Cost Of Asphalt Driveways

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• This is all very helpful despite the light argument over asphalt per ton costs. So here is my question. We are looking at buying a house in central NH with a 200 ft driveway that is on a hill, looks like about a 20 degree slope. The current "driveway" looks like just a dirt/gravel road with deep tire ruts. So I am wondering what the complete costs would be to regrade the driveway, then put down a couple of inches of road fill, then roll, then an inch of asphalt.

  It seems that the job cited here has an existing decent base, which is not the case for our consideration. I really appreciate any guidance that anyone may offer.

  Thanks.

  • Kevin - obviously without seeing the driveway it's pretty hard to say. However, if you just assume that the prep work would take between 4 and 8 hours for a crew, then the prep work is likely in the $1500 to $3000 range. Very wide range of course but that should get you in the right ball park conservatively.

• I just had a 45' x 22' (990 sq ft) asphalt driveway paved. Most of it was over an existing older gravel drive, but I extended about 12' into my yard and widened it buy about 3' down one side. Where I added I dug down and added two inches of modified stone ($25/ton). Paving guys came in used 1.5" base course and 1.5" top course. Cost for that was $2,300 or about $2.32/sq ft. I'm just outside of Philadelphia.

  • I am in Bensalem, Bucks County. Are you nearby and who did you use? Thanks, Justin

  • Who did you use Tim? I live in Doylestown

• I would have to say that whoever wrote this article needs to get a lesson In asphalt bidding and proper the method installing asphalt. There is a reason why at least in California you must have a contractors lisc.
  I found this article filled with poisonous misinformation, and when readers look at this you are only doing them a dis service by making them skeptical by your lack of competency in this field /craft. I find that your comment about be cautious about asphalt workers knocking on your door and Leary of this. Well I think anyone who reads your article should be Leary by your failed attempt to educate people in a field you apparently have little to no knowledge in.
  You give "us" successful licensed contractors a bad name by your two cents. We educate and work with customers. So with all do respect stick to your day job, which isn't Asphalt!!!

  • Cory - With all due respect I do know what I'm talking about. I'm a project manager and head engineer for a large company that does millions of dollars in asphalt paving every year. If you're so upset then why don't you actually spell out what you're upset about..what is poisonous? You see here in NH and most likely around the Country there is a problem with roaming "gypsy" pavers who do EXACTLY what I mentioned. So why not show me some respect and spell out your issues so that I can clearly address them.

    • I coudlnt agree more with you Todd. I found your info very accurate. all the bids i recieved for my driveway lined up with what you stated.

      if your going to knock someone, please put the information in where he is wrong.

    • Yes, I know this post is old but..

      The "gypsy" pavers are prevelent in West Virginia as well. I would say California actually has laws preventing the gypsies from ripping innocent people off.

      Cory,
      Every state has its own laws and California probably has the most. NH must have less restrictive laws, just like WV. :)

    • My mom had a guy stop off at her home and offer her asphalt for her driveway. He claims he was doing a job and had extra and needed to get rid of it. Quote her $500 for the job. After he finished the job he tried to go up on his price to $1500 . He argued with my mom and left with only $500 or the option on loading up his asphalt and leaving her property. We have to be very careful working with anyone that sales from their vehicle and not an office.

    • I can explain it all for you sir . You did see where this,gentleman is from right ? California , they sell 1200 square foot homes for 200,000$ so I and I'm sure everyone here that has read your information greatly appreciate your time and effort to help those of us who know nothing of these services , thanks again and keep us informed of any other helpful information you may have . As for the other gentleman I feel sorry for people like you who only see the negativity in others ,this man wasn't asked for this information he volountered it . Thanks again

• Todd-The Author of the Article, not the other "Todd" responding.

  I have been in the Multi Family Apt business for over ten years and find your article to be very helpful. You DID add in cost of fuel labor etc...

  I am in the market for Asphalt as I write this letter. There are 5 contractors here in Abilene TX. I have received several bids. What I cannot get one single company to tell me is how they calculated it.

  I know they need to make a profit, they dont need to "hide" that part from me. I know they have to pay Labor, Fuel, Machine costs.

  But at this moment, I cannot get anything other than a total dollar amount, and based on my "Best Ballpark Figures" they are asking double what it should be.

  Here i sit, with temps dropping to low to actually do the work, and unable to get anyone to be honest with me. Guess will hafta call Dallas and start the process all over again.

  Thanks for you help!

  Debbie

  • Debbie - Glad you found the article useful. Remember there can be significant differences in prices regionally. If you are getting similar prices from several reputable companies then it's likely you're getting a fair price.

  • Hi Debbie, Contractors have different overheads,material & labor costs ect. and may have different profit margins depending on so many factors. bottom line is there are very few contractors who wiil share all of the factors that equate to a final price. they dont need that info to get out on the street. every day you buy multiple items from gas, groceries, to maybe a new grille. imagine asking every supplier of all the items you purchase to supply you with their costs and profit margins. You can have my contract specifying how and what i will sell you and what it will cost. Its none of your business what i did to get to those numbers.

• Thanks Todd. Interestingly enough I only need 3400 sq foot patch. Price quoted is 13,600. Very high quote no matter how you do the math. I generously came up with 6000 according to all calculations I used. I am looking for at least 2 more bids. Am I wrong as a consumer to ask how they come up with their figures? I am being met with hostility and told flat out no way are they telling me.

  • How many inches is the asphalt?

