Keith Boeheim wrote:
Our home in western new york is 4 years old and the driveway
is
gravel. There are 10+ other homes on the street built about
the same
time as ours and had gravel driveways. A concrete flatwork
contractor put in about 5 driveways last summer and did
minimal
excavation. He told the home owners that by them driving on
the
gravel for 3-4 years was the best subbase there could be and
if he
didn't have to excavate much it would also cost them less.
That's bunk; gravel is not a reliable base, it won't hold, and
3-4 years of driving on it -might- have compacted some parts of
it some, but not enough, and, well, on the areas where it didn't
get driven on much? How did he account for those? Personally,
it sounds like cheap work; which is what they got in the final
product also.

The
problem I see is that the driveway is above grade and even
bringing
in topsoil it would take a lot to feather it out so the lawn
looks
flat. Any opinions on this contractor's statements or could he
have
excavated so that the driveway was flat with the adjacent
lawn?

Yes, he could and should have. Your neighbors are going to have
sink-holes and low spots starting about three
years from now, plus the attendant cracks appearing in the
pavement, and they'll continue to sink, especially in the places
where people are habitually letting the cars stop or where theyt
park. Also if there are rocks under there any bigger than about
4 inches, chances are good they will "float" and begin to appear
though the pavement as little but ever-growing bumps until
eventually they crack open the pavement enough to let the
ice/water finish opening them.
My driveway is now 6 years old and is still perfect with one
exception: there is a big rock, I'm guessing a foot of so in
size, floating up right between the garage doors where they
couldn't get the compactor fully into it. The contractor told me
he couldn't compact about a three foot area there, but he didn't
think it'd matter, and was that OK? I asked what could happen
and he said it might rise or sink; no way to be sure, but he
didn't think it'd do either. Well, it floated; so far about two
inches above the pavement. I pour sealer into the cracks every
year, but it keeps on coming up further every spring. And, that
area rises and falls with freezing, too, which doesn't happen
directly in front of the garage doors. Once I can actually see
the rock, I plan to lever it out and fill it with patch, but
until then, well, it's not reall in the way of everything. I
just have to look at it everytime I hose down the driveway.
I'm in far northeastern NY, so our winters are likely worse
than yours coldwise, but it's not that much different from where
you are.

Oh, also, and it costs a little more, but if you're interested in
a nicer looking surface, be sure they put the top-coat on it.
Without it, the driveway will start to look like the roadway
pretty quickly and it takes tons of sealer when you do decide to
apply it. Our "U" part of the drive isn't finished and it takes
a LOT of sealer, but the top-coated part takes sealer at the
rates listed on the cans. It's an aesthetic thing really, so if
that's not important, then no big deal - the surface is actually
harder without the top-coating. But dang, it looks great where
it's top coated! Oh, the topcoat does seem to keep the edges of
the drive from breaking away so easily; forgot that.

HTH,

Pop


I'm thinking of putting in a driveway in the spring. Thanks
for any
replies.

kb