[Firedup6975]

Originally Posted by jhein

No offense taken. It is a fact that concrete is better, and brick is the best looking!

Unfortunately brick doesn’t hold up well to heavy equipment, that’s one reason we didn’t do in front of the shop yet. Mike brings heavy equip. In our lower driveway to the shop. Brick and pavers do really look nice though, as does white concrete.

[Ben M.]

Very nice!

I've got a thin layer of gravel and a broken concrete slab, I need to do something like this. Just hesitant on the cost because I know it's going to be stupid because of all the wildfires last year. I'd totally asphalt if I could get it ;-)

[jwcfbd]

I know the feeling. My driveway was a mudhole when I moved in. before and after.

[dataway]

I have a short driveway (at least the part I pave) and have wanted concrete for the past 20 years but we were still doing a lot of heavy work. Some of the trucks bringing gravel, top soil, concrete retaining wall blocks ... I'd watch the asphalt move probably 2" as the trucks drove over it, and that's after 20 years of compaction. Would have needed an 8" thick heavily reinforced slab to take that without cracking.

In our super cold climate asphalt has about a ten year life span with all the plow scraping, salt and freeze/thaw cycles. Maybe more if you are very good about your sealing every year.

Soon I will be moving down south where everything is cheaper, and asphalt will last 20 years ... so maybe I'll do a big concrete area in front of the garages and asphalt drive.

[TAKerry]

Originally Posted by Firedup6975

Unfortunately brick doesn’t hold up well to heavy equipment, that’s one reason we didn’t do in front of the shop yet. Mike brings heavy equip. In our lower driveway to the shop. Brick and pavers do really look nice though, as does white concrete.

Track loaders maybe, but if the base is properly prepared there is no problem. We have even used brick for aprons in front of firehouses. A loaded tanker truck is much heavier than a tractor/loader.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

That's the look that I really love. In fact, I'm toying with covering my CRACKED CONCRETE walkway over with bricks.

We have 7 RV concrete slips and concrete sidewalk on our property. River pebbbles imbeded. The concrete sidewalk has a 15' length that deteriorated into pebbles. I am thinking to get flat stone and portland cement to make a repair. Cheaper and more natural than a concrete job.!
The garage aprons are same pebble-concrete mix but have two deteriorated spots that a bad or two will patch.

You know this stuff is only easy when it is done.

[carcrazy]

I have thought about paving my gravel drive, but in reality....I like the gravel. After 25 years I have a really good base...no issues with dust. I can also hear people coming up the driveway. Every few years the driveway gets topped off with about 30 tons of #57. The biggest headache are the weeds but $50 of roundup annually takes care of them.

[TAKerry]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

We have 7 RV concrete slips and concrete sidewalk on our property. River pebbbles imbeded. The concrete sidewalk has a 15' length that deteriorated into pebbles. I am thinking to get flat stone and portland cement to make a repair. Cheaper and more natural than a concrete job.!
The garage aprons are same pebble-concrete mix but have two deteriorated spots that a bad or two will patch.

You know this stuff is only easy when it is done.

Sounds like a finish called exposed agregate. Was very popular in the 70's, used everywhere in the south. Not good in the north east for the reason you said. After the concrete is troweled smooth, pea gravel is then stamped into the top, then acid is used to wash the concrete off the stone. Pretty much leaves an exposed surface to deteriorate. Plus if salt or ice melt is ever used that speeds up the process incredibly. Water gets into easy as well in the winter and will freeze and shorten the life of it.

[burd]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

$5,200 vs $18,000

And every year you gotta seal it. So in the end, it’s the same. And the sea,er gets slopped all over everything, the sealer flakes off over winter, it’s a real mess.

[Greg Reid]

My sealer has never peeled and it wasn't slopped over anything at all. I had it sealed once and will probably do it again in the next few months to a year. I could easily go 5 years and it would still look ok I believe. At least in my part of the world.
So, it's true you have to seal it occasionally...but at $800 for my sealer, it will take a lot of sealings and a lot of years to add up to what concrete would have cost me.
Don't get me wrong, I would rather have concrete but to say that asphalt plus sealer will add up to the cost of concrete just isn't true in my case... not in my lifetime at this house. I'm soon to be 63.
By the way, my 34 year old concrete driveway is cracked, my concrete basement floor is cracked and my concrete front sidewalk is cracked. Concrete is king but not infallible.

[Region Warrior]

Ours is a mess. Heaving up all over from tree roots.
Would have to cut down three 70 yr old trees 10ft away 1st. All 4' thick.
2 lanes wide 70 long. Then 35-40ft wide along house and front of garage.
Estimate 10 yrs ago just for 1.5" minimum top coat it make level was 15k.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by Region Warrior

Ours is a mess. Heaving up all over from tree roots.
Would have to cut down three 70 yr old trees 10ft away 1st. All 4' thick.
2 lanes wide 70 long. Then 35-40ft wide along house and front of garage.
Estimate 10 yrs ago just for 1.5" minimum top coat it make level was 15k.

Concrete or asphalt? Tree roots will do a number on either one!
My wife and I drove through our old neighborhood that we moved out of 20+ years ago just recently. The concrete driveway was 2.5' above the yard on one side due to a pine tree 6 ft from the edge of it. Looked terrible.

[Region Warrior]

Greg, asphalt with 4" high cement curbs up to house. BTY, hate them dam things.

[Greg Reid]

Oh yeah, that's tough.