As you may recall, the first episode in our driveway saga began in November 2021 (Paving Our Driveway). It was a story to be continued, as winter approached and asphalt plants closed their doors. 15″ of original driveway had been excavated and refilled with compacted stone a 2″ “binding layer” of asphalt; that is, all but the “parking area” which, to save money, we chose to leave compacted stone. The unfinished driveway was quite usable and driving on it felt great. In retrospect, it may have been better that it had a winter to settle before the paving contractor added the final inch of finer asphalt to cap the project and address any remaining issues.

Continued drainage problems

And there were issues. Our overriding purpose in undertaking this costly project was to fix the inherent drainage problems, living downhill from the road. Living with the unfinished driveway through the winter, allowed us to see how it responded to rainstorms and snow, allowing us to change some aspects of the project before it was too late. As a result, we decided to pave the “parking area” after all (it was bleeding stone into the paved main part) and to remind the paving contractor of our concerns about the flow of water from the road.

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A few days after the binder layer was applied we had a storm revealing the need for improved drainage

Even as it dried out we had a pool in front of one of the drains, something we wanted to avoid.

Water was entering the top of the driveway from the road.

The gravel that lined the driveway was being pushed downhill and the edge of the driveway was eroding.

More evidence of a drainage issue.

The parking area was bleeding stone into the main driveway. A rut had started there as well.

Problems Resolved

Fortunately, the contractor, B. Metcalf Paving (https://www.bmetcalfasphalt.com), already had these concerns in mind and had a plan to address them in the final phase of the project. As you will see below, the paving crew did a great job finishing to specification, addressing all our concerns.

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Days before the contractor returned a crew arrived to line the driveway with piles of topsoil for finishing after the paving was done.

Temporary ramps into the garage were removed in preparation for final paving.

The areas around drains and steps were scraped before a final application of asphalt.

The parking area gets in initial coating of asphalt.

The lower part of the driveway was done first, making sure that pitch and levels were correct.

The crew worked hard to make a smooth transition to the garage doors.

Finishing touches around steps, drains and garage doors.

Finished paving assured a smooth flow to the existing drains but keeping water and ice out of the garage.

A finished look at the transition to drains and bays.

A beautiful day to finish up.