Asphalt Driveway Replacement in Kettering, OH

Asphalt driveway replacement means removing the existing surface, fixing the ground under it and paving new. In Kettering, where most homes date from the 1950s and 1960s, the old driveway is often several layers deep: an original surface, a patch or two, maybe an overlay laid on top. Each layer was only as good as what was under it. When the driveway is breaking into a web of cracks, sinking near the garage or crumbling along the lawn, it is time to take it down to the base and rebuild.

When replacement is the right call

• Cracks that join into an alligator pattern over large areas
• Potholes that come back after patching
• Sunken areas that hold water or ice
• Edges crumbling into the grass
• An old overlay that is cracking along the lines of the surface underneath

HomeGuide's guide points to replacement when cracking covers most of the surface, there are multiple potholes, the driveway is 20 to 30 years old or drainage problems are chronic.

How we rebuild

The old asphalt and any buried layers come out and get hauled away. We look at the soil underneath, dig out soft or wet spots and replace them with compacted stone. The gravel base is graded so water runs off toward the street or lawn and compacted in lifts. Cost guides describe 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel and 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt for typical residential use, with more of each for trucks or trailers. Those numbers are written into your proposal.

The garage and the apron

At the garage, the new asphalt is tapered to meet the slab without a lip. At the street, most Kettering driveways meet a concrete drive apron in the right-of-way. If the apron is staying, we tie the new asphalt into it cleanly. If the apron is cracked or has been marked by the City, it is the owner's responsibility under Kettering's rules, and replacing it involves a City right-of-way permit, a bond and insurance naming the City, a 30-day completion window and a final inspection. We explain how that piece would be handled before anything is scheduled.

Timing

New driveways go in from spring through fall, when the ground is firm and warm. Most jobs take one or two days once the base is ready.

The first year

Give it a few days before parking cars on it, and longer before anything heavy. New asphalt stays soft in its first summer, so avoid turning wheels while parked and put a board under kickstands and trailer jacks. HomeGuide suggests waiting 3 to 6 months for the asphalt to cure before sealing.