Concrete driveway do-able??

[RxRatedZ71]

We have a long (1100') gravel driveway put in when we built our house in 2008. It has a 6-8 inch deep base of 3-4" crusher run. Then was top-dressed with 3-4 inches of 1.5" crusher run. About 5-600' is on a good downhill slope and it drains from east to west naturally. With a good rain i have to redress it with my boxblade and drag the sediments back to the top.

My wife and i always said that when we hit the lottery, the first project would be paving the driveway. Since we dont buy lottery tickets, thats not likely to happen. However, my neighbor just built a 4000 sqft concrete house and he has offered to me use his metal driveway forms. Is a project this size do-able in 10 yard increments? We were thinking about 1-2 trucks or sections per year. I was thinking to start in the middle, that way the areas by our garage pad and street approach would look nice. Hopefully we could get our mistakes out of the way early.

 

[300UGUY]

We have a long (1100') gravel driveway put in when we built our house in 2008. It has a 6-8 inch deep base of 3-4" crusher run. Then was top-dressed with 3-4 inches of 1.5" crusher run. About 5-600' is on a good downhill slope and it drains from east to west naturally. With a good rain i have to redress it with my boxblade and drag the sediments back to the top.

My wife and i always said that when we hit the lottery, the first project would be paving the driveway. Since we dont buy lottery tickets, thats not likely to happen. However, my neighbor just built a 4000 sqft concrete house and he has offered to me use his metal driveway forms. Is a project this size do-able in 10 yard increments? We were thinking about 1-2 trucks or sections per year. I was thinking to start in the middle, that way the areas by our garage pad and street approach would look nice. Hopefully we could get our mistakes out of the way early.

I wouldn't take on project going on 11 years. By the time you finish, you might be repairing the 1st section.

 

[Deere Dude]

Just an idea, but I would do a section or two by the garage first. It would be a shame to get the center done and then leak out or you have to worry about a big cement truck driving over it and busting up what you just poured a month before..

Depending how wide it is, a couple guys should be able to do 10 yards, and then do a section every other day or whatever fits your schedule. If you are good and have a crew, start at one end and keep in poring till the forms run out. I'm envious of your plan. I'm sitting on a gravel driveway and I can't figure out how to start pouring the thing because of the design of it and I'm to cheap to hire it out...

 

[RxRatedZ71]

Here are a few pics to help with the "visual" members. I always appreciate pics when people upload them too! Pic1 is looking uphill towards our gate and Pic2 looks downhill towards the creek then up to the house.

 

[RxRatedZ71]

Both good points. I was worried about a truck ruining a previous section. I thought about an alternate "traffic route" for the concrete truck but with the creek in the middle, he's gonna have to cross it eventually. Would the concrete look "patchworked" together with lots of multiple pours??

 

[rekees4300]

Sounds like a project that's beyond DIY. Concrete has a tendency to crack no matter how well it's installed. Just got an estimate to replace 33X13 section of my cracked concrete drive ... $2000! Have you considered hiring a reputable asphalt installer?

 

[RxRatedZ71]

I haven't been able to find a reputable contractor for asphalt. I've talked with a couple of hot-mix suppliers but they said they wouldnt use the few names they keep on hand to even pave their own private drives. I hear so much about the "fly by night gypsy pavers" that I'm leery. But yes, I have considered it. I would prefer asphalt but thought the concrete might end up being cheaper if I took the labor component out.

 

[dave1949]

Nice setting you have there. There is no doubt, gravel drives are a lifetime project, but I actually prefer their more rustic/rural/natural look over concrete. But, it's not my driveway, so...

I would begin at the garage. You will have less tracked in grit, and by the looks of it, you will be needing a place for a basketball hoop and someplace smooth for toys with wheels

Have you experimented with water bars to keep the water from eroding the gravel? It doesn't look like you would need very many.

 

[rekees4300]

I would prefer asphalt but thought the concrete might end up being cheaper if I took the labor component out.

You have a beautiful home in a country setting. IMHO an asphalt driveway would complement it better than a concrete one. :2cents:

 

[RxRatedZ71]

Thanks again for the kind words. We have worked hard to get it to the point we are at. We first thought that gravel wouldn't be bad but as our kids get older, they can't enjoy the luxury of having a big area to play on. I know I'm fussing about petty issues in the grand scheme of things. However, I would like a big area for them to learn to ride their bikes on and other activities.
Its funny that you mention water bars. I actually found a post about them on TBN and have installed 2 of them. One is about 50' into the long straight-run on the hill and the other is about 350' further downhill. They are reclaimed cedar boards and constructed out of 1 2x6 laid flat and then 2 2x4s spaced apart standing on their spine to make a trough. I cut spacers out of conduit and place that in between them. They are about 4 inches deep and work to kick the water off into the trees at strategic locations. They are dug into the driveway so they lie flat and you dont notice them when you drive over them. They work adequately in slow, steady rain that produces a small downhill stream. However, we got 4 inches this past Saturday night and it overwhelmed them and they filled with gravel and sediment and then they are useless until cleaned out.They also are a pain to work around when boxblading the gravel. You have to stop, scoop up any extra gravel, pour onto uphill side, then begin again to the next on.
The local city and county are scheduled to "redo" our roads within the next few months. Currently, the roads are "tar and chip" and are pot-hole havens. I would even consider that material for a driveway, but it seems to be an antiquated roadway material. Anyone ever heard of this type of road? I'm gonna to buy several truck loads of the roto-millings when they are working on the roadway so at least I can get some more gravel. I think a driver would easily dump his load on our driveway for a quick $50 in his pockets. Easier than driving it back to the plant to recycle and it fattens his wallet faster too!

