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DRIVEWAYS
WHY IT COST SO MUCH?
You probably should know!
The cost of the Materials,
Trucking, Insurance &
Labor have sky-rocketed in
the past few years.
Cobble stone, pavers &
brick applications
These are the Rolls
Royce's of the driveway
entrepreneur!
Real driveway art where
the look and designs make
a statement!
There beauty, elegance and
grace also comes with a
hefty price tag.
The reason they cost so
much is each piece has to
be hand set one at a
time, and each piece has a
purchase price. Much time
is spent hand laying these
products not to mention
color and design patterns
and cutting hundreds of
them to fit. Think of is
as putting together a
large 10,000 piece puzzle,
on your hands and knees,
where each piece weighs 10
lbs. and you have to make
the pieces fit as you go!!
This is a time consuming
task there-fore making it
very expensive.
Imagine having to purchase
10,000 pieces
for example:
and each one cost $3.00
this product would cost
the contractor $30,000.
Before he can even begin
to bid on the driveway
installation and labor
cost, he would need to
know exactly what product,
colors and design pattern
that you desire!
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Bricks or Paver can
cost anywhere from .50
cents to as much as
$3.00 each with a great
variety of shapes and
colors.
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Durability: last
a lifetime & some pavers
come with a warranty
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Price range:
$10 sq/ft -
$50. sq/ft
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Maintenance:
semi-annual washing &
sealing, weed control
yearly
Stamped & colored concrete
The durability of concrete
with a more distinguished
look. These driveways come
in a variety of styles and
colors. Not as time
consuming to install as a
paver or brick driveway.
They add a touch of
character & beauty far
beyond the standard
concrete installations.
Your concrete
professionals can show you
the many patterns &
designs as well as color
options. These driveways
also have a very long life
expectancy (as much as 50
years). They need to be
installed properly and
survive the first few
seasons without cracking.
All concrete installations
need joint expansions
which control where the
cracking will take place.
Re-bar or wire mess is
also helpful to increase
it's strength and decrease
the chances of cracking.
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Durability:
30-50 year life
expectancy
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Prince range:
$5. sq/ft. -
$20. sq/ft.
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Maintenance:
semi-annual washing &
sealing
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Concrete
Good old fashion concrete!
It's hard to beat the
durability of this product
provided it doesn't crack
within the first year.
Cracking is more of a
problem in the northern
climates because frost is
always inevitable. Frosts
heaves are one of the
major causes of surface
cracks in all driveway
products.
All concrete installations
need joint expansions
which control where the
cracking will take place.
Re-bar or wire mess is
also helpful to increase
it's strength and decrease
the chances of cracking.
For an additional cost a
color additive can be
applied to make a more
appealing driveway, ask
your concrete
professional! Concrete
also can have a multitude
of finishes and dressed
with stone (aggregates) or
slate toppings. Be careful
not to make the finish
real smooth or it will
become slippery when wet!
On the downside concrete
can be difficult to keep
clean and stains can be
difficult to remove.
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Durability:
30-50 year life
expectancy
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Prince range:
$3. sq/ft. -
$10. sq/ft.
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Maintenance:
semi-annual washing &
sealing
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Stamped & colored asphalt
The method of making
asphalt look like brick
has been patented by a
company know as Street
Print. To my knowledge to
become a street print
installer a contractor
needs to become an
affiliate of Street Print.
This means the cost is
going to be high and the
number of contractors that
can install Street Print
will be low. Street Print
installations are no doubt
beautiful, but be aware
that the color tends to
fade and there is a
on-going maintenance cost
associated with this
product. The coloring is
more expensive than seal
coating and needs to be
done every couple of
years. These types of
driveways have all the
durability of asphalt and
have no weed control
problem associated with
brick or paver
installations. Street
Print is basically asphalt
that looks like brick and
comes in a variety of
colors.
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Durability:
10-30 year life
expectancy
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Prince range:
$3. sq/ft. -
$10. sq/ft.
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Maintenance:
semi-annual washing &
coloring
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The plain old black look
that just keeps america
rolling! Nearly every road
in the world is made of
asphalt because it is the
most economical. More
vulnerable to cracking
because it is made of oil
which gives it more
elasticity than concrete.
Easier to keep clean
because it is already
black. The downside is the
heat that it draws on a
hot summer day makes it
soft and difficult to walk
on barefoot (because of
it's dark color)! Asphalt
can also be applied over
concrete or be re-applied
over existing asphalt.
This method is known as
resurfacing, and is
only as good as the base
you are covering.
For
example:
If you apply new asphalt
over badly cracked
concrete or asphalt,
within a year or so
the resurface (the new
asphalt placed on top)
will crack also.
Asphalt with age becomes
brittle and dries out from
the elements, so the older
it is, the more vulnerable
to cracking. I
believe that seal coating
rejuvenates the elasticity
in asphalt and should be
applied every 2 - 3 years
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