If you’re fed up with avoiding holes in your old driveway or parking your car on the street, you may be contemplating installing a newly paved pathway to avoid the hassle of dealing with a broken or cracked driveway. Paving your driveway is an immediate upgrade to any household, but it needs significant upfront investment, heavy equipment to install, specialized skills, and ongoing maintenance.
And although many homeowners should contract this project to a local driveway paving service provider, you can know how to pave a driveway to comprehend the process and how you can expect the service provider you enlist to carry out the job. Especially skilful homeowners who have the same experience can generally execute this job themselves in a matter of days to a week. If you decide to undertake this project yourself, you should ask yourself whether it is cheaper to pave your own driveways instead of getting professional help.
Advantages of a new driveway
Having a bad driveway can be hazardous in a number of ways, which is why you should work on giving it a fresh look. Off-road parking can assist in bringing down insurance premiums, raise vehicle security and is just a convenient feature to include. Also, there’s the kerb appeal that it brings; just picture going up a well-paved driveway and how it will be a great first impression for guests.
Decisions to make when undertaking a driveway project include:
Regardless if you’re creating, extending, or revamping, there are some considerations to make at the beginning of the project that will have an effect on your budget.
DIY Driveway Paving vs. Hiring a Pro
You will need to take into account the amount of changes you want to make to know who is best suited to perform the work. If you are thinking about creating a completely new space, we suggest that you enlist a pro such as brosnanlandscapingandpaving.ie who has the skill level of excavating the ground, ascertaining proper drainage and making a lasting finish.
When you enlist professional labour, paving a driveway will go for around $2500 to $5000, presuming you want to fit a medium-sized driveway of 70m2, and this is not inclusive of labour, but you can undertake this task if you feel confident in your DIY skills
Paving a driveway involves unique, heavy machinery at almost every step of the way, from wrecking the old driveway surface to setting fresh asphalt. Chances are that if you try this job yourself, you will create a weak driveway, or you could destroy the foundation of your home. As with any home project, if you don’t know what you’re doing, the savings you make from your DIY driveway paving will be gobbled up by the maintenance and repairs later on. It is certainly cheaper to pave your own driveway, but it will involve backbreaking work and possible future expenses.
Driveway materials
The other decision will depend on the style you want for your driveway. Installing new paving is the best decision if you want a durable and lasting driveway that offers excellent value for your money. Make sure that you request samples of the driveway materials you want before purchasing, or you can ask your service provider where they have done a driveway project nearby using your preferred paving so you can go check it out yourself. Concrete block paving is the most preferred option for a driveway, sought after for its cost-effectiveness in addition to the hard-wearing beautiful finish it offers. Continue reading to find out how much is block paving.
Prepping to Pave a Driveway
What you’ll require:
TOOLS
- Asphalt shovel
- Asphalt paver
- Power grader
- Compactor or Double drum roller
- Squeegee
- Paint brushes
SUPPLIES
- Asphalt
- Butt joints
- Soil
- Binder layer
- Gravel (optional)
- Paving stones (optional)
How much does the average driveway cost?
When you decide to work on your driveway, what you may not know is that 80% of the expenses will go into the parts you don’t see – ground and sub-base preparation, and only 20% on the materials and paving itself. The amount of work required to prepare the ground, the materials you select and the intricacies of any laying designs or patterns will all play a part in the overall quote.
Taking this into account, to have a correct picture of how much it will cost you to redo your driveway, you’ll want to enlist a professional to come to your place and make an assessment. We suggest that you get two different quotes to contrast.
As previously mentioned, block paving is a well-sought-after choice as it’s an affordable way to make a durable and appealing driveway. When you calculate the size of the paving area, you can accurately calculate how much material you will need and the overall cost. The price is usually set per square metre.
As you can see, paving your driveway won’t demand much from your end. It will only take some of your time but is a venture worth undertaking yourself because you won’t be shelling out money to pay for labour you are already doing.