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CostHelper > Home and Garden  > Driveways, Pools & Outdoor Living > Driveway

Driveway Cost


How Much Does a Driveway Cost?

 
low costGravel Driveway: $300-$1,000 for 12'x25'average costConcrete Driveway: $900-$7,500 for 12'x25'high costCobblestone Driveway: $6,000-$21,000 for 12'x25'

A driveway is often the first thing that visitors see and the most-used outdoor area of a home, and is also key to the property's drainage. Depending on the materials used, a driveway can be utilitarian, like gravel, asphalt, or concrete, or decorative, like stamped asphalt, stamped concrete, or cobblestone.

Typical costs:

  • A gravel driveway starts at roughly $0.75-$3 or more a square foot, or $300-$1,000 for a 12'x25' single-car driveway. Costs can double for a roadway-quality driveway. Loose gravel will need replenishing periodically, but a correctly designed, installed and maintained gravel driveway can last 50-100 years or more.
  • Also called tar and chip or oil and stone, macadam driveway can cost $1-$3 or more a square foot on an existing driveway, or $600-$1,800 for 12'x50'; and $2-$4 or more a square foot for a completely new driveway with gravel base, or $1,200-$2,400 for 12'x50'. Macadam typically lasts 6-10 years and provides the decorative and rustic appearance of a gravel driveway but with a firm base.
  • An asphalt driveway costs about $2-$5 a square foot, or $1,200-$3,000 for 12'x50' to $31,000-$75,000 for a 12' lane a quarter mile long. A stamped asphalt pattern (typically in the shape of bricks or stones) on a new or existing asphalt driveway can cost $3-$9 a square foot, or $900-$2,700 for 12'x25' or $3,600-$11,000 for 24'x50' for just the stamping.
  • Concrete is a popular, durable and relatively low-maintenance choice for paving a driveway. A plain concrete driveway can cost $3-$10 or more a square foot, or $900-$3,000 for 12'x25' or $2,900-$9,600 for 24'x40', while a customized concrete driveway with multiple decorative elements can cost $15-$25 or more a square foot, or $4,500-$7,500 for 12'x25' or $14,400-$24,000 for 24'x40').
  • There are three basic types of driveway pavers: Interlocking concrete pavers mimic the look of stone or brick and cost about $6-$20 or more a square foot, or $1,800-$4,500 for 12'x25'; a brick paver driveway with the timeless elegance of traditional brick typically costs $10-$30 or more a square foot, or $3,000-$9,000 for 12'x25'; and a cobblestone driveway offers "old world" charm" plus durability (lasting up to 100 years), and can cost $20-$70 or more a square foot, or $6,000-$21,000 for 12'x25'.
  • Paving contractors typically do not charge by the square foot, but instead quote their price for a specific project.
Related articles: Fence

What should be included:
  • A typical single-car driveway is 9'-12' wide, and a two-car driveway is 20'-24' wide, according to LandscapingNetwork.com[1] ; 9'-wide can be a tight fit for delivery vans or trucks, while wider than 12' but less than 20' is too wide for a single vehicle and not wide enough for two. Driveway length is typically a minimum of 20' per car.
Additional costs:
  • Because a driveway connects to a public street, there are often regulations governing the width of the driving and the materials used to build it. Typically a permit will be required, and permit fees can vary from nominal to pricey, depending on location.
Discounts:
  • Check whether neighbors also need a driveway; there is a basic cost to bring equipment and a crew to a site, and some contractors charge less for multiple jobs in the same area.
Shopping for a driveway:
  • Driveways are typically installed by asphalt, concrete, masonry or paving contractors, although general building or landscaping contractors make take on the task as part of a larger project, and sub out the work.
  • Ask friends, neighbors or local construction companies for recommendations. The Better Business Bureau lists tips for selecting an asphalt driveway contractor[2] ; the ConcreteNetwork.com provides a searchable database of concrete contractors[3] ; the Stone Foundation provides a directory of stonemasons and contractors by state[4] .
  • Get several estimates; ask for and check references (if possible, visit a previous project, to see how the driveway looks after use); make sure the company is properly insured and licensed.
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What People Are Paying - Recent Comments

