By Jay Thompson

Now that spring is here and the snow is starting to recede, it is a good time to inspect your driveway, or at least what is left of your driveway, to see how well it fared this winter.

Suburban homeowners are lucky. They usually do not have that much driveway to worry about – just a few square feet of pavement running from the street to the garage door. The driveway of a rural homeowner can be a much more complicated affair. It could run several hundred feet in length and may run up hill or cross water or both – more of a short road than a driveway.

Either way, there are some maintenance problems that both suburban and rural homeowners face. Is the pavement cracked or crumbling? Does your car almost sink out of sight in the mud? Has the snowplow moved most of the gravel from the driveway into the lawn? Do you always seem to be running over the lawn or landscaping when backing up? Or crossing your fingers when pulling into the street?

Here are a few things you should consider when building a new driveway or repairing an existing one.

Plan, Plan, Plan

A good driveway should be as well planned as the house it services. If you are having problems, part of the reason may be the layout of your driveway. The first, and arguably most important, thing to take into consideration is the kind of traffic your driveway sees. Is it just you, you and your spouse or a family of four drivers? Do you do a lot of entertaining? Depending on your answers to these questions, you may have to plan for increased traffic and parking space.

The first, and arguably most important, thing to take into consideration is the kind of traffic your driveway sees. Is it just you, you and your spouse or a family of four drivers?

The ideal driveway should be a minimum of 10 to 12 feet wide, 14 feet wide on curves, and there should be a 10 by 20 parking area for each car. When running a driveway uphill, try to have a 15 percent or less grade. Use switchbacks (curves) to lessen the grade and make for easier driving in the winter months.

Another thing to consider is the distance from the main road to your front step or the garage. This is probably something that the suburban homeowner does not have to worry about, but someone with the room may have a tough choice between a longer driveway that looks good and blends into the landscaping versus a shorter driveway that is easier to maintain.

Pay attention to where your driveway meets the main road. Optimally, the driveway should connect to the road at a 90 degree angle to allow for visibility when entering and exiting, but any angle between 60 and 90 degrees is acceptable. Remove trees, shrubs, mailboxes and fences, so nothing obstructs your view when pulling out onto the main road. Also try to make sure that the driveway surface is at the same level as the road so drivers do not notice a bump when they pull in.

A good gravel driveway should have four to six inches of gravel base topped by two inches of crushed stone.

Poor drainage or unsuitable soil types are also important considerations when building or repairing a driveway, as they are the main causes of deterioration. Since soil loses its strength and load bearing capability when wet, avoid wet spots. Try to run your driveway through well-drained sections of your property. Make sure that the centerline of your driveway is slightly higher than the edges so that water will run off to the side. Use ditches to help with drainage. If you have sandy soil or clay, you will have to bring in extra fill for your base, as these materials are too unstable to use. (Sand is too soft and clay is too slippery.)

What Surface Should I Use?

After layout, the most important thing about a driveway is the surface. Although concrete and paving stone are options when surfacing your driveway, by far the two most popular (and the most cost effective) types of driveway are gravel/crushed stone and asphalt/blacktop.

With either option, a good driveway should have a gravel base and gravel is the cheapest surfacing option as well. It has good resistance to ground fluctuations and repair is simple – just add more gravel. Keep in mind that gravel scatters easily and you will have to constantly rake the sides of your driveway. Ruts can also develop as the smaller stones sink down into the ground leaving the larger stones on top.

A good gravel driveway should have at least four to six inches of gravel base topped by two inches of crushed stone or hardpak. If you are building a new driveway or just adding a truckload of gravel to your existing driveway, compact it by repeatedly running either a rented roller or a heavy tractor over it. Be sure to compact the entire surface of your drive, and not just the areas where you think there might be ruts. If done right, a gravel driveway will last years with little maintenance and be solid enough to form a base if you decide to pave over it later on.

One step up from gravel is asphalt paving. Usually this is done with the same materials used on roads, although you can also get fancier with things like pattern-stamped asphalt or acrylic polymer colors. Asphalt has some limited flexibility so it can resist minor ground fluctuations without cracking, but it is not indestructible. Over time it will crack and develop potholes – just like a regular road – if not properly taken care of. It is a good idea to apply a latex sealer every two years to keep out moisture and improve appearance. Be sure to fill in any cracks that appear right away. As some weeds can actually push through the surface, it is a good idea to apply a soil sterilizer to the ground before you begin to pave.

Asphalt is applied in two layers over a gravel foundation and should be installed by a professional paving company. The first layer, the base coat, averages in cost between $1 to $2.50 per square foot. Estimate the same for the second layer, the topcoat. One of the nice things about asphalt is if you need to resurface your driveway, usually you can just lay a new layer of topcoat over the existing surface instead of ripping up the entire driveway.