I used to be a paving contractor. I’ve only seen this done once by a homeowner and a bunch of friends. In the end, you saved a bundle and you have a functional driveway. If I had met you a couple days before hand there are a couple of things I would have recommended using what you had. #1) Use a long 2x6 as a screed, just like with concrete. #2) Make sure your water spray system on the roller is working and keep the drum wet. #3) With a roller that small, never do more than a 3” lift at a time. 4” you won’t get proper compaction without a larger roller. Breakdown rolling-immediately while hot with vibratory. Finish rolling-as the pavement cools and sets but still very warm, multiple passes over and over getting the pavement as smooth as possible and rolling out the roller marks. You’ll get many many years of use out of that driveway. I see this is about a year old. It’s time for sealcoating the asphalt with an asphalt emulsion seal coat. Repeat that every 3-5 years, not more. Let the seal wear down some. The sealcoat protects the flexible asphalt pavement from oxidation which makes the asphalt brittle. When it turns gray, it’s oxidized.
My driveway is about 20 yrs old. It's still in decent shape though. Getting cracks, ants in it...little divots. I was thinking of sealing it this year or next? What can I do to eliminate the cracking/ants and fill the little depressions (not many) ...?? Suggestions? TY!
That’s amazing man! I’m a 3rd generation asphalt installation specialist and I’ve done it by hand dumping it in piles and I’ve paved roads with a highway paving machine but I’ve never seen a family and neighbors pave their own driveway and make it look that good I mean it’s amazing!! All I can say is WOW! Great job 👍🏻👏
Wow! A real man leading his family the way that he should. You did a great job! One thing is for sure, your family can depend on you. How lucky your wife is.
And how blessed he is! Wonderful kids, dad, and wife behind the camera whom I am sure was front and center helping out. Great family! This is how i was brought up( I'm 56 years old) , and how we all need to bring up our families. It fosters togetherness. God bless you all. Skip
I know right!? Where do they get more of him lol. Indeed a true masculine man doing his thing. I'm sure wife and kids appreciate him 💪🏽 Well done! 👏🏽👍🏽😊
@No Reason At All Where I'm at, Memphis, TN. Excavation of top-soil is about $1 per sq. ft., base material is about $1.00 per sq. ft. and pavement is about $2.00 per sq. ft. This would be new construction. If the driveway already exists, and just needs repaving. Costs could be $1.75 +/- more if small driveway, less if large driveway.
@No Reason At All I live in Ct and help run a my family owned paving business. Rip, stone and pave in Ct can run from 3-3.50 a sqft. Depending on which contractor you call. Ct is more expensive to live then TN.
@No Reason At All of course the cost is different by region... Taxes have a HUGE impact on cost. The contractor isn't going to take that hit. The custom will be taking that tax hit. So every time you complain how expensive something is just look at the state you live in and which political group it predominantly affiliates itself with.
I rarely comment, as it doesn’t really matter but I have to say that I think this dad is what all dads should be like, especially with such a lazy generation in today’s world, good job to the dad for not only taking on such a job, but also showing the kids that nothing is free in life and the greatest rewards comes from the biggest efforts, you get out what you put into life.
I'm tired of hearing this b******* dude get a grip the other day I went to visit my grandmother and she was watching The Munsters on TV from what I assumed was the early 60s or 70s and the dad on the show was complaining about the kids of that era being lazy with no direction. Seems to be every generation thinks that any generation after them is lazy and not good enough and nothing like they are when in reality its just sour old men hating on the younger group because your old and inadequate and because of your inadequacy you got to try to tear the younger group down and devalue them because you yourself internally and externally has become devalued and washed up guarantee if you were in your twenties you'd be just as f****** stupid and Reckless it's called being young and dumb for a reason and is nothing new. I bet you call the cops for music being to loud you old grape. Go sit down in you wheelchair and eat you're spinach and beef liver in peace stop harassing the young trying to live lives and have fun
@@joshuabranson74 It's always the generation that sent jobs overseas for cheap goods and blew up the housing market and racked up credit card debt talking about how lazy we all are. I've worked since I was 15, paid for college as I went, worked as a paramedic through PA school. All my neighbors are these dipshit boomers who didn't know how easy they had it. Now it's our turn to make an actual better life for our children.
@@joshuabranson74 whaaaaa......someone got triggered. Better find a safe space where you can regroup and plan how you are going to cancel Timothy. Yes I like beef liver and spinach but do you know whats even better? A PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH.
Speak for your own kids! Mine are amazing independent people. And the same goes for all their cousins and friends. I teach teenagers and I am always impressed by them. They are always willing to help and not afraid of hard work. Someone with this point of view is either too bitter or has never worked with teens.
You've got good friends!!! I spent the first ten years of my working life paving, I know what it takes to do what you did!!! All that help you had on site was a key part of your success, along with your audacity in tackling a job like that! I'm impressed to say the very least!!!
Great job. Loved how you got the kids and friends involved. I have been in the construction field and proud of what I have had a hand in building. You guys must be proud of such a huge task and can look back at your great work for years to come. Kudos to you and your family for some hard work. Again, it looks great!
