Driveway Pavers

[Cord]

High end pavers and polymeric sand are good for small projects. For most of us operating on a budget cheap pavers, cheap retaining wall block and engineered fill works extremely well. I bought the retaining wall block for this job for $3.50 each delivered up near the top of a mountain. These are concrete with the color all the way through and 62 lbs. each 16x12x6 lwh. Engineered fill is $20/ton delivered. I ordered 2200 block and `12 tons of fill to start. If I had chosen a block that was expensive and used polymeric sand the customer would not have signed up.

The railroad ties along the 180 feet of driveway have been removed and are being replaced with the retaining wall block. Should be finishing this job in the next week or so.

If any one wants to learn how to do this I will teach you for only $25 per day. Just meet me next week and bring gloves.

What are you using for geo-grid?

 

[HillStreet]

Hi Everyone,

Just about finished the house, one more week or so and we will move in.

I am pretty much still in construction mode, and thinking about the driveway this summer. It is 250 feet by 12 feet with a turnaround. I am thinking about using pavers ---probably the grey concrete color but who knows. I know that I can do this D-I-Y but nonetheless have a guy coming over to quote.

I have done patios and walks with great results, may just need to bone up on driveways. Anyway, please share what you know about this kind of work. Driveway slopes down toward the road, a good consistent grade. Gravel is good base for this new driveway, and it held up good over the winter. Thanks.

I am researching and learning a lot about what I thought I knew about pavers. A contractor came over yesterday to look at the job. He says we need to remove grade so he can put in 8 inches or so of 3/4 inch stone, followed by a layer of fabric that allows water to pass through it, followed by 1 or 2 inches of sand. All compacted, of course.

That adds a lot of cost to the job. On the other hand, asphalt prices should remain low all year because petroleum prices are down. We'll see what develops during the pricing of this project.

 

[flusher]

Hi Everyone,

Just about finished the house, one more week or so and we will move in.

I am pretty much still in construction mode, and thinking about the driveway this summer. It is 250 feet by 12 feet with a turnaround. I am thinking about using pavers ---probably the grey concrete color but who knows. I know that I can do this D-I-Y but nonetheless have a guy coming over to quote.

I have done patios and walks with great results, may just need to bone up on driveways. Anyway, please share what you know about this kind of work. Driveway slopes down toward the road, a good consistent grade. Gravel is good base for this new driveway, and it held up good over the winter. Thanks.

So you like a grey colored driveway. Here's mine.



It's a 20 ft wide x 330 ft long gravel driveway. Ground excavated 6 inches. Three 2" thick lifts of crusher run. Each lift watered and compacted with a vibratory roller.

Cost: $4000 in May 2005. Maintenance expense during the 10 years I owned that ranch: zero

Pavers are the last thing I'd use for a driveway in Maine. Pavers heaving due to freeze/thaw cycles during the winter. Expensive to install and likely a big, costly maintenance headache.

Good luck

 

[Ed of all trades]

Thanks for the thread but I think I will stay away from pavers as well. I see problems with edges poking up even after years if we had a really wet spring and a late freeze and snow. just looks like something I might have to fix and I am not looking for things to fix, I want something to fix once and forget. Ed

 

[jenkinsph]

What are you using for geo-grid?

This work is in southern New Mexico with limited rainfall, not using a fabric.

 

[jenkinsph]

I am researching and learning a lot about what I thought I knew about pavers. A contractor came over yesterday to look at the job. He says we need to remove grade so he can put in 8 inches or so of 3/4 inch stone, followed by a layer of fabric that allows water to pass through it, followed by 1 or 2 inches of sand. All compacted, of course.

That adds a lot of cost to the job. On the other hand, asphalt prices should remain low all year because petroleum prices are down. We'll see what develops during the pricing of this project.

Whether you can use pavers on not depends on your locale and I can see where frost heave could be a problem. Installing asphalt that lasts will have it's own requirements, most pavers will remove the gravel and build up a base of 6 inches or more. All finished driveways that are built to last require a solid base with good compaction. Not knowing the specifics on your present driveway it is unclear whether your existing base needs to be reworked or not. Sounds like the contractor you spoke with is starting over from scratch. That may or may not be needed.

 

[EddieWalker]

We have an area of town where they still use bricks for the roads. I forgot how horrible they are to drive on until I went through that part of town yesterday. I guess there are better ways to build roads, but it's a never ending expense for the city to maintain and repair them, only to have roads that make a lot of noise with a rough ride. Bricks are not pavers, but the concept is the same.

Several times the city has tried to have them removed so they could pave those roads, but the people who live in those old homes like the brick roads, so they protest and make a big deal about keeping them. It's a big vacuum on city resources that could go towards other things, but that's government for you.

 

[DT86]

We have an area of town where they still use bricks for the roads. I forgot how horrible they are to drive on until I went through that part of town yesterday. I guess there are better ways to build roads, but it's a never ending expense for the city to maintain and repair them, only to have roads that make a lot of noise with a rough ride. Bricks are not pavers, but the concept is the same.

Several times the city has tried to have them removed so they could pave those roads, but the people who live in those old homes like the brick roads, so they protest and make a big deal about keeping them. It's a big vacuum on city resources that could go towards other things, but that's government for you.

That's funny. One town here put brick cross walks in the historic / touristy area, to match the brick sidewalks. They were noisy to drive over and the locals cried until they were replaced, after a short while, with concrete. Stained (and possibly stamped?) concrete, to mimic the brick sidewalks.

 

[kevin37b]

This work is in southern New Mexico with limited rainfall, not using a fabric.

Beautiful place . Is that Ruidoso ?

 

[Jay4200]

I have done patios and walks with great results, may just need to bone up on driveways. Anyway, please share what you know about this kind of work. Driveway slopes down toward the road, a good consistent grade. Gravel is good base for this new driveway, and it held up good over the winter. Thanks.

Don't forget you can't salt pavers or you'll likely wreck them. Keep that in mind.