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An asphalt paved driveway can provide you with better parking and enhanced curb appeal for your home or business.  Asphalt - or blacktop - driveways are often the pavement of choice for new homes and for driveway resurfacing projects.   This is because asphalt is typically the least expensive paved surface that you can have installed by a local paving contractor.

But don't be fooled by the lower cost. Just because asphalt paving is a lower cost solution for your driveway than alternatives such as concrete, pattern concrete or inter-locking pavers, does not mean asphalt is inferior. In fact, a blacktop driveway that is installed with great care can last for 25 or 30 years with very little maintenance.

The secret to a long-lasting driveway is having a good gravel base beneath your surface layer of asphalt.  It is crucial to prepare a good gravel base in order to have a well performing driveway. A gravel base between 2 and 8 inches thick is sufficient for most jobs, however, some installs should lay down 8 or 10 inches of crushed, well-compacted gravel on solid soil.

A base that is too thin - or even too thick - will produce an inferior driveway, so pay careful attention to the base and make it a focal point of discussions that you have with contractors who are quoting on your job.  Many asphalt paving contractors use crushed gravel because it is the least expensive foundation material.

If you want the best underlayment for your driveway's asphalt surface then you can have your contractor install a deep-base. This method uses larger stones as the base layer and topped with a thick layer of asphalt. This system is so strong that it has been used to build the roadbed under railroad tracks.

Variances in what your driveway requires will also be influenced by how established the existing ground is.  Are you paving a driveway for a brand new home where the earth around the house is still settling?  Or, are you excavating an existing driveway in a mature neighborhood on ground that is very well settled and compact?

Drainage is a very big concern as well.  Wet soil and lose soil that breaks down in the presence of water can undermine the gravel base beneath the asphalt surface. When this happens, the gravel will lose much of its internal strength.

The shifting of soil particles into the gravel base can be prevented with specialized fabric.  Geo-textile fabrics can be laid on top of the soil before the gravel underlayment is set down. The durable fabric permits drainage but it also shields the compact gravel base from lose or eroding soil particles.

If you want your new asphalt driveway to look good and perform for many years then you also need to ensure that the gravel - or deep-based asphalt base - is at least 30 centimeters wider than the actual finished blacktop surface. All too often an asphalt contractor will install the finished blacktop to the edge of the gravel.

When vehicles drive near or over the edge of the driveway, the asphalt will tend to crack and flake because it has no support immediately at its edge. The extended base of gravel hidden beneath the grass provides the needed support for the edges.  But even better… if your budget permits, frame your new asphalt driveway with concrete curbs that are stylish and very durable.