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Getting Bids
Amount: $0.00
Posted by: Brent Wambold in Mercer, WI.Posted: June 23rd, 2018 07:06PM
Type of Driveway: Crushed limestoneSq Ft of Driveway: 1200
Looking to put in a concrete walkway, garage pad and gravel driveway. So far I am anticipating excavation and crushed limestone to run $2-2.50 per sq. ft.
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Car Guy Dream Driveway
Amount: $169,000.00
Posted by: Tai Lopez in Hollywood, CA.Posted: June 21st, 2017 05:06AM
Type of Driveway: Custom Lamborghini PaversSq Ft of Driveway: Approximately 50'x120'
Contractor: Undisclosed
I explained to the contractor I wanted to park four Lamborghini's side by side in my driveway and we came up with a great solution. Very wide driveway leading to massive detached garage (4 car wide, 2.5 cars deep). Additional pavers added for parking on the sides of the garage. Custom brick pavers with the Lamborghini emblem utilized. Unique paver design patterned to say 'knowledge' at the driveway entrance.
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Replace concrete driveway
Amount: $19,000.00
Posted by: Sail Girl in Marietta, GA.Posted: February 7th, 2017 10:02AM
Contractor: Rpm
I haven't had the work done yet. There is 2800 square feet of concrete to remove and replace. It is a long driveway that curves as it goes uphill. Is this bid too high?
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i need a new asphalat driveway
Amount: $3,000.00
Posted by: marsbar in Grimsby, CA.Posted: July 10th, 2015 11:07AM
Type of Driveway: asphaltSq Ft of Driveway: double , 6 cars
I am seeking to have my driveway done. I don't know the exact measurements. Would like it done by Fall. Marlene
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Ashphalt Drive topped off
Amount: $6,000.00
Posted by: MRO_Software in Marple, PA.Posted: October 10th, 2014 10:10AM
Type of Driveway: AshphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 4353
Contractor: Joe Chiusa
Drive is in sections 200 x 10 then it widens to
70 x 30 then new section 23 x 11
Jackhammered out cracks and filled with gravel
topped with 2.5 inches asphalt. Excellent job.
Very neat. Very nice. Estimated that this cost about 1.37 per s.f.
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New Asphalt Driveway
Amount: $2,300.00
Posted by: TJW242 in Bensalem, PA.Posted: August 22nd, 2012 07:08AM
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 990
Contractor: HBI, Feasterville, PA
I just had a 45' x 22' (990 sq ft) asphalt driveway paved. Most of it was over an existing older gravel drive, but I extended about 12' into my yard and widened it buy about 3' down one side. Where I added I dug down and added two inches of modified stone ($25/ton). Paving guys came in used 1.5" base course and 1.5" top course. Cost for that was $2,300 or about $2.32/sq ft. I'm just outside of Philadelphia.
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Aspahlt Shim and overlay
Amount: $3,700.00
Posted by: Garry T in portsmouth, NH.Posted: July 27th, 2011 11:07AM
Type of Driveway: asphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 2700
had low spots and a few cracks from a 26 year old driveway but the base was OK and it hadn't sunk any more in about 5 years. Had it shimmed to level it with larger stone asphalt, they spread that and rolled it and then 1.5 inches of asphalt applied on top of that whcih was spread and rolled. Driveway is 270 feet by ten feet so this works out to be 2700 feet and the cost for the overlay came out to about 1.40 per square foot.
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Overlay Asphalt/Resurface Driveway
Amount: $3,000.00
Posted by: DanTheMan in Manchester, IN.Posted: June 14th, 2011 03:06PM
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 2500
Contractor: gypsy
Gypsy came by saying "We have some asphalt left over from our job down the road..." I'll admit, I'm a sucker for these guys - they did my driveway years ago (a different gypsy), but I've neglected to seal it for about 7 - 8 years. It started to crumble in many places, so I had these guys resurface just the bad areas - about 2500 sq. ft. of a 4000 sq. ft. driveway. They did a pretty good job, not perfect, but good. He started at $2 a sq. ft...then $1.75...and it ended up $1.20. I figure it all depends on the area you're in.
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Street hockey/basketball court
Amount: $0.00
Posted by: steafo in Roseville, MI.Posted: April 4th, 2011 04:04PM
Type of Driveway: naSq Ft of Driveway: 1800sqft
Contractor: na
I am looking to lay some asphalt in a 60'x30' area in my backyard. I'm looking to turn this into a hockey rink/basketball court. Is asphalt the best way to go? Would 2" thick suffice? And what would I pay for this, would it cost under $3000?
