heres my input! perhaps it may help if your planing to install a drive way,
I can tell you from decades of seeing several dozen or more friends and neighbors having drive ways installed, and seeing the results, after several years time, that ASPHALT driveways generally won,t last nearly as long as, a correctly built concrete drive way, and are far more likely to be constructed poorly using sub standard materials and not being built on a properly prepared foundation, a properly designed ASPHALT driveway has a 4"-6" base of compacted crushed rock, and then several layers of compressed rolled asphalt, companys I see rarely if ever do the site prep properly or roll several layers of asphalt correctly or the correct thickness so as a result asphalt drives seldom last long in the high heat and high humidity of south Florida.
if done properly theres ZERO advantage in cost over building a concrete driveway which if properly built with the correct footers and foundation is going to last far longer .
Types
There are two types of asphalt for driveways. One driveway installation comes from a hot mixture of aggregate rocks of different sizes held together with a petroleum-based binder. Special machines compact the hot mix asphalt (HMA) to the proper density and thickness for a driveway installation. The other type of asphalt mix uses a cold mixture of aggregate and binder. Unfortunately, this type doesn’t hold up well in warm climates. As the temperatures warm, the binder softens around the aggregate and the surface develops soft spots.
Base
No matter what type of asphalt you choose, or how thick you put it on the driveway, there must be a solid base under the driveway for it to last. While it’s necessary to follow local building codes, many contractors recommend a compacted base of rock with a depth no less than 8 inches. Compacting the asphalt during installation is important as well, or the surface may give way during hot weather. The ground surrounding the driveway should drain well. The driveway should have a slope of at least 1/4 inch per foot.
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Angie's List Local Rating
Read Local Ratings & Reviews. Find Contractors in Your Area!
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Size
The local zoning board establishes how wide each driveway must be, as well as the depth of the asphalt on the driveway. The amount of crushed rock base can affect the depth of asphalt required, with thicker bases requiring less asphalt. Zoning boards also set up rules for building asphalt driveways on the city’s share of the apron, or the area between the sidewalk and the roadway. The zoning board establishes the size and kind of expansion joints necessary between city-owned asphalt and/or cement and the homeowner’s asphalt driveway.
Sealer
While it’s possible to put a sealer on an asphalt driveway, installers typically recommend waiting at least one year before doing so. Unless the asphalt is showing signs of separating or cracking, sealing may not be necessary at all.
Warning
Itinerant driveway construction crews may pass through your neighborhood wanting to put in a new asphalt driveway, or seal and repair the existing driveway. They often do very substandard work, installing a 1" or thinner latyer of asphalt or some times asphalt mixed with used oil and sand, and use other below-grade asphalt materials. Ive seen them tell house owners to let the driveway set untouched for 2 days to "SETTLE" ,MEANING LONG ENOUGH TO CASH YOUR CHECK AND DISAPPEAR, BECAUSE THE FIRST TIME YOU DRIVE ON IT YOULL REALIZE YOU WERE SCAMMED, as the car tires will leave grooves and it will very quickly deteriorate to a huge mess. If the driveway needs repairs, hire a reputable local contractor to do the job, discuss the foundation, be there to PERSONALLY MEASURE AND INSPECT the thickness of the asphalt and the sub foundation of crushed rock. remember all drive ways should have a slight center to edge crown or higher , to lower drainage water flow built into the design no steep unsupported edges, the area adjacent to the driveway should be a slight slope, your local building codes and permit inspectors should mention this and insist on it being done correctly.
If the builder insists YOU pull the permit YOUR responsible, if HE doers sub standard work. so make sure hes licensed and insured and you contact at least 5 previous LOCAL clients, and drop by to see the work, so he can,t just give you his wifes, and brother in laws phone number
Read more: Specifications for a Residential Asphalt Driveway | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6736118_speci ... z22b3ObMEF
http://www.renovation-headquarters.com/ ... iveway.htm
http://www.homeconstructionimprovement. ... driveways/
http://www.life123.com/home-garden/land ... eway.shtml
CONCRETE
youll find most contractors will tell you a 3"-4" thick drive way in concrete for a residence is fine, I can assure you that 5"-6" of concrete with reinforcing rod in the edge footers and proper mesh screen, with the proper foundation of compacted rock, and side footers a bit thicker will have 50%-70% more load capacity and will last far longer that a similar asphalt driveway, like everything else you do a week of research can prevent wasting thousands of dollars and being stuck with a defective sub-standard drive way!
