Had to pick between asphalt and concrete for my driveway last month

I was stuck between asphalt at $4.50 a square foot and concrete at $7.00. My neighbor kept pushing concrete saying it lasts longer but I went with asphalt because of the lower cost. After a week of rainy weather it's already holding up fine and I saved about $800 on my 400 square foot driveway. Anyone else had to make this call for their house in Bothell?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_hernandez19d ago

Wait you might want to double check those numbers. 400 square feet at $4.50 comes out to $1,800 and at $7.00 it would be $2,800 so that's actually a $1,000 difference not $800. Also I'm in Bothell too and the rain we had last week was nothing compared to what we get in January and February so I'd keep an eye on how the asphalt handles the freeze thaw cycles coming up. My buddy went with asphalt three years ago and he's already patching cracks near his garage apron from this past winter.

eric72319d ago

Preaching to the choir, my neighbor's asphalt driveway has been nothing but a headache since the second winter.

grace50819d ago

Wait, have you thought about stamped concrete instead? I had a similar situation with my driveway a few years back in Shoreline, and honestly I went with a concrete overlay after seeing how badly my neighbor's asphalt held up. I mean, the freeze thaw thing is real, we get it bad enough that even concrete can crack if they don't put in proper control joints. My guy poured it with fiber mesh and it's been solid through three winters now, no cracks or anything. Idk if it's cheaper than asphalt in the long run, but for me the peace of mind was worth it since I didn't want to be patching every year. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather pay a bit more upfront than deal with constant maintenance.