Concrete Driveway - The Right Choice

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Have you always dreamed of having a Concrete Driveway Mission Viejo CA that runs right along your property's side walk? For most homes, this dream comes true with a concrete driveway, but if you're like many homeowners, it may not be practical or seem too expensive. In fact, concrete driveways have advanced significantly over the years, from their early days as simply something to pave a straight path across the yard to today's unique technologies that allow for unique creations from your driveway. Gravel driveways, in particular, haven't seen such vast improvements in their technology used to pave them and hold them in position; in fact, they're still often seen as old-fashioned and somewhat boring. However, if you're looking for an option to the regular concrete driveway, let's take a closer look at the differences between concrete and gravel driveways and which one you'd prefer for your own home.

Today's advancements in Concrete Driveway construction are nothing short of amazing. A typical gravel driveway can be three to four inches thick, making them very heavy and unwieldy to move. This combined with the fact that gravel doesn't compact as easily as concrete does make them difficult to use in areas with frequent or heavy traffic. Plus, the weight of the thick concrete slabs combined with the constant lifting and lowering needed to keep them in place mean that concrete driveways are mostly used in homes and commercial properties with heavy foot traffic.

In addition, concrete driveways are primarily constructed using poured joints, which is problematic from a soil conservation standpoint. During pouring, excess water is retained within the cracks, causing them to expand, which leads to cracks and breaks in the newly built driveway. Plus, this kind of expansion creates tiny voids that encourage root colonization, a phenomenon that increases the odds that a future root invasion will occur. For these reasons, it is important to include additional reinforcement at the pouring stage. Several options include rebar, steel mesh, or even wood chips tied into steel ties. While these all add varying amounts of reinforcement to the concrete driveway project, each has its pros and cons.

The cheapest option is to simply build up the cracks with coarse gravel to seal them, as well as adding additional footer drains. However, this is not always the best solution. For one thing, the fine gravel grinders used in construction are simply not capable of coping with the sheer size of these large cracks, which often lead to catastrophic cracks. Also, building up the cracks in gravel can increase the overall cost of the project, since additional demolition work is also necessary to repair any damage caused by the grinding. On top of this, concrete driveways constructed with coarse gravel still tend to bow and become uneven over time, especially when salt is used to season the base materials.

Another inexpensive option for sealing concrete driveways is to use low-density fiberboard. This product is similar to the extremely hard rigid foam that is often used for air entrainment purposes on swimming pools and for construction joints. Unfortunately, even these products have their drawbacks, as this type of material usually does not last longer than seven years, depending on the amount of traffic on the road. Furthermore, as the actual material becomes more worn down over time, it weakens even further, allowing more surface area to be exposed, creating a faster deterioration process.

Although gravel is perhaps the cheapest and easiest to use for constructing concrete driveways, it is also the least durable. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the percentage of gravel in a slab, the weaker the concrete driveway will be over time. It is also important to note that while gravel does help seal out moisture, the actual grouting process tends to weaken it even more, weakening the entire slab and causing major problems with separation. If grouting is unavoidable, then high quality gravel should be used, as its high level of tensile strength and resistance to both compressive and elongating forces, as well as high wear characteristics, will ensure that it outlasts the concrete driveway in its lifetime.

Regardless of what type of driveway you choose, you must also select the appropriate materials for the job. For instance, if you want to avoid slab cracking, then you need to avoid using too much reinforcement on the bottom half of your concrete driveway. In fact, most experts will recommend that you construct your concrete driveway from two to five times more reinforcement on the bottom half of the structure than you have on the top half. In addition, the reinforced bottom half of the slab should be designed to resist both lateral (transverse) and longitudinal movements, ensuring that your driveway moves easily and will not become damaged by changing weather conditions. Finally, another option to consider when constructing a concrete driveway is to reinforce the entire perimeter of the slab with either asphalt or crushed stone, both of which are highly durable when built to last.

Of course, no two gravel drives will be exactly the same. Therefore, no two gravel driveways will be exactly the same, either. This is why we recommend that you consult an expert that can help you determine which types of gravel and concrete driveway will best meet your needs, budget, and specifications. In the long run, this will ensure that your new drive is made properly and will last for many years to come.