When you think curb appeal, your landscaping, house style, and front door might be what spring to mind.
But your driveway makes up a significant amount of what people see when they look at your house. Don’t forget to consider it as well.
A good driveway should be durable and blend with the aesthetic of your home. If you’ve been thinking it's time for a redo or upgrade, keep in mind that asphalt is one of the most popular residential paving choices in Canada for many reasons.
Durability for Residential Paving
Step out of your car onto almost any parking lot in Ottawa, and you’ll put your foot onto asphalt. It’s a common choice in commercial paving in large part due to its durability.
You get that same advantage when you choose it for your driveway. With our climate, asphalt makes for a more durable option than concrete as it can handle the freeze-thaw cycle better thanks to its natural flexibility.
An asphalt driveway can last up to 20 years with proper installation and maintenance.
Sustainable Choice
It might surprise you to learn that asphalt is 100 percent recyclable. It’s the most recycled material in North America, surpassing aluminum, paper, steel, glass, and plastic combined. Even better, recycled asphalt mix is stronger and longer lasting.
Winter Maintenance
Whether your driveway is large enough to plow or you plan to brave it with a shovel, asphalt is easy to clear of snow. The surface can be scraped clean and salted without the worry of damage.
Thanks to the dark gray to black colour of asphalt, the snow that falls there sometimes melts more quickly than on other surfaces as it retains heat.
Turnaround Time
Not being able to use your driveway will be a bit of a hassle. Asphalt can be put used within a couple of days, although it needs much more time to fully cure.
The drying time of asphalt can take as long as seven days, so you want to avoid parking any vehicles until then. Full curing can take up to six months, although you should be able to seal it after 30 days.
You might wonder how to cure asphalt faster, but the time to fully harden and cure is dependent on conditions such as ground temperature and humidity.
Cost-Efficient
Among your paving choices, asphalt is often the least expensive. The materials themselves are lower cost, and faster project time means lower labour costs.
Your overall cost depends on geographic area, the current market for materials, and the necessary prep work for your property. Because asphalt is made with crude oil, fluctuations in its price can change the price of asphalt as well.
Make Your Driveway Investment
Asphalt is a good choice for residential paving considering our climate, as well as for the environment and your wallet.
When you start looking for paving contractors, Ottawa’s best option is the team at Alvi Paving. Contact us today for an estimate on your new driveway project.