How Much Does Driveway Paving Cost

Whether the intention is to have a parking area to clear public roads or to have your own private access to the road—a driveway is what you need. But how much does it cost to pave a driveway? The cost to pave a driveway runs from $800 to $18,000. On the average, the cost usually falls on $1,500 to $5,000. The driveway paving price, of course, depends on several factors.

A drive or driveway refers to a private road that is built in order to gain access to structures such as houses, shops, etc. Driveways may be owned by a group or an individual.

What does it mean to pave a driveway?

Before the actual installation of a driveway, it is important that the land is ready. Basically, paving a driveway just means clearing the land which will be used for the driveway. After clearing it, a heavy machinery will be used to compress it. However, paving materials should be reliable to avoid situations such as soil erosion or having a bumpy path. The best thing to do is to prepare the space by clearing debris, grade the soil, create a compacted base and then the pavement shall follow.

To break it down further, here are the costs to pave a driveway according to RSMeans.

• Clearing
  • Includes excavation
  • Includes cutting, chipping or removing a tree, costs $48 an hour
  • Chipping larger trees may cost $20 to $40
  • Removal of stump may cost $68 per tree
  • Site clearing for a single acre employing machines and laborers will fall on $150 to $450 an hour
• Grading
  • May depend on the type of pavement chosen to be used, on the average it may cost $2.35 per square yard
• Pavement
  • Gravel – averagely costs $800
  • Asphalt – averagely costs $830
  • Concrete – averagely costs $562
  • Brick or cobblestones – may cost up to $18,000

What are the uses of a driveway?

A driveway actually serves many purposes. Commonly, it is used as paths to access houses, garages or other structures. It is also sometimes used to accommodate cars—however, this depends on the location as there are places in the United States that prohibits parking in driveways. Other uses of driveways, particularly the residential ones, are for recreation, sales in the garage or for car washing and/or repairing. The intended use for a driveway may also dictate the driveway paving price as it will determine the driveway’s size, material and other factors.

Materials used for a driveway

When we ask the question “how much does it cost to pave a driveway?” it will always lead us another question that asks “what material do you want your driveway to be made of?”

There are several choices as to the materials for a driveway. These are the following:

• Gravel – This is mostly referred to as the lower end material. Gravel is usually thought of as the inexpensive driveway; however, despite its lesser costs in material—it usually has maintenance issues especially if it is not installed properly. Using a plastic or wooden edging and not a compacted base will eventually cause problems in maintenance. Unfortunately, this is the typical case for affordable gravel driveways. Its durability may, however, be affected by rain and snow—but it is easy to replace. However, if installed properly with a securely compacted base, gravel driveways may last up to more than 50 years.
• Concrete – Lasting up to 40 years, concrete driveways come in different types and colors. It is the most popularly used material for driveways as it is durable. Usually, it does not require much maintenance; however, if it is not installed properly, problems such as cracking will occur. Furthermore, concrete driveway is not that easy to repair. Because of this, contractors are paid additional to ensure proper installation.
• Pavers – With a life span of 30 to 40 years, pavers belong to the higher end options. Labor costs for this type of driveway are higher since the installation is done by hand. Issues of cracking and breaking are also possible with this option. However, it is still deemed as a great investment as it provides an elegant entrance to homes.
• Asphalt – Well known for its strong durability, it has quite a reasonable price. The appearance of asphalt driveways, however, are not so admired. Because of this, homeowners usually have it colored or re-designed which also adds to the costs. Lasting up to 20 years, most asphalt driveways soften when there is extreme heat.
• Brick – Another higher end material used for making driveways is brick. Brick is also well noted for its strength, durability as well as its price. It may cost twice as much as concrete pavers. Despite this, it still faces some issues of breaking or cracking.

Besides pavement materials and labor costs, other factors such as the size of the driveway and the location are also other factors that will affect the price.

Now that we have answered the question “how much does it cost to pave a driveway” we can safely say that the cost to pave a driveway is quite high especially if we want to ensure durability, longevity and a good appearance. Moreover, it is also not advised to pave the driveway by yourself. Doing it yourself may lower the driveway paving price but in the future, you will have to face maintenance problems since the driveway was not professionally paved.