Your driveway is more than the quickest route from the road to your garage. Your driveway is the first and foremost feature of your home that your visitors see when they arrive. It also serves as a great spot to show off your new car or play a basketball game, and it provides a safe place for the kids to play. Most importantly, a well-built well-maintained asphalt driveway will add curb appeal to your home. It’s the first impression of your home that people see and it should look as great as possible.

Asphalt driveways are easy to maintain, easy to keep free of snow and ice in the winter, and relatively dirt-free in the summer. They are economical, durable and long lasting. Achieving the desired asphalt driveway relies on sound construction and proper design.

Driveways are built from the ground up so you need to start with a solid base. The sub-grade (the ground on which the driveway is laid) must be smooth, firm and even and contoured to match the layout of the drive. Your new driveway installation begins by installing a compacted 8″ inch CA-6 aggregate base on top of the existing sub-grade. This of course also includes setting the grade and pitch of your new or existing driveway. Common sense tells us that water must run downhill. This will not only provide longevity to the asphalt but will also provide protection to buildings and structures, pedestrian traffic, and the sub-grade.

The finished pavement once installed should have a minimum slope of 1.5″ inch for every 10 feet. This is equivalent to a 15 inch fall for every 100 feet of driveway. At completion of the installation, the drainage must be away from buildings and water must not be allowed to rest on edges of the pavement.

Once the base and grade have been established and has met all requirements, the installation of the hot mix asphalt begins. Driveways require a MINIMUM of ONE LIFT of compacted hot surface mix asphalt at a thickness of 2″ inches. While this will provide an acceptable driveway construction, Pav Tech highly recommends a 3″ installation for all residential applications. This installation is achieved by installing one lift 1.5″ inch hot binder mix rolled and compacted and 1.5″ inch hot surface mix asphalt rolled and compacted to a achieve total thickness of 3″ inches after rolling and compacting.