LOOK THRU THE LINKED INFO
http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete ... asics.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Concrete-Driveway
http://www.ehow.com/concrete-driveways/
http://www.handyamerican.com/articles.a ... nstruction
http://www.using-concrete.com/concretedriveway.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?Building-a-Co ... &id=319597
http://www.millennialliving.com/Activit ... -donts.htm
http://concretesecrets.com/concrete_construction.htm
I can tell you from decades of seeing several dozen or more friends and neighbors having drive ways installed, and seeing the results, after several years time, that ASPHALT driveways generally won,t last nearly as long as, a correctly built concrete drive way, and are far more likely to be constructed poorly using sub standard materials and not being built on a properly prepared foundation, a properly designed ASPHALT driveway has a 4"-6" base of compacted crushed rock, and then several layers of compressed rolled asphalt, companys I see rarely if ever do the site prep properly or roll several layers of asphalt correctly or the correct thickness so as a result asphalt drives seldom last long in the high heat and high humidity of south Florida.
if done properly theres ZERO advantage in cost over building a concrete driveway which if properly built with the correct footers and foundation is going to last far longer .
Types
There are two types of asphalt for driveways. One driveway installation comes from a hot mixture of aggregate rocks of different sizes held together with a petroleum-based binder. Special machines compact the hot mix asphalt (HMA) to the proper density and thickness for a driveway installation. The other type of asphalt mix uses a cold mixture of aggregate and binder. Unfortunately, this type doesn’t hold up well in warm climates. As the temperatures warm, the binder softens around the aggregate and the surface develops soft spots.
Base
No matter what type of asphalt you choose, or how thick you put it on the driveway, there must be a solid base under the driveway for it to last. While it’s necessary to follow local building codes, many contractors recommend a compacted base of rock with a depth no less than 8 inches. Compacting the asphalt during installation is important as well, or the surface may give way during hot weather. The ground surrounding the driveway should drain well. The driveway should have a slope of at least 1/4 inch per foot.
Sponsored Links
Angie's List Local Rating
Read Local Ratings & Reviews. Find Contractors in Your Area!
http://www.AngiesList.com/Contractors
Size
The local zoning board establishes how wide each driveway must be, as well as the depth of the asphalt on the driveway. The amount of crushed rock base can affect the depth of asphalt required, with thicker bases requiring less asphalt. Zoning boards also set up rules for building asphalt driveways on the city’s share of the apron, or the area between the sidewalk and the roadway. The zoning board establishes the size and kind of expansion joints necessary between city-owned asphalt and/or cement and the homeowner’s asphalt driveway.
Sealer
While it’s possible to put a sealer on an asphalt driveway, installers typically recommend waiting at least one year before doing so. Unless the asphalt is showing signs of separating or cracking, sealing may not be necessary at all.
Warning
Itinerant driveway construction crews may pass through your neighborhood wanting to put in a new asphalt driveway, or seal and repair the existing driveway. They often do very substandard work, installing a 1" or thinner latyer of asphalt or some times asphalt mixed with used oil and sand, and use other below-grade asphalt materials. Ive seen them tell house owners to let the driveway set untouched for 2 days to "SETTLE" ,MEANING LONG ENOUGH TO CASH YOUR CHECK AND DISAPPEAR, BECAUSE THE FIRST TIME YOU DRIVE ON IT YOULL REALIZE YOU WERE SCAMMED, as the car tires will leave grooves and it will very quickly deteriorate to a huge mess. If the driveway needs repairs, hire a reputable local contractor to do the job, discuss the foundation, be there to PERSONALLY MEASURE AND INSPECT the thickness of the asphalt and the sub foundation of crushed rock. remember all drive ways should have a slight center to edge crown or higher , to lower drainage water flow built into the design no steep unsupported edges, the area adjacent to the driveway should be a slight slope, your local building codes and permit inspectors should mention this and insist on it being done correctly.
If the builder insists YOU pull the permit YOUR responsible, if HE doers sub standard work. so make sure hes licensed and insured and you contact at least 5 previous LOCAL clients, and drop by to see the work, so he can,t just give you his wifes, and brother in laws phone number
Read more: Specifications for a Residential Asphalt Driveway | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6736118_speci ... z22b3ObMEF
http://www.renovation-headquarters.com/ ... iveway.htm
http://www.homeconstructionimprovement. ... driveways/
http://www.life123.com/home-garden/land ... eway.shtml
CONCRETE
youll find most contractors will tell you a 3"-4" thick drive way in concrete for a residence is fine, I can assure you that 5"-6" of concrete with reinforcing rod in the edge footers and proper mesh screen, with the proper foundation of compacted rock, and side footers a bit thicker will have 50%-70% more load capacity and will last far longer that a similar asphalt driveway, like everything else you do a week of research can prevent wasting thousands of dollars and being stuck with a defective sub-standard drive way!
LOOK THRU THE LINKED INFO
http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete ... asics.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Concrete-Driveway
http://www.ehow.com/concrete-driveways/
http://www.handyamerican.com/articles.a ... nstruction
http://www.using-concrete.com/concretedriveway.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?Building-a-Co ... &id=319597
http://www.millennialliving.com/Activit ... -donts.htm
http://concretesecrets.com/concrete_construction.htm