When Tom and I bought our house, the asphalt driveway was in rough shape. Tom thought it should be sealed, so we called a couple of companies. They took one look at it and refused to seal it, saying it needed to be replaced, not sealed. Last summer we were gone for three months and missed our season to get it done. But this year we decided the driveway would be our first priority.
Getting the driveway replaced was not a quick or easy job – at least to get set up. We called several companies for estimates, and only one company responded. Breck’s Paving is a local asphalt company that gives estimates based on satellite images. They sent us an estimate within an hour of me contacting the company! We got the first estimate in April and waited to hear from some other companies.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find anyone else even willing to give us an estimate or return our calls. In the meantime, I checked on Breck’s Paving references and they got good recommendations. Tom and I also decided to extend the driveway by 25 feet so the RV could be beyond the garage. We also decided to remove the concrete apron to the garage and replace it with asphalt. We got the final estimate from Breck’s Paving in May and put down a deposit. They let us know that they were scheduling sometime in July, weather permitting.
Before the asphalt could be replaced, however, we had to remove the concrete apron to the garage. Breck’s only does asphalt. They don’t have the necessary concrete removal equipment. I started calling concrete removal companies, but the job was so small that no one would even return my calls. I had one contractor that called me at 6:30 in the morning, said he would be out to give me an estimate and then just never showed up. Finally, in desperation, we called Rob Trace, the contractor who renovated our bathroom. He said he could do it and told us how much it would cost. We gulped a little at the cost, but at least it would be taken out.
Rob came out with a cute little backhoe in the second week of July. He removed the concrete and hauled it away in a few hours. He did a great job of getting the area ready for the asphalt.
Then we waited for Breck’s Paving to come. I made several calls to Tina, the office manager, during July and August. She was always very friendly and responsive. But the asphalt business is extremely weather dependent. They can’t put the asphalt down on a wet surface, and it has rained every few days all summer. Finally, on Monday August 8, she called to say they were going to do the driveway that week. Things moved pretty quickly from there.
On Tuesday August 9, Tina came out to spray paint the perimeter of the extension. Then, first thing Wednesday morning, a crew came out to remove the old asphalt and put down the crushed stone for the new foundation. They worked very quickly and efficiently and the surface looked great. Then we waited for the weather to be dry enough for the asphalt.
On Tuesday August 16, the asphalt crew showed up to put in the new driveway. They arrived at 8:15 with shovels, rakes, an asphalt spreader, a roller, and three huge asphalt dump trucks. After talking for a few minutes to the foreman, Tom and I left to work at Slate Run for the day, confident that the crew from Breck’s knew what they were doing.
When we came back from working at the farm, the new driveway was finished and it looks beautiful. We had to wait a week until we could drive on it, but we went out and admired it each day. Finally, we were able to drive on it and could use the garage for the first time in six weeks.
The new driveway is wonderful. We had a very heavy rain on Sunday and the drainage isn’t perfect, but it is certainly better than it was. Best of all, we no longer have to mow the driveway. The grass won’t be growing through it anytime soon. We are planning on taking good care of the driveway so we won’t have to do this again for a long time. We are thankful to Breck’s for the great job they did and glad that they are responsive to small customers.