Search over 600 topics on CostHelper.com
BROWSE ALL TOPICS >> babies & children cars & car maintenance education health & personal care home & garden personal finance pets & pet care small business weddings

CostHelper.com > Home & Garden  > Driveway

Driveway Cost

How Much Does a Driveway Cost?

low costLow: $600-$1,200
low costMedium: $600-$1,800
low costHigh: $6,000+

Related Topics:

Fence

>> All Articles for Home & Garden

   cost separator
 
Typical costs:
  • All driveways start with a well-built gravel base. For homeowners on a budget, a simple gravel or stone driveway does well if it's not on a steep slope or in a low spot that floods. A stone driveway costs $1-$3 a square foot or $600-$1,800 for a 12x50-foot (600 square feet) front drive, and about $21,000-$42,000 for a two-vehicle driveway a quarter-mile long.Gravel costs 50 cents-$2 a square foot; that's $300-$1,200 for 12x50-feet or $10,000-$40,000 for the quarter-mile, two-vehicle-wide driveway.
  • Macadam is crushed stone or gravel sprayed with liquid asphalt; it's also called tar and chip when used to resurface existing asphalt or concrete driveways. Macadam lasts about 6-10 years and costs $1-$3 a square foot, or $600-$1,800 for 12x50 feet and $20,000-$40,000 for a 16-foot-wide quarter-mile drive.
  • Traditional dark black asphalt generally lasts 10-30 years and averages $1-$5 a square foot, or $600-$3,000 for 12x50-feet. The price per square foot drops for larger projects, so a two-vehicle quarter-mile driveway would average $21,000-$52,000.
  • Asphalt can also be stamped and colored to look like bricks in a process patented by the Street Print company; the cost for a 12x50-foot front driveway is $1,800-$6,000; for the quarter-mile, two-car version it's $64,000-$100,000 or more.
  • Concrete usually lasts 30-50 years and costs $3-$10 a square foot, or $1,800-$6,000 for 12x50-feet. Stamped and colored concrete is just as durable but more attractive, and costs $5-$20 a square foot, for $3,000-$12,000 for a 12x50-foot driveway or $64,000-$125,000 for a 16-foot-wide quarter-mile lane.
  • Cobblestones make beautiful patterns and are extremely labor-intensive. Individual cobblestones can cost $3-$5 each, and thousands are required for an average driveway. Bricks or pavers can be used, at a cost of 50 cents-$3 each. A hand-laid drive of this type runs $10-$50 a square foot, making it $6,000-$30,000 or more for 12x50 feet.
What should be included:
Additional costs:
  • Slopes, curves, odd shapes and other complications can bump up the total cost, and smaller jobs aren't necessarily cheaper because it costs the contractor a minimum amount to haul the asphalt heater, steamroller and other equipment to the site.
  • If an old driveway needs to be torn out, be clear whether that's included in the estimate.
Discounts:
  • Join forces with nearby homeowners who need similar driveways; if you hire the same contractor for several jobs at once, it should cost less.
Shopping for a driveway:
Article updated February 2007
Was this article helpful?  yes  no digg this Digg this delicious del.icio.us post E-mail post Post