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spare asphalt left on the truck story
Amount: $2,000.00
Posted by: skyrun in golden, CO.Posted: April 1st, 2011 10:04AM
Type of Driveway: asphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 2750
i've heard the 'we are in the area and have some left over' story 2x now. we got various parts of our driveway done both times including grading to 3.5" thick for 0.75/sq ft (the price was about double before i walked away). reading this and other stuff. anything in the $1-2/sq ft is a great assuming the job is done right.
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Reasonable cost - good work.
Amount: $3,800.00
Posted by: Coast in Fredericksburg, VA in Fredericksburg, VA.Posted: March 30th, 2011 05:03AM
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 3000
Contractor: Maximum Paving
This contractor (Paul Jones) stopped by in December and offered to do this as his work load had been light during the off-season, but said that prices would probably go up soon. This was done on an existing gravel driveway. He provided good references. It's a family business (4 generations now) and they seem to put a lot of effort into their jobs. After pondering it for a while and getting a few other estimates, I just had the pavement put down yesterday for the original estimate that Paul provided in December. 300 sq ft of it was for a turn-around over what used to be a grassy area that they dug out, filled with a good base of gravel and 5 to 6" of asphalt. 3" was put down over the existing gravel driveway after grading and weedkiller were done. Cost was about $1.26/sq foot.
It looks good so far, but we'll see how it holds up. He suggests putting a sealant down immediately. Is that normally recommended?
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Looking at getting my driveway paved.
Amount: $0.00
Posted by: Wesley in Schofield, WI.Posted: March 18th, 2011 04:03PM
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 1340
Contractor: In need of one
Our driveway is gravel now but we are looking at getting it paved. It's 67ft x 20ft that needs to be done. Any ideas how much that would cost?
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estimate for a driveway in California
Amount: $15,750.00
Posted by: rudy achenbach in riverside, CA.Posted: March 2nd, 2011 11:03AM
Type of Driveway: cement with a paternSq Ft of Driveway: 1187
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Awesome Cheap Pavers
Amount: $6,500.00
Posted by: Chris Cruver in Tampa, FL.Posted: November 4th, 2010 09:11AM
Type of Driveway: PaversSq Ft of Driveway: 1893
Contractor: Alltimate Pavers And Landscaping
Wow, while everyone else is charging 4 and above per square foot, I found a great guy charging only 3.70 something a square foot, that includes ripping out the old concrete and installing a complete driveway with a round about addition. I recommend him all the way 813 368 5546
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black asphalt
Amount: $0.00
Posted by: a user in glen gardner,, NJ.Posted: October 16th, 2010 05:10AM
Type of Driveway: existing stoneSq Ft of Driveway: 2939
Contractor: Henry's
Henry, Jr stopped by, said he had extra black asphalt for $17.00 sq. yd($1.88 sq. ft. Another worker stopped by & started & gave ne a contract for 5200 sq. ft. for $5200.00. I said that was not what Henry ,jr told me, called Henry ,JR.ended up getting 2500 sq.ft of drveway & 432 sq. ft of barn floor for $3700.00?($1.26sqft)was this a good deal or not
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Does this sound like a fair deal?
Amount: $5,000.00
Posted by: Stuart Sweeney in North Kingstown, RI.Posted: September 20th, 2010 07:09AM
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 1600
A nieghbor was having there drive redone, and they stopped here to ask if we would like to have ours done. The guy said if he did it today it would cost only $4,000. he gave me a card that had only a cell number on it. I didn't like that and DID NOT have it done. I do however still need to have my drive replaced. Was the pricing that off from what I will be paying?
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Asphalt over existing rock
Amount: $10,300.00
Posted by: Harry Hill in Fayette, MO.Posted: September 14th, 2010 01:09PM
Type of Driveway: 2 1/2" asphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 6176
Contractor: Charlton's Asphalt Maintenance
