Asphalt Driveway Paving in Homestead, FL

Asphalt driveway paving is the most common job we do in Homestead, and it usually comes up for one of three reasons: an old driveway that has broken up past the point of patching, a gravel or rock drive the owner is tired of raking back into place, or a new home or addition that needs a drive. In each case, the asphalt on top is the last step. Most of the work, and most of what decides whether the drive lasts, happens below it.

Getting down to a firm base

Across much of South Dade, the soil is a thin layer over limestone. The USDA's description of the Krome soil series, which is common in the Dade County area, puts bedrock 2 to 10 inches below the surface. We dig out old pavement, loose fill and organic material until we reach firm ground. Where the rock is high and the new grade needs to be lower, it gets cut. Where there are soft pockets, they are excavated and filled.

The base itself is crushed limerock, the standard road base in Florida. A common Florida specification calls for limerock with a minimum bearing value of LBR 100, placed in lifts no thicker than 6 inches and compacted to 98 percent of its maximum density. HomeGuide's typical home build is a 6 to 8 inch compacted base topped with 2 to 3 inches of rolled asphalt, and we set the numbers for your driveway based on what it will carry: two cars, a boat trailer, a work truck or an RV.

Grading for heavy rain

Homestead averages almost 60 inches of rain a year, most of it in summer storms. A driveway has to move that water off quickly. We set a slope away from the house and garage, direct runoff to the swale or a pervious area, and make sure the finished surface does not create a dam that floods the garage slab or the neighbor's yard. Where water already pools, we fix the grade before paving instead of paving over the problem.

Edges and transitions

Driveways in South Florida tend to fail first at the edges, where the asphalt meets grass and gets undermined by water and mowers. We compact the base wider than the paved surface and finish the edges at an angle so they are supported. Where the driveway meets the garage slab, a sidewalk or the street, we cut a clean joint so the new asphalt ties in flush.

Options for the surface

• Standard hot-mix asphalt: the usual choice for homes, dense and smooth when rolled.
• Recycled asphalt: HomeGuide lists it at about $4 to $9 per square foot; a lower-cost option for long rural drives.
• Porous asphalt: lets water drain through to a stone reservoir below. HomeGuide lists it at $7 to $15 per square foot. It needs room for water to go, which the shallow water table limits in some places.
• Widening or extensions: added parking pads and turnarounds tied into an existing drive.

Gravel to asphalt in the Redland

Larger properties west of Homestead often have long rock drives. Paving one is a bigger project, but much of the existing rock can be regraded and compacted as part of the new base. Budget tight? Pave the stretch by the house this year and the rest next, tied together at a square-cut joint.