Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Asphalt driveway is in horrible shape
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Eves
05-04-06, 08:12 AM
I purchased a home and moved in about a month ago. When my wife and I saw the house we knew the driveway wasn't in great shape. However, at the time I had thought that I could repair it myself (fill the cracks, use a cold patch where necessary, and then seal). Now that I am out in the yard and I can see the driveway ever day I am questioning whether or not I would be better off just looking into having someone remove the old driveway and replace it.
The longest part of the driveway (from the street to up closer to where the driveway turns towards the garage) is narrow (width of one car) and has just a lot of long thin cracks which shouldn't be too bad for me to fix myself.
There is another section of the driveway that is right in front of the garage which, for the most part, is in good shape. However, it has 2 spots that dip down and hold a lot of water after a rain and it also has a ~6 sq foot section that the previous owner had appearently patched himself. And that patched area is actually raised above the rest of the driveway...as if he just put the patch right above the driveway. Basically, it doesn't look all that great.
The final section is an area that runs next the house. This section is in horrible condition. In some parts it might as well just be a gravel driveway. It is bumpy and loaded with cracks wide enough that grass, weeds, and even trees are growing in them (heavily wooded lot).
Now I certainly do not have a problem with trying to fix the driveway myself. However, I am not even sure where to begin for some of it. The minor cracks, in theory, should be easy to take care of by cleaning them out and then filling them with the proper crack filler. Anyone have any suggestions on a brand of filler to use?
But what about the section of the driveway with the patch n top of the driveway? Do I dig of the patch and then try my luck and putting a new patch down that is more level with the rest of the driveway? Or should I just leave it as it is (some water does gather on the original driveway just off of the patch)?
And the dip in the driveway? Just patch it and level it? Do I need to worry that the driveway, even in the dip, is smooth? I mean would a patch stick to it?
And then there is the nasty part of the driveway (with all the bumps and gravel and plants). Should I just clean it out the best I can then just patch it all I can, fill as many cracks as possible and then finally seal it all? Any suggestions on the best way to get rid of the plants in the cracks of the driveway?
Some sort of driveway sealing company happened to drive by my home a couple weeks ago and said they offered a service which would seal the driveway with some sort of really thick sealer that would fill in all the cracks itself and would fill in minor holes in the driveway. Anyone know anything about these kinds of services? I mean are they worthwhile? Are there any really thick 'sealers' available to the public that I can buy to do this myself?
If I patch the driveway myself: Cold patch or hot patch?
After all this... Is replacing an asphalt driveway expensive? I mean are we talking about $10,000+ or just a couple thousand?
Sorry I was so long winded. It seems I babble when I type as well as when I speak.
The longest part of the driveway (from the street to up closer to where the driveway turns towards the garage) is narrow (width of one car) and has just a lot of long thin cracks which shouldn't be too bad for me to fix myself.
There is another section of the driveway that is right in front of the garage which, for the most part, is in good shape. However, it has 2 spots that dip down and hold a lot of water after a rain and it also has a ~6 sq foot section that the previous owner had appearently patched himself. And that patched area is actually raised above the rest of the driveway...as if he just put the patch right above the driveway. Basically, it doesn't look all that great.
The final section is an area that runs next the house. This section is in horrible condition. In some parts it might as well just be a gravel driveway. It is bumpy and loaded with cracks wide enough that grass, weeds, and even trees are growing in them (heavily wooded lot).
Now I certainly do not have a problem with trying to fix the driveway myself. However, I am not even sure where to begin for some of it. The minor cracks, in theory, should be easy to take care of by cleaning them out and then filling them with the proper crack filler. Anyone have any suggestions on a brand of filler to use?
But what about the section of the driveway with the patch n top of the driveway? Do I dig of the patch and then try my luck and putting a new patch down that is more level with the rest of the driveway? Or should I just leave it as it is (some water does gather on the original driveway just off of the patch)?
And the dip in the driveway? Just patch it and level it? Do I need to worry that the driveway, even in the dip, is smooth? I mean would a patch stick to it?
And then there is the nasty part of the driveway (with all the bumps and gravel and plants). Should I just clean it out the best I can then just patch it all I can, fill as many cracks as possible and then finally seal it all? Any suggestions on the best way to get rid of the plants in the cracks of the driveway?
Some sort of driveway sealing company happened to drive by my home a couple weeks ago and said they offered a service which would seal the driveway with some sort of really thick sealer that would fill in all the cracks itself and would fill in minor holes in the driveway. Anyone know anything about these kinds of services? I mean are they worthwhile? Are there any really thick 'sealers' available to the public that I can buy to do this myself?
If I patch the driveway myself: Cold patch or hot patch?
After all this... Is replacing an asphalt driveway expensive? I mean are we talking about $10,000+ or just a couple thousand?
Sorry I was so long winded. It seems I babble when I type as well as when I speak.