 

[Cat_Driver]

Doable - sure, a lot of things are doable.

10 yards a year and you need aprox 163 yards, that's 16 years.

You can purchase 7334 bags at around $5 a bag and spend $36K, ( not including labor wire steel etc. )

By the truck you'd spend 25K. ( not including labor, wire, steel etc. etc. )

 

[dave1949]

I think a lot of small roads went from gravel to tar and chip back in the 1950's - I used to live on one as a kid :laughing: They would get wavy, but I don't recall potholes. Traffic was lighter then.

Every couple years they would spray tar heavy on top of whatever was there, then tailgate off the small stone chips, rake it out by hand a bit and call it good. The roads would have tar "puddles" here and there on the surface in the dips. That was always cool because on hot summer day, our bikes would leave tracks in them :laughing:

I don't know about the driver dumping the tillings for you, the material may be figured into the cost of making the new asphalt. The price of oil, I've heard, keeps the price of asphalt high.

 

[zonta223]

We have a long (1100') gravel driveway put in when we built our house in 2008. It has a 6-8 inch deep base of 3-4" crusher run. Then was top-dressed with 3-4 inches of 1.5" crusher run. About 5-600' is on a good downhill slope and it drains from east to west naturally. With a good rain i have to redress it with my boxblade and drag the sediments back to the top.

My wife and i always said that when we hit the lottery, the first project would be paving the driveway. Since we dont buy lottery tickets, thats not likely to happen. However, my neighbor just built a 4000 sqft concrete house and he has offered to me use his metal driveway forms. Is a project this size do-able in 10 yard increments? We were thinking about 1-2 trucks or sections per year. I was thinking to start in the middle, that way the areas by our garage pad and street approach would look nice. Hopefully we could get our mistakes out of the way early.

Personally I would concrete the garage and the kids play area first. Gives them a solid area to play on even if the rest of the drive is a boggy mess. Unless you buy concrete (or cement) and use the same brand and type you will have a patch work driveway.
Have you thought of mixing cement powder in with your gravel? Use your box blade to break up the surface of the driveway and mix in the cement powder whilst its damp. Then compact it by driving over it. I did this a few years ago to a section of my drive that was like driving on greased ice no traction at all when wet and large washaways when it rained hard. Never touched the driveway since. And the beauty of it is you can do it in sections when you have the time and money and if you have a cement plant anywhere local you can ask for BB or BCB cement which comes at a fraction of the cost of normal cement.

Just a thought

 

[forgeblast]

Dave there is a saying here about our county roads "We chip them or skip them"

 

[rtimgray]

I certainly think it's a doable project, but probably because we are planning on doing the same thing to our driveway beginning next year. Our driveway is about 1900' long and we plan on doing it over the course of about 10 years (that's the plan - I bet 15 is more likely).

Of course it will look something like a patchwork, but as each piece weathers the difference will minimize. As far as having to replace the first section before we finish the last section, I would be very surprised if that there the case. We poured a concrete drive at my childhood home and it just had it's 20th birthday. It is driven on daily by cars and trucks, as well as the occasional tractor and concrete truck headed by the house on the way to other pours on my dad's property.

Sure it may take 10 or 15 or more years, but if it a place that you are planning on being your "forever" home, there's no reason you can't do it (and do it yourself).

Good luck and take care.

 

[Egon]

Your proposed driveway would be possible but may not be a reasonable approach other than by the garage/house.

Set up a "driveway fund" and then do it in much longer stretches.

Concrete is best for the steep portions. Consider asphault for the rest.

Competent contractors should be around. Might have to look a little farther.

 

[BeezFun]

You could hire a contractor to do the first pour by the house, watch what they do or better yet see if they'll let you help. That way the part you care about most will look professional and you'll have a little experience as you work your way out to the street. The other thing to check into is whether your local plant will sell overage at reduced rates. We used to send back good sized loads from large pours, the plant may sell those to you if you're flexible and can take the load on short notice. Only problem there is things might not match quite right because it's different mixes, but you'll have that problem anyway if you stretch the pour over that long a time. I think your project is very doable because who cares if you never finish, lots of houses have concrete drives that don't go all the way to the street.

I echo your concern about asphalt contractors and would not hire someone that wasn't in business locally and would stand behind their work.

 

[Western]

I agree with all the guys, one thing you can consider is, pouring 2 separate wheel runners and keeping gravel or placing asphalt between them yourself. If they are 2-3' wide each, you would get more distance for your money. Just a thought.

BTW, I just bought about 11,000# of cold mix patching material asphalt for a small job (filling pot holes) paid $78 per ton. of course your prices there will vary. I think you could place your own asphalt in a center run after a bit of practice. done in "lifts" and smooth and pack with your tractor. I know thinking outside of the box, but very doable.

 

[dodge man]

Unless you have done this thing before, I would stay away from it. It used to be Asphalt was a lot cheaper, but the gap has closed some with the increase in oil prices. The biggest problem isn't the actual process, but getting the grades right so you don't trap water or create drainage problems.

 

[RxRatedZ71]

After reading several replies last night, i got to thinking about our local roads and their current state. I checked on some Youtube videos and saw they are still doing tar & chip or seal & chip roads. Is this a cheaper alternative to asphalt? They spray the emulsion down then pour a thin layer of fine chipped rock on top. However, how dense of a base is necessary?

I went into a local asphalt supplier this morning since i have a customer who works there. They recommended a local paving company to me. He said he would trust that guy to give an honest opinion on asphalt vs chip & seal.