Driveway Base material?

[RangerGuy]

Hey There,

 

Wondering if anybody knows about building a driveway. I came across a contractor that was willing to give us some dirt for free for our backyard. I happened to mention that we are going to do the driveway after we finish with the backyard.

 

He said that he could get this stuff for the base of the driveway that makes a good solid base. It's like ashpalt they use on the roads but is chewed up into little pieces kinda like small stones. After while it compacts real good and makes a good solid base to put ashpalt over.

 

I can get it for 150 a load.

 

Anybody know if this is good stuff to use?

 

Also, does anybody know the going rate for load of topsoil?

Edited May 10, 2007 by RangerGuy

[Entropy]

Last summer I paid $400 for 2.75 triple axle dump truck loads of 'B' gravel. Apparently this is driveway / road base material. This year we are going to top it with 'clean or clear' stone.

 

Not sure about the Ground up asphalt stuff though. $150 for how much?, a whole dump truck load?

 

I found that 1/2 the cost is trucking and 1/2 the cost is material, for the 'B' gravel that is.

 

Entropy

Edited May 10, 2007 by Entropy

[RangerGuy]

Yeh $150 for a full dump truck load.

[yellowboat]

Last year top soil was a 20 buck a yard.

[RangerGuy]

Thanks

[PAZE]

Last year top soil was a 20 buck a yard.

 

Two different things here, one is gravel one is dirt.

 

If its ground up ashphalt its great for a base, its gravels with ashphalt mix all in, and for $150 YOU CANT GO WRONG, call a builder supply or a gravel quarry and ask how much for a yard of gravel, you'll be surprised. If I were you I'd take it.

[ch312]

ive been doing concrete driveways, sidewalks, etc for over 4 years and the best base by far is called "crusher run" which is crushed stone from 5/8" or so all the way down to stone powder. spread this stuff out, water it down and pack it then let it dry and then repeat. this stuff compacts super tight and id use it for anything at my house. forget the price but in hamilton it was quite a bit cheaper than A gravel which is the normal base around here.

 

it sounds like you are talking about recycled asphault. they just rip up roads and crush it up to be recycled. it works good for a base but it must be compacted properly.

 

go with concrete instead of asphault. looks better, last longer, jacks up house value

[dheitzner]

i work for a geotechnical engineering firm, and ch312 is right: 3/4" Crusher-Run(limestone or granite depending where you are) is the best material for a base, be it road, floor slab, or driveway. unfortunately, it is also very expensive.

a cheaper alternative would be granular 'A' gravel which must pass the same gradation specs as 3/4" Crusher-Run, but it is mixed gravel rather than limestone or granite. granular 'B' is mostly sand, sometimes with some stone, and is generally used as a sub-base, not a base.

recycled asphalt is generally a mix of crushed concrete and pulverized asphalt that has been ripped up from roads. it may loosely meet the gradation requirements for gran 'A', but this is not always the case. you should ask, and if it doesn't, find out what he biggest particle size is. on a driveway base, you don't really want anything bigger than an inch. the other thing about recycle, is that the smell is bad, especially after you hit it with water.

regardless of what material you use you should water it down and pack it like crazy before you pave.

if you have any other questions, i'd be glad to try and help.

[Gerritt]

Darcy mind if I ask you what GeoTech you work for? the company I work uses a couple different ones... perhaps we have talked on the phone! lol

 

 

Gerritt.

[OhioFisherman]

Crusher run must be what is called 4/11 mix here, power up to a big acorn size stone, yes it packs tight! I have also seen people put down ashphault shingle from the shingle plants here as a base. They give the scrap ones away.

[Greencoachdog]

Crusher run and DGB (Dense Grade Base) are the best, I personally wouldn't use the asphalt because you need a smooth drum roller to compact it properly. CR and DGB can be compacted very well with a plate tamp that you can rent from almost any equipment rental places. Put it down in 4" thick layers and wet and compact with the tamp... you also need to remove all top soil and compact your subgrade before put down the CR or DGB. I agree with CH312 about concrete being your best bet... the freeze thaw cycles y'all get up there is very detremental to asphalt.

Edited May 10, 2007 by Greencoachdog