for a 40-foot-long, 16-foot-wide residential driveway with a modest parking pad next to your residence. When carrying out driveway installations, extensive excavation is necessary. Hence, most driveway contractors will increase the price.
2. DIY Concrete Driveway: Can I Install A Concrete Driveway On My Own?
With special concrete tools, understanding, and setting concrete abilities, anybody can create their DIY concrete driveway. However, smaller projects are easier to complete. But anybody willing to take on the challenge may build a single-car driveway of a 9-12 foot broad slab.
3. How Is A Concrete Driveway Installed?
Level the land and remove any impediments.
Create wooden shapes to keep the wet concrete in place.
Pour the gravel sub-base, and level it.
If heavy machinery needs extra support, a wire mesh.
Pour wet cement into the concrete forms.
Spread the concrete mix evenly.
Smoothen the cement with a hand float.
Clean the driveway and allow it dry for a few weeks before using it.
Seal it.
4. Long Does Concrete Driveway Last?
A concrete driveway should last 25-40 years if there’s proper maintenance and re-sealing.
5. What Is The Cost Of A Heated Driveway?
In-slab snow-melting systems melt ice on concrete driveways. It removes the need for plowing and shoveling and also helps to minimize slip-and-fall incidents. In addition, it prevents your concrete from being damaged by snow removal equipment and de-icers.
There are manual systems that cost $10 to $15 per square foot and more costly automation systems. Besides that, there are additional costs attached. So, households should confirm the price in their location.