contractor · 2026-05-01
Estimate full installed cost of a residential asphalt driveway including subbase, paving, sealing, and removal of existing surface.
| Driveway length (ft) | 60 |
| Driveway width (ft) | 12 |
| Asphalt thickness (inches) | 3 |
| Asphalt $ per sqft (per inch thickness) | $1 |
| Subbase prep $ per sqft | $1 |
| Old surface removal $ per sqft | $0 |
| Initial sealcoat (lump sum) | $250 |
| Permit + apron fee | $200 |
| Driveway sqft | 720 |
| Asphalt cost | $2,700 |
| Subbase prep cost | $900 |
| Removal cost | $0 |
| All-in $ per sqft | $6 |
A residential asphalt driveway is three things stacked: graded subgrade, compacted gravel subbase, and asphalt top. Pricing scales linearly with all three.
Thicker isn't free — going from 2 inch to 3 inch adds 50% to the asphalt material cost. But thin asphalt over weak subbase fails fast.
The subbase does most of the load-bearing work. A 3-inch asphalt over poor subbase fails before a 2-inch over good subbase. Don't let a contractor cut subbase prep — it's the line item where corner-cutting kills the driveway.
A driveway you sealcoat on schedule lasts 20-25 years. One you don't lasts 10-12.
Asphalt wins where freeze/thaw cycles are heavy and you don't want to wait 28 days for the surface to cure.
Foot traffic: 24-48 hours. Vehicle traffic: 3-7 days minimum, ideally 14 days in hot weather. Avoid sharp turns, parking in the same spot, and jack stands for 90 days while the asphalt fully cures and hardens.
Two reasons: (1) honest — 3-inch genuinely lasts longer in any climate with freeze/thaw or hot summers. (2) Margin — asphalt is the highest-margin component. Push back if your subbase is excellent and your traffic is light, but 3-inch is the safe answer in most regions.
Late spring through early fall, with 50°F+ ambient and rising temps the next 24 hours. Cold-weather install lets the asphalt cool too fast for proper compaction and the bond between binder and surface course suffers. Reputable contractors won't pour below 50°F.
Standing water at the edges (drains the binder), oil drips (dissolve the binder), turning the wheels in the same spot while parked (gouges the surface), and skipping the first sealcoat. Most failures are at the edges where water gets under the asphalt and freeze/thaws the base apart.