    Not sure many will tell you. Some may tell you how many man hours and how much in materials...but they are not likely to share much else.

  • I am a construction worker so who leave it at that but I have always noticed when so some accuses me of something I had nothing to do with it makes me laugh but people who get irritated about us asking them questions well then they are hiding something from you, we as consumers have the right to know where our hard earned dollars go so you find out from him or get a new contractor . It always pays to do this BEFORE you start . Thanks

• I've been in the asphalt business for over a decade now and have seen it all. Driveway after driveway falling apart from shady paving contractors. Most people around here have learned to stay away from the door to door contractors. I love to see good advise on the net about keeping away from this type of contractor. I do see where Cory is trying to go, I think.
  You figure $1600 labor to pave a 3,000 sq. ft. driveway. So 5 employees payed at lets say $150 a day is $750. Gas for equipment and trucks will run about $200 in town. Thats $750 left for the company. Advertising cost. Hello? How can that possibly keep a company running? Taxed at 30% there is no room for the owner to even pay for his $200,000 in equipment let alone pay his morgage. God forbid we have to dig and lay a six inch base.
  Time to get out of the paving business with your figures. These figures you give are the prices the door to door guys give, about $1.50 a sq foot. Also the prices of 2000, its 2013 now..... A reputable contractor should be at least $2.00 and yes they should outline the tons used and prep work to be done.

  I understand your company does millions of $ in asphalt a year. Do you guys charge by the hour? No. Million dollar bids.

  How much do you make a year? I need a job.

  • I think your figures are a bit flawed. First off, your 5 guys need to pave more than one driveway in a day. At the very least they should be doing 2 or more driveways that size for the $150/day. I won't argue that these are aggressive prices, but frankly that's the damn market we're in. We are facing very small profits as are most in the business. The prices are current as well.

    Again, remember, these are very Regional numbers. If were were 100 miles south closer to the city in Boston, the prices would likely be 50% higher. These are JUST guidelines to help customers figure out what a driveway may cost. The real issue, and best approach, is getting 3 REPUTABLE bids.

• Yeah the market is bad but 1.00 a sq. Ft? I know many many many residential asphalt guys across the country. No one is charging under 2 a sq ft. and none of them charge by the ton....

  • That's for ONE inch of pavement. If you're charging $2/sf per inch then you my friend are doing very well. Please do me a favor and READ the entire article, let's say you're putting down a new driveway, 2" of binder and 1" of finish. You're looking at just over $3/sf for the driveway. I'm fairly certain you've missed that key aspect of the article. Again...guidelines my friend so someone can compare how thick the driveway in the bid is.

• I am having an additional driveway and having it tie back to my original. The total Square footage is apx 715 (65x11). My they will have to dig and grade as the current driveway is about a foot lower than the yard they are installing the new driveway on. My understanding is that there will be 2"base and 1"top. The quote I received for this was $3,900 for crushed top vs finished black top and $5,900 for finished product. Based on your figures isn't this way too high then? I live in MD close to DC

  • Not sure I understand. Are you saying $3,900 for excavation and a gravel surface.

    or

    $5,900 for excavation work, prep and the 3 inches of asphalt?

    The prep work is likely to cost as much or more than the paving.

    • 5,900 for the entire project. Asphalt driveway 65x11.
      Is that too steep?

      the 3,900 was a cheaper option provided where instead of asphalt its some sort of crushed black top?

      • Frank - That seems quite reasonable. If this was "just" paving the paving job would cost approximately $2,000 to $3,000. Again, the amount of excavation is likely as much or more. They have to remove lots of material, then install a proper base, grade it, compact it all before paving. Seems very reasonable.

        • Thank you so much for the response. I just don't know enough about it and wanted to ensure I wasn't being ripped off. Thanks again

          Cheers,
          Frank

        • Frank - My pleasure.....the whole point of writing these articles is to give people like you unbiased information. I sure hope you'll share our site with friends. The best way to help us is by sharing it on Social Media, Google Plus, etc. Good luck!

• Todd, thanks for the good info. I live outside San Antonio TX and have a very large driveway, approx 1200' long. I had one of those door-to-door salesmen refinish half of it about 7 years ago. Many areas of the asphalt have now fallen apart into crumbled pieces. I would like to get the entire driveway replaced and have some questions:
  - Would the cost per sq ft be the same or would there be a discount price on a larger job like this?
  - Will the removal of my existing asphalt be a big deal or do they just recycle it back down into the new asphalt?
  - If I decide to abandon that driveway and put another one somewhere else on my property, would it cost more to start from scratch?

  • Bryant - Thanks for the compliment and great questions. First let me remind you that the pricing estimates I've shown on my site are certainly susceptible to local market variations.

    A driveway that size is typically a bit cheaper than a small one. That's because the mobilization of equipment is the same for both.
    Removal of the existing asphalt is labor intensive and requires excavation equipment. Because of that it's certainly going to be expensive. However, it won't be as expensive as starting a new driveway.

    Good luck.

• I just built a new house with a crushed gravel driveway. The driveway has about a year of wear and tear. Would I still need to pay for a sub-base when I pave or can I just pave over a crushed gravel driveway that is still in good shape?

  • Jesse,

    It depends on how thick the gravel is. If it's thick enough then it can simply be graded prior to placing the asphalt.

    • Yes sir this is my first time to bid out a 34 by 15 peice of dirt into a drive way that's 6 to 8 inches deep and going to be filled with De composed granette. how much would that be sir