Frequently Asked Questions

Nationally, HomeGuide pegs installed asphalt driveways at roughly $5 to $12+ a square foot, or roughly $2,000 to $4,800 for 400 square feet and $5,000 to $12,000 for 1,000 square feet. Removal of an old surface, rock cutting and drainage work add to that. Your written estimate is the price.

Resurfacing, also called an overlay, means placing a new layer of asphalt over an existing surface that is worn but still solid underneath. Cracks are sealed and weak spots repaired first. It costs less than tearing out and replacing, but it only works when the base below is still sound.

It changes the work rather than making it worse. Cutting a grade may mean cutting rock, which takes heavier equipment. Once the loose material is removed, though, rock close to the surface gives a firm foundation for the limerock base.

Yes, with planning. Summer storms usually build in the afternoon, so paving is scheduled for mornings and the base is never left exposed to a heavy rain right before asphalt goes down. Sealcoating needs dry weather and a dry surface, so it is moved when storms are forecast.

It depends on where you live and what the job touches. Homestead handles building, zoning and right-of-way permits through its own online platform. In unincorporated Miami-Dade, the county's guide says paving and drainage need a Zoning Improvement Permit. We tell you what applies at the estimate.

HomeGuide gives 15 to 30 years for a properly installed and maintained asphalt driveway. In South Florida, the biggest factors are drainage and sun. Water that stands on the pavement and binder that dries out under UV are what shorten its life, which is why grading and sealing get so much attention.

It is heavy work that depends on equipment most homeowners do not have: a grader or skid steer for the base, a roller to compact it, and hot-mix asphalt that has to be placed and rolled before it cools. Small crack filling and sealing can be done by owners; new paving is best left to a crew.

Per HomeGuide, a home drive usually gets 2 to 3 inches of asphalt on a 6 to 8 inch base. If you park a heavy truck, boat or RV on it, we go thicker in those areas and write the numbers into the quote.

Cars can typically use it in two or three days; in July and August, give it longer because the mat stays soft in the heat. For the first few weeks, don't turn the wheel while stopped and keep loaded trailers off.

Sometimes. If the old asphalt is cracked but solid and drains well, an overlay can work. If it has sunk, holds water or is breaking up in chunks, the base has failed and it needs to come out. See our resurfacing page.

Published ranges assume a ready site. Tear-out, hauling, cutting into rock, fixing drainage and small job minimums all add cost. Each of those shows up as a separate priced line on our quote.

National numbers from HomeAdvisor run $2 to $4.50 a square foot, about $400 to $1,130 per stall. Rebuilt base, inlet work and truck-lane sections push that up, so a real number comes after we walk your property.

New asphalt can usually take traffic the next day once it has cooled, and striping follows. With phasing, most businesses never close completely; only the section being worked on is blocked off.

Yes. Federal DOJ guidance treats restriping as an alteration, so the new layout has to include the accessible and van-accessible stall count the 2010 ADA Standards set for a lot your size. We work that out before the first line.

HomeAdvisor gives a typical span of 15 to 20 years between resurfacing for a maintained lot. Regular sealcoating, crack sealing and prompt pothole repair are what get a lot to the long end of that range.

It is placing a new layer of asphalt over an existing surface after cleaning and repairs, so the old pavement becomes the base for the new one. It restores a smooth surface without the cost of removing everything.

On a sound base with good drainage, an overlay can last many years, though usually not as long as a full rebuild. Its life depends heavily on the condition of the pavement underneath and on sealing it once it has cured.

It will cover narrow, scattered cracks if they are filled first. Wide cracks and web-like cracking are signs of base failure and will come back through the new layer unless those areas are rebuilt.

Yes, by the thickness of the new layer, unless the edges are milled. Milling at the garage lip, sidewalk and apron keeps everything flush and the runoff path intact.

HomeGuide's range is every 2 to 10 years. In full South Florida sun, every two to three years keeps most driveways looking and performing well. If the surface still looks black and water beads on it, it can wait.

Usually 24 to 48 hours. HomeGuide gives 12 to 72 hours depending on the product and weather, and walking is fine after a few hours. Humid days slow drying.

A heavy rain before the sealer sets can wash it off or leave it streaked. That is why we seal in the morning, check the forecast and reschedule when storms are likely.

No. Sealer protects a sound surface; it does not rebuild one. A driveway that is raveling badly or breaking apart needs repair or resurfacing first.

Because the base under it is wet or weak. Filling the hole on top leaves the cause in place. With a saw-cut repair we dig the wet material out, put back compacted limerock and then pave.

As a stopgap until a proper repair, yes. It rarely bonds well or compacts fully, so in heavy traffic or rain it tends to pop out within weeks or months.

Yes. Most repairs are spot repairs. The patch will look different from the older asphalt around it until both are sealed, which helps them blend.

When failures cover a large share of the surface, when repairs keep multiplying, or when water stands across the whole driveway. At that point, repairs cost more over time than starting over.

The 2010 ADA Standards tie it to your total stall count: a lot of 1 to 25 stalls needs one accessible space, the number climbs from there, and one in six of them has to be van-accessible. We work out your number during the estimate.

Yes. We stripe in sections and block only the area being painted. Most paint dries in about an hour, so each section is closed only briefly.

If the pavement is gray and worn, yes. Lines on a freshly sealed surface are more visible and the lot looks new. If the pavement is still dark, restriping alone is fine.

HomeGuide gives 2 to 5 years for a well-maintained job. Strong sun and heavy traffic shorten it, so entrances and drive lanes often need touch-ups between full restripes.