Paving a driveway can put your bank account in the red if you are not sure what you are going to spend on it ahead of time. Blindly jumping into the project without any real clue as to what materials or services you want to use can cause issues with the expenses. Because of this, it is important to know the ins and outs of what you could be paying for before you start the project. So how much does it cost to pave a driveway? The answer is more complicated than it may seem.
Material Expenses
Most companies calculate the overall cost of a driveway by how square feet they have to fill. Different materials cost different amounts; for example, gravel costs $1-3 per square foot while concrete costs anywhere from $3-18. Of course, this difference in price also represents a difference in quality. It is no secret that a concrete driveway is going to both perform better and last longer than a gravel driveway.
Keeping this in mind most homeowners tend to choose a material that comes at a relatively low price while still maintaining the quality needed to perform its job. Asphalt driveways come at a fair $7-13 and are capable of performing just as well as a concrete driveway. Asphalt is a great choice if you are looking for a high-quality, low-cost pavement.
Labor Expenses
On top of material costs, you also need to consider the labor expenses that come with each company. Some services charge an arm and a leg while others are dirt cheap. Just like materials, it is important to note that with labor costs you are generally going to get what you paid for. Spending a larger amount of money on a company likely means that they are going to complete the job faster and better than a company that charges next to nothing.
Although the above statement does carry a lot of truth to it, please remember that this is not always the case. There are companies that have drastically higher prices than their competitors that cut corners and are unreliable. You should research each company ahead of time and take into account what other clients’ experiences have been when hiring them. Doing this gives you a clear idea of how you can expect the project to go.
The Final Cost
Once everything is added together you are looking at a final cost of around $2500-6500 with the national average being around $4500. As mentioned before, on top of materials and labor, a large part of your grand total is determined by the size of the driveway. If your driveway is on the larger end then you should expect a paving project to be on the higher end of that amount.
Have More Questions?
You can count on Walt’s Paving to complete your residential or commercial paving project in an efficient and timely manner. We have over 40 years of experience paving asphalt driveways, making asphalt repairs, and seal coating asphalt. We are located in Osceola IN and service homeowners and businesses within 50 miles of Elkhart IN. If you have any further questions regarding our services, do not hesitate to contact us today.
