Driveway Paving in Riverview, FL

Driveway paving is most of what homeowners call us about in Riverview. Some need a full replacement on an older home near US 301 or the Alafia. Many more live in subdivisions built in the last twenty years and want a builder's narrow drive widened, a parking pad added for a third car or a boat, or a cracked and settling driveway rebuilt properly. Each job starts the same way: with the ground under it.

A base that holds on sandy ground

Florida flatwoods soils are sandy and drain poorly when the water table rises in the rainy season. Per the USDA, Myakka-type soils hold groundwater within a foot and a half of grade for one to four months in an ordinary year. A driveway on soft, wet sand ruts and cracks. We remove the old surface and any loose fill, shape and compact the subgrade, and place a compacted base of crushed stone or limerock. HomeGuide's typical residential section is 6 to 8 inches of base with 2 to 3 inches of asphalt; heavier vehicles call for more, and where heavy rigs park, HomeGuide calls for 3-4 inches of mat on 8-10 inches of stone.

Widening and parking pads

Growing households run out of parking. Widening a driveway or adding a side pad is common, and the joint between old and new is where most widenings fail. We saw-cut a straight edge on the existing asphalt, build the new base to match the old, tack the joint and pave so the two sections bond. Where an RV, boat or work truck will park, that area gets a thicker section.

HOA approvals

If your community has an architectural review committee, it will want to see the plan before work starts. We provide a measured drawing showing the existing and proposed driveway, the dimensions, the distance to the property line and the materials. That usually covers what the committee asks for and keeps the approval quick.

Drainage

A new driveway should slope away from the garage and toward the street or yard, without pushing water onto the neighbor's lot. In communities with curbs and storm inlets, the driveway apron must let water flow along the gutter. We check all of that at the estimate.

Paving day

1. Remove the old surface and haul it away. 2. Shape and compact the subgrade; replace any soft areas. 3. Place and compact the base in lifts. 4. Pave with hot-mix asphalt and roll it smooth. 5. Cut clean transitions at the garage, walk and street. Most driveways are finished in one or two days, and cars can usually use them after a couple of days.