Frequently Asked Questions

National guides put new asphalt driveways at about $5 to $12 or more per square foot (HomeGuide) or $7 to $15 per square foot (Angi). HomeGuide lists a 400-square-foot driveway at $2,000 to $4,800. Tear-out, soft-clay repair and culvert work change the total, so we give you a written price after seeing the site.

A common residential build is 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel. Driveways that carry work trucks, trailers or RVs need more of both. On wet clay, base depth matters as much as the asphalt.

Spring and fall are easiest, but asphalt can be placed most of the year when the ground is dry and not frozen. Summer paving works with early starts. The bigger risk in this area is rain, so we schedule around wet spells.

Sometimes. An overlay works when the old asphalt is cracked but still well supported. If it has potholes, sunken spots or edges breaking away, the base has failed and an overlay will crack in the same places. We check before recommending either.

If your driveway connects to a state or U.S. highway, Louisiana DOTD requires an access connection permit, which the property owner applies for. On city and parish streets, rules vary, and we confirm what applies to your address before work is scheduled.

Cost guides give asphalt driveways a life of about 15 to 30 years. Where a driveway lands in that range depends mostly on the base, drainage and upkeep: sealing every few years and filling cracks before water gets under the surface.

Both work. Asphalt costs less up front, about $5 to $12 or more per square foot versus $6 to $15 for concrete in HomeGuide figures, and flexes a little as clay moves. Concrete lasts longer, about 30 to 40 years against 15 to 30, but costs more and its cracks are harder to repair neatly.

Most residential driveways take one to three days: removal and base work first, then paving. Rain delays base work, because compacting wet clay or wet stone does not hold.

Usually water. A blocked or crushed culvert, or a ditch that backs up, keeps the base wet where the driveway meets the road. The fix is to correct the drainage and rebuild that section of base before repaving.

Cars can usually go on after a few days, longer in summer heat. Heavy trucks and trailers should wait longer. We give you timing for your job when paving is done.

Yes, on your property. If widening changes where the driveway meets a state highway, the DOTD access permit covers the new width and culvert. On city or parish roads, we check the local requirements first.

HomeAdvisor puts repaving at roughly every 15 to 20 years, with sealing and crack repair in between. Lots with poor drainage or heavy truck traffic wear out faster.

Usually. We split the lot into sections, keep an entrance open and work around your busiest hours.

Restriping or repaving is a good time to check the lot against the ADA Standards for the number, size and location of accessible spaces. We lay out the striping plan with that in mind.

Flat spots, settled areas and inlets set too high. Fixing it means regrading or rebuilding those areas, not just adding a layer on top.

If your entrance connects to a state highway and the work changes the connection, Louisiana DOTD handles the access connection permit. We tell you at the walk-through whether that applies.

HomeGuide estimates an overlay saves about 20 to 30 percent over full replacement. The savings disappear if failed base areas are left in place, because the new layer will crack over them.

Typically a couple of inches of compacted asphalt, set by how the pavement is used and by the heights it has to meet at edges and drains.

Sometimes, but joints and cracks in concrete tend to show through asphalt over time. We look at the slab before recommending it.

Only if the low spot is corrected first. We regrade or rebuild low areas before the overlay so water has somewhere to go.

It depends on the base under it. Over a sound, well-drained base and with sealing on schedule, an overlay can last many years. Over a failing base, it can crack within a year or two.

HomeGuide gives a range of every 2 to 10 years, depending on the sealer and conditions. Strong sun and heavy rain push toward the shorter end. If the surface has turned gray and the stone is showing, it is due.

Not right away. New asphalt needs 3 to 6 months to cure before sealing, according to HomeGuide.

No. Sealer is thin and will not bridge cracks. We fill cracks first, then seal.

Sealer needs dry hours to set. We check the forecast and reschedule rather than seal ahead of rain.

HomeGuide puts driveway sealing at about $1 to $2 per square foot, or about $400 to $800 for a 400-square-foot two-car driveway. Crack filling and oil-spot treatment can add to that.

Because the base under it is still wet or broken. A surface patch over a soft base sinks again. A saw-cut repair that removes the wet material and rebuilds the base is the lasting fix.

If damage is limited to a few areas, repair is usually the better value. When failures cover much of the surface, replacement can cost less over time.

Hot asphalt patches can usually take traffic once they cool, often within hours.

Yes. Many repair contractors set a minimum charge; HomeGuide lists typical minimums of $100 to $250. Combining repairs with crack filling or sealing makes better use of a visit.

It can fill a hole temporarily, but cold patch does not bond or compact like hot asphalt and usually breaks out within months. A hot or saw-cut patch is the lasting repair.

When the lines are hard to see, and every time the lot is sealcoated. Lots with heavy traffic wear lines faster in drive lanes.

Sometimes. A new layout can tighten up wasted space, within the limits of stall and aisle sizes and the accessible spaces the lot needs.

We stripe in sections and at off-hours so you can stay open. Paint dries quickly in warm weather.

Yes. We lay out accessible spaces and aisles to the 2010 ADA Standards and point out signs or slopes that may need a closer look.

HomeGuide lists about $500 to $1,200 for a 30 to 50 stall lot, with typical mobilization fees of $150 to $350. New layouts cost 20 to 50 percent more than restriping.