Asphalt Paving Cost
Q: I’m looking for asphalt paving costs for my driveway. Help!
A: Hold on there, pardner. I know that you’re looking for the quick-and-easy answer to your question about asphalt paving cost, but let’s provide a little context first. You’ll need context, because that’s the first thing that the contractor will bring up when he comes to give you an estimate…
Asphalt Paving Includes a Base
Understand that asphalt paving is more than just asphalt paving. It also should include a gravel bed laid in by a professional company. This gravel bed does need to be graded and compacted down to industry standards.
Few paving companies will agree to lay down asphalt without a good bed.
Commercial or Residential Paving?
It also makes a difference if we’re talking about commercial vs. residential asphalt installation. Commercial costs will be substantially lower because of the quantity involved. For pavers, it’s nearly as much a pain in the ass dealing with a residential driveway as it is a strip mall parking lot. In fact, I bet most companies will say that the residential driveway is more of a pain in the ass because they have to deal with uninformed homeowners. But I digress…
Here’s the “Money Shot”: Paving Costs Breakdown
For a 450 square foot driveway, here are some rough estimates:
- Base prep work might cost you a buck or two a square foot. So, between $450 and $900 for the gravel base work. Add in more if they have to deal with tree stumps or fill in large areas.
- For the actual asphalt paving, you’re looking at costs ranging from $3 to $4/square foot. So, $1,350 to $1,800 for the asphalt portion.
Total Asphalt Paving Costs
You’re looking at a bill ranging from $1,800 to $2,700 for base work plus asphalt for a 450 square foot driveway.