Recent Posts
Amount: $0.00 need to know the price
Posted by: carlos mauricio in manalapan, NJ.Purchased: March, 2009
Type of Driveway: gravelSq Ft of Driveway: 300
i need to know how much will cost to install 300sqft of gravel on my driveway including labor
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $2,000.00 Asphalt Driveway Reconstruct
Posted by: a user in Gaithersburg, MD.Purchased: April, 2009
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 1200
Contractor quoted this price to remove and replace an existing asphalt driveway.
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $1,300.00 Asphalt Driveway Overlay
Posted by: a user in Gaithersburg, MD.Purchased: April, 2009
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 1200
Contractor also quoted $1300 for a 3" overlay, as an alternative to removing and replacing the existing driveway.
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $5,200.00 New Asphalt Drive 3.5 inch thich
Posted by: wschumaker@kcweb.net in Raymore, MO.Purchased: April, 2009
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 2600
Contractor: M & M paving
Price was for installing new pavement 3.5 inch thick on existing gravel base. 2600 SQ Ft.
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $0.00 Driveway
Posted by: Estimate in keansburg, NJ.Purchased: 2009
Type of Driveway: concreteSq Ft of Driveway: 590
I have a driveway that is 590 sq feet. Trying to figure out the cost of labor to remove and install pavers?
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $13,700.00 parking lot
Posted by: a user in sinbera, MT.Purchased: 2009
Type of Driveway: Sq Ft of Driveway: 22000
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $1,000.00 driveway
Posted by: ryan delaney in randolph, VT.Purchased: May, 2009
Type of Driveway: gravel/hardpackSq Ft of Driveway: 5500.00
Contractor: myself
This was by far the most cost effective way to do a driveway. It will cost me 1/10 of paving and I will just add more if i ever need to. Shop around because the price will vary Quite a bit from one place to the next.
It will cost me 490.00 per 21 yard truck delivered from 40 miles away and i will be getting 2 loads this translates into approximately 3 inches deep. Good luck with your project. and i hope this helps you estimate your project
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $1,500.00 Drive way
Posted by: Eric L in Tooele, UT.Purchased: June, 2009
Type of Driveway: AshpaltSq Ft of Driveway: 800
Contractor: yes
Some guys were doing the road and few in the neighborbood and approach me becuase they have extra. supposely better deal but I don't think so anymore
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $3,960.00 Driveway
Posted by: dennisb in taylorsville, KY.Purchased: June, 2009
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 180
Contractor: yes
A guy was in the area saying he had extra that need needed to get rid of at almost half price. I signed the contract and learned that the price that I thought it was was not the price. Cost $22 a square foot
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $3,550.00 Extremely BAD Job
Posted by: J. Dunphy in Cape Elizabeth, ME.Purchased: May, 2009
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 1000
Contractor: American Asphalt, Sean Poirier
Serious water problems: Driveway pitches to the garage instead fo to the road. The edges are higher than the center of the driveway, making the water problem worse.
Turn out is useless: They placed the turn out too close to the garage so that even if the stearing wheel is turned to the max just as the car clears the garage, the outside wheels run on to the lawn.
The walk way looks like a wask board and puddles in the low spots.
They will not return my calls and will not respond to my email!
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $2,500.00 Gravel & ecogrid system
Posted by: C. LaVey in Hamilton ON, Other.Purchased: May, 2009
Type of Driveway: gravel & permeable paver gridSq Ft of Driveway: 800+
Contractor: DYI & terrafirm enterprises
My husband used an ecogrid system to keep the driveway level and stop compaction and ruts. Added to the basic cost of the driveway but no more drainage issues. Can be snowblown. Basically worth the additional cost because it keeps mud down. Gravel costs really vary so we shopped around. Grid means we won't need to add more gravel in years to come.
Biggest cost was getting the excavation done but hired a local contractor. Ecogrid pavers installed in an afternoon much faster than expected. Grid was about $2.60US /sqft or so. gravel was cheap!!
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $6,700.00 driveway
Posted by: W in Eagle, CO.Purchased: July, 2009
Type of Driveway: asphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 4300
Contractor: Asphalt Maintenance
price for asphalt on existing gravel base
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam
Amount: $1,150.00 Asphalt mat overlay
Posted by: Kneppy in Millersville, MD.Purchased: October, 2009
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 1025
Contractor: Ford Paving, Hanover, MD
Contractor installed 2.5" overlay of hot mix asphalt on existing driveway. One year warranty. Contractor will seal surface next year for $115 and extend warranty an additional year.

Very satisfied with results.
Was this post helpful to you?   yes     no Report prohibited or spam


Post About Your Experience With a Driveway
 
Subject:  * Amount Spent:  *
Type of Driveway: Sq Ft of Driveway: 
Contractor:   
Comments: 
Purchased:  Year: 
City:  * State:  *
 
Information about you:
Email:  * Email addresses are not displayed.
Name:  This is the name we'll display with your post.
me on this computer
*=required field.