Looking4new
Super Member
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- Northern Ontario, Canada
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- 2012 Kioti CK27HST w/cab
Whichever way you go on this I would certainly NOT chipseal it.
Paving Private Rural Driveway
- Thread starter Pettrix
- Start date
radioman
Super Member
I am with obed here - however others have good points as well. We have no idea what soil driveway is like in your area once it gets wet. I am not talking about the dust and washaway areas. I am talking about the whole road. does it rut at all from driving on it wet at all times of year? If you say it never ruts or squishes around when driving on it esp. when wet , then a simple chip seal is all you need and you most likely should incorporate in loan. If it does ruts when wet, then like eddie says, you need a good base, regardless of what you top coat it with or not.
dmccarty
Super Star Member
Wow, some of those photos were freaky. They look like our driveway! :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing: Except of the golf course green grass that is.
Back to the OP.
Other options that I have read about, but never used, is to till in concrete into the road base or use a soil stabilizer. There was a conversation on TBN years ago where someone used a soil stabilizer. Maybe this will ring a bell and someone can speak up. I don't know the costs and durability of the soil stabilizer but I do remember thinking about using it for making trails around our property lines.
Later,
Dan
We did not pave until the house was paid off. It 15 years old at that point and I was repairing the gravel 2-3 times a year. Always at the same spots. If you have any grade, the problems get worse. One option is put down gravel and then a top cover of screenings. I did this on my back drive, which is a secondary path that we use occasionally. It has a bit of a grade. The screenings pack nearly solid, and have held up well to water running down.
I do have to say, that after 15 years of gravel, paving was a really nice change. No more potholes or gray splashes on the car. But the biggest plus is that snow blowing with my Kubota became infinitely easier. Down on the skids and go. In the past I would go through 1-2 shear pins every storm. Now I have used about 2 in 10 years. It is a lot of money, but on the other side it makes life easy.
paul
I do have to say, that after 15 years of gravel, paving was a really nice change. No more potholes or gray splashes on the car. But the biggest plus is that snow blowing with my Kubota became infinitely easier. Down on the skids and go. In the past I would go through 1-2 shear pins every storm. Now I have used about 2 in 10 years. It is a lot of money, but on the other side it makes life easy.
paul
NorTracNY
Platinum Member
Obed,
You were by FAR the nicest person for the OP. Anyone that thinks living in the country is more expensive that living in the city, doesn't understand what it means to live in the country. Can you imagine the number of times you could PAY someone to wash your car for $180/month? Think of all the dinners and entertainment you could enjoy for that much every month?
A paved driveway is a luxury PERIOD
OP
Pettrix
Platinum Member
I appreciate the responses and advice.
Gravel driveways work better in areas that receive some rainfall because it keeps the fines/particulates down. Here in AZ we might not see a drop of rain for months and months. Here in Arizona they have to constantly spray down works sites with water because the dust is so bad. When it does rain it comes down in buckets and erodes anything that is not concrete or asphalt based. Water does not soak into the soil when it rains, it simply flows on the surface and finds the path of least resistance, taking off the top layer of fines with it and eroding it. Remember, this is what happens in AZ when we get strong winds:
In regards to the $35k or $188 a month additional, as I mentioned, the home loan would be paid off way before 30 years, so the $35k wouldn't cost me $68k amortized. Ideally the loan would be paid off in 10 years or less. Asphalt costs have doubled in the past 10-15 years, one can argue that not doing it now could end up costing me double or $70k in 10 years from now.
What I meant in regards to country living costing more than city living. Right now one can buy a new home for around $65 per sq.ft. with city water and sewer for $150 a month. Building new in the country costs more money because everything has greater costs due to the rural location. Concrete, supplies, etc., are higher due to travel time. To dig a well and install a septic will cost $16k and take almost 9 years to break even with the current $150 a month for city sewer & water. To pull electricity in the rural location will cost me $5k. The point is that building rural carries higher costs vs. buying in the city. Transportation costs are high and labor is more scarce in rural locations. This is true for Arizona but might not be true in other states but it is here.
Gravel driveways work better in areas that receive some rainfall because it keeps the fines/particulates down. Here in AZ we might not see a drop of rain for months and months. Here in Arizona they have to constantly spray down works sites with water because the dust is so bad. When it does rain it comes down in buckets and erodes anything that is not concrete or asphalt based. Water does not soak into the soil when it rains, it simply flows on the surface and finds the path of least resistance, taking off the top layer of fines with it and eroding it. Remember, this is what happens in AZ when we get strong winds:
In regards to the $35k or $188 a month additional, as I mentioned, the home loan would be paid off way before 30 years, so the $35k wouldn't cost me $68k amortized. Ideally the loan would be paid off in 10 years or less. Asphalt costs have doubled in the past 10-15 years, one can argue that not doing it now could end up costing me double or $70k in 10 years from now.
What I meant in regards to country living costing more than city living. Right now one can buy a new home for around $65 per sq.ft. with city water and sewer for $150 a month. Building new in the country costs more money because everything has greater costs due to the rural location. Concrete, supplies, etc., are higher due to travel time. To dig a well and install a septic will cost $16k and take almost 9 years to break even with the current $150 a month for city sewer & water. To pull electricity in the rural location will cost me $5k. The point is that building rural carries higher costs vs. buying in the city. Transportation costs are high and labor is more scarce in rural locations. This is true for Arizona but might not be true in other states but it is here.
OP
Pettrix
Platinum Member
What is wrong with chipseal? Some subdivisions out here actually use chipseal to pave their roads. I don't know how well they do or don't hold up but it is used for the main roads in some areas.
Looking4new
Super Member
- Joined
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- Location
- Northern Ontario, Canada
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- 2012 Kioti CK27HST w/cab
Chipseal is great on a medium density road with lots of car and pickup traffic. Not so good if there are big trucks travelling and turning on the same road. As for chipseal on a driveway, it will take a long time to cure because you don't have the heat from many tires running along it. Normally on a road it takes about a week or two for chipseal to cure & you need a good rainstorm to flush off the dust after it cures. If you were to do a 'double' surface treatment (chipseal) now, in two years time you would be putting a 'single' on top of that.
As with all roads whether it is paved with hot mix, concrete or tar and chip/chipseal/surface treatment, you've got to have a good solid base. Otherwise in a few years it will all break up.