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Aside from getting out and spending your summer at the beach, summer is also the perfect season to complete your home improvement projects. Your ugly driveway, for instance, could use this time for that much needed repair so take advantage of the warm weather and put the life back on your driveway by finishing on those repairs so it’ll be up and ready before winter comes this year.

Asphalt driveways are one of the most widely used types of driveway in America. It’s very affordable, durable and at the same time, they’re the easiest to repair yourself or have a professional repair it for you. However, no matter how strong the foundation of your asphalt driveway is when it was first installed, over time it will still go through natural wear and tear and thus part of its regular maintenance to have any cracks or potholes repaired as soon as you can before it can cause further damage on your driveway.

To get a clearer picture, let’s first dive into the most common types of repairs:

Common Pavement Issues

Small Cracks

Fine cracks lines that are singular in nature are the simplest and easiest to repair yourself as opposed to spiderweb ones or those cracks that branch out onto the pavement. These are usually caused by natural wear and tear so don’t fret out.

Alligator Cracks

Alligator cracks are interconnected spiderweb-like cracks that are usually 2 inches wide or more resembling the appearance of an alligator’s skin. Fissures of this magnitude often suggest a base failure, drainage problem, overloading or a combination of two or all of these issues.

Potholes

Potholes are serious depressions on your pavement that is caused by disintegration in the material, severe water damage or alligator cracks that were long left unattended. This also signals a weakened base that would just worsen over time.

Upheaval

Upheaval is an upward movement in the pavement due to swelling in the subgrade area of your pavement.

Patching

Patching is a quick and easy fix that you can do on your own for minor issues in your driveway such as small singular cracks on the pavement. You can easily fill-out cracks like these with a $25 bottle of liquid crack sealer which you can buy on most big-box hardware stores.

However, sinkholes and potholes will require much more work than simply filling in gaps with a patch solution. Having said that, you might want to hire a professional to take care of it so they’ll be able to properly treat and address the issue. Otherwise, you might just be able to hold for another year for your driveway but if the source of the problem was left untreated, don’t be surprised to find more persistent and worse problems after a year or so.

Expect to shell out at least $100 – $300 if you’re hiring an expert paving contractor for the job, but it could still go well over $300 or less depending on the extent of the damage (for example, if you have to saw cut out a large section, back fill then add new asphalt).

Resurfacing

If the base of your driveway is still in good condition, you might consider having it resurfaced instead of a total replacement. If you think patching and resealing your driveway is no longer the sensible solution while a full replacement seems over the top, consider the middle ground of driveway repairs–resurfacing. Essentially this works by removing the damaged top layer of your asphalt driveway and replacing it with a new one. This, of course, works under the premise that your base is in a good state and can still support a new layer for a long time.

For a basic resurfacing, you can expect to pay around $2.25 per square foot and most companies have a minimum charge do to the cost to get the heavy equipment out and pay labor.

Complete Replacement

One of the first things you should look at if you’re already planning to get a complete replacement is to check the age of your driveway. How long has it been since it was installed? A typical driveway that has been properly maintained over the years can last you for 25 years. If it has reached way past the 25-year mark, then it’s definitely time for a full replacement.

The second thing to look at is the extent of the damage. If a third of your driveway is already riddled with alligator cracks and crumbling potholes, it might be time to seek help from a professional.

Lastly, a complete replacement is done to remove a driveway that has suffered from a total base failure, a water drainage problem or a badly deteriorated surface. This is necessary to fix all other underlying issues and start afresh with a new and more durable asphalt driveway.

Expect to shell out at least $2 – $5 square foot for a complete driveway replacement.

In essence, driveway repair costs vary depending on the extent of the damage, the area of your driveway and the breadth of the repair required to fix the damage. To get a free quote on your driveway, you may opt to seek assistance from Driveway repair in Fredericksburg VA.

Meanwhile,https://www.pavingdomination.com/offers help to paving companies in need of support in boosting their business and getting more leads.

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