27' x 60' parking area in front of Garage with a 536' driveway. Sealer is to be added in 3 to 4 weeks. I was very suspicious because a sales person was going door to door and there was no address on their business card only a cell phone number and they wanted cash when the work was completed. They did have references I knew so I went for it.
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Redo the existing asphalt driveway
Amount: $0.00
Posted by: Al Rastogi in long valley, NJ.Posted: September 11th, 2010 02:09PM
Type of Driveway: Aspahlt11 yr old crackedSq Ft of Driveway: 2100
Contractor: Looking for
what should be the right way to redo this kind of a driveway when it is sinking some places, cradked few places. Remove old one or repave right on top of the old one. How much this kind of job may cost. Any suggestion and advise?
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Does this sound like a fair price
Amount: $7,000.00
Posted by: Em in Norfolk, VA.Posted: August 28th, 2010 04:08AM
Type of Driveway: concreteSq Ft of Driveway: 1590
We are getting ready to install a 1590 sq. foot two car concrete driveway. They need to come out and break up some existing concrete and are taking down our carport as well. (He said it would be $6600 if we did the carport ourselves) or $7000 if he did all of it. I liked the guy who came out and would like him to do it, just wondering if this is about an average price?
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bad business practice
Amount: $1,500.00
Posted by: darla in ennis, TX.Posted: August 18th, 2010 06:08PM
Type of Driveway: dry asphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 800
Contractor: sam stanley
he qouted 850 for what he had on the truck,and would cover what he could, so he did my carport, and part of the drivway,at a $1.00 sq ft,and wanted 1500, he wouldent give me an upfront quote on the entire drive, wich is 4500sq ft, we i demanded the following day, that he measure the drive and give me a price or leave he did,and quoted me $5,300 to finish up .was that fair?
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widen driveway
Amount: $1.00
Posted by: Bernie in womelsdforf, PA.Posted: August 5th, 2010 03:08PM
Type of Driveway: currently asphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 50'
Would like approximate cost to widen driveway,
3/4 of existing driveway asphalt - flat area
1/4 has a sloped hill to be dug in.
wold like to widen approx 5'.
Just not sure an approximate.....1,000 or 10,000...I have no idea, but want a ballpark before I start getting bugged by contractors.
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driveway redo
Amount: $3,500.00
Posted by: ducky in des moines, IA.Posted: July 19th, 2010 06:07PM
Type of Driveway: concreteSq Ft of Driveway: 810
Contractor: yes
i got a first bid of this contractor was 4000 usd but bargained with him to 3500 usd and it was done deal. what he had done he tear out old concrete and haul it away next day pour in new concrete at 4 inches depth 4000 psi total 810 s.f i paid the cost of concrete 920 usd plus 2600 usd for the crew of three men. if u read it do you think i paid too much for it. my wife said so thanks
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driveway holds too much water
Amount: $2,000.00
Posted by: Webb, Anthony C in Euclid, OH.Posted: May 23rd, 2010 02:05PM
Type of Driveway: onelane quarter mile with two car garageSq Ft of Driveway: na
driveway holds too much water. the water begins too flood the grass yard. now, the water is cuasing the driveway to crack and break up. I need a new driveway soon for I might get citations from the local city. I'm a war veteran just now returning home and don't have much saved and I need help now.
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is this worth it?
Amount: $10,255.00
Posted by: Erika in Falls Church, VA.Posted: May 12th, 2010 03:05PM
Type of Driveway: concreteSq Ft of Driveway: 903
Contractor: looking
following bid came in:
tear up 473 sf of asphalt $ 2,365
install 903 sf of concrete (3500 psi with wire mesh and broom finish) $ 7,890
is this worth it?
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Asphalt driveway
Amount: $6,800.00
Posted by: Husky in Rochester, NY.Posted: May 11th, 2010 07:05AM
Type of Driveway: AsphaltSq Ft of Driveway: 2500
Contractor: yes
Tore up old driveway. Re-grade putting in 8" base. 2" of number 1 binder. re-graded side of driveway with fill dirt as slope changed due to adding 6' on width of driveway.
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External Resources:
  1.  www.landscapingnetwork.com/driveways/width.html
  2.  www.bbb.org/dayton/business-reviews/paving-contractors/industry-tips/asphalt-drive...
  3.  www.concretenetwork.com/
  4.  www.stonefoundation.org/membersusa.html#TX
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