DH searched for three months and best price for re-asphalting a driveway 18' wide and 105' long was $4800 from a retired guy who does this as a sideline, next best price was $5500, and next was over $7000, so it sounds like your price was right in line. Biggest problem: no one bothered to return calls! DH contacted every driveway contractor in the DC metro phone book and those three were the only ones to come make an estimate of the five companies who bothered to return his call! I think he called about 75 companies.

Yeah, lots cheaper for you to prep the driveway and have ready-mix delivered. Lots of hard labor too, since ready-mix guys don't spread or scrim or level - you have to be on stand-by to be there when it's delivered and you will preferably have many strong helpers! Link is a UK site but one of the best quick-explanations that I've seen. I'd suggest also check the websites of some of the major concrete manufacturers.

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY concrete driveway

Hi Meldy,

That's a terrific link, thanks.

When we had the carpet replaced in out old house, I called and made appointments with 4 carpet companies for estimates and only 1 showed up. The others didn't even bother to call.

Thanks for the suggestions. I think we might attempt this ourselves. Maybe we couldn't break it down into 2 sections.

Neighbors did theirs in 2 segments; it's big enough for 6 cars (2 rows of 3 cars) and lots of walking space. There is a sort of expansion joint that runs lengthwise down the middle and provided the side where the first section met the second section. They finished the top of it with "exposed aggregate" and it looks good, especially considering the square footage. I really wanted ours done that way, too, but DH & I are just a couple decades too old to do it ourselves and the only concrete driveway contractor who responded wanted almost $10,000 - and his estimate was sight unseen, based on the present driveway dimensions; he mentioned that was a minimum, and if we were interested *then* he would come out and look it over to give us a final price! The only other hint I can give is to *not* use any kind of wood lumber for permanent joints or sides or dividers - it will have to be replaced sooner or later and removal is a real mess! neighbor used top-quality pressure-treated 8x8s for edges and had to replace after 5 years - he said labor [for replacing] cost more than doing the original driveway!

Wow, thanks for the tips on the wood. DH knows more about this stuff than I do so I'll let him read everything you've said. It looks like I won't get my hard surface parking spaces before next year now. sigh:( I dread another winter of trying to remove snow from gravel. DH travels a lot and that responsibility is often left up to me.

Nothing's ever easy is it? (Now I find myself driving around looking at other peoples asphalt driveways and thinking...MAN, that one must of cost 10,000$ or...20,000$!! LOL!)

I know exactly what you mean, especially when looking at other folks' driveways, LOL. Meanwhile, see if the budget will splurge for a handheld flamer - about $40 from PicketFence or $55 from Gardener's Supply. It is not only good for [careful] weeding, but excellent at melting ice and snow! Rather more expensive than swinging a shovel, so I use mine for mostly for ice, especially if I've forgotten to put the plastic tarp down.

I just had another thought. Figure out your square footage, and then price ready-made pavers! They come in all sizes, 2'x2' in concrete is [just barely] a manageable weight, about 50 pounds. They go over a gravel/sand base which is not nearly as costly as concrete. In fact, you'd have to have the sand/gravel base anyway, if you did poured concrete.

Good luck with getting your new drive soon.

Handheld flamer? (lightbulb!!) I never thought of that. Nor did I think of the pavers. You're just full of good ideas.

Now, will that flamer kill my bermuda grass? I'm dead on serious as I'm trying to kill off an area now so I can reseed this fall but it's slow going. I'll google one up.

Thanks loads~

Maybe not:)