Great Video! Thank you for sharing. 4 years ago My first quote was $27 thousand... Second quote was $18 thousand...My neighbor was getting their driveway done so I scheduled a third quote, It was $11 thousand. I asked how much if I pay in cash??? They talked and said $8000.00. I went to the bank got out cash and paid them when they were done. They put down 2" TO 4" thick and they did a fantastic job! They came back 2 times so far to real asphalt seal coat the finished driveway for $700.00 per coat. My only regret was not getting it heated for ice and snow removal. Their equipment was next door so I did not have to pay for equipment transport. They were able to book 15 other driveways while doing my driveway. They had a great year. Still holding up fantastic.
Can't explain it but you exhibit so many genuine leadership qualities, Even the kids when, they were shovelling they were working in view and direction of you.
I can tell y’all are a fun, loving, happy family bro. This is the shit I DREAM of.. keep doing your thing brother. It’s memories like this that never last🙌🏾💪🏾
Man I love it, I do this for a living, we hire 25 people per year that can't get figure out how to shovel asphalt and quit within a week, you sir are a ass buster!
Paving is a dead end job anyways they’re onto something better. Shovel straight I know that bs and the yelling and the gypsies that fuck their cousins I’ve worked with them all and I haven’t saw anyone make over 35$ an hour lmao such s sucker trade you’ll never buy a house doing a seasonal job making that especially with inflation
Great job. I watched a small paving contractor do two driveways by hand. They backed the truck up and dumped the asphalt raked it and screeded it with aluminum screeds. They had forms set just like pouring concrete. After rolling it you couldn’t tell it wasn’t done with a paving machine. Anyway great job!
Under no circumstances would I recommend this as a DIY project. That being said--you guys absolutely killed it! I could see a lot of guys getting 25% through it and tapping out and still spending the $8k for a crew to finish the job.
Thats definitely something i needed... i was conaidering doing it myself with some help from friends, but i dont wanna risk taking on a job i cant complete and end up spending money on top of the time and effort i already would have put in, i dont have a whole lot of time on my hands so ill probably just hire professionals
This is AWESOME for a first time attempt at a project like this. Kudos 👏 to you and your family. Pulling into your driveway will never feel the same after an accomplishment like this!
Wow. Very impressive. Best part is how you involved your whole family. I am trying to get my driveway paved but can’t afford it. Not sure I am as skilled as you, but maybe in the spring I will give it a try. Great video!!
That is so amazing to see kids outside workimg as a family instead of inside on games big respect and props for how you raised them we just bought a new construction home and all they did was put lots of gravel down a steep hill for a driveway and im wanting to make it a real driveway like you did looks great thank you
Get this one....I have access to millings from a huge pile locally. There was a large area where they had threw out non-used asphalt (assumed it was from a highway contract 2 years prior). Anyway they allowed me to take that at my leisure. As anyone can expect these piles were hardened over the two years sitting there. I have had 4 truck loads going out to the site, breaking up the stuff with a steel post, loading the chunks into the truck, taking them home, and then busting these into 1 to 2 inch pieces. It's been hard work to say the least but I know have 3 inch base, been driving on it alot. It's bonding great leaving the surface not the smoothest. I'm getting some more breaking it up then finally rolling it. My son works at an equipment rental place. It's coming along better than expected and the only cost has been gas in my truck and a ton of sweat!!! (Driveway is the size of 9 vehicles parked)
I have never done ANY asphalt work, but did a LITTLE concrete work as a younger man. From what I learned from those I worked with you will be MUCH happier with the 4" rather than 2". It will last far longer than 2" would have. Nice job
Wow Jon I have been thinking about my driveway similar length for couple years and been bothering me so much. I’m so impressed thank you so much seriously brother thank you so much for making this, just to see somebody do it diy is so inspiring thank you
Lived in Texas( if you know you know) Me and my big sis loathed the weekends early mornings not knowing what kind of yard work was in store for us, but looking back it really was a great way to just teach us hard work. 👍🏽 up for getting the kids involved
Man good for y'all! You taught those children a great lesson about the value of being self sufficient and working hard to get it done. The paving was just a by product.
As long as you have a lot of people helping out this is doable! What was the finished job price? Where I live, Nashville, the per ton cost of asphalt alone is $75, not including transporting it.
That is amazing, I pour concrete driveway s structure s thanks to you I'm not afraid to tackle asphalt anymore. The price of concrete has gone up so high that people don't want to pay so much. Thanks to you, you've inspired me.
and there STILL aren't any videos showing how it's done! Good for you, congratulations and yay....but I was expecting a little bit more of the method. Oh well.
This is fantastic!!!! I've been wondering why I couldn't get some asphalt, heat it if needed with a big torch and compact with a roller and or plate compactor.....and after watching this, I'm absolutely sold! Really cool and thanks for taking the effort to make this video!
Dont let the video fool you. I can see low spots and spots that are most likely going to hold water. There are reasons there are professionals out there in business.
@@bencarter5555 When watching the video i see what you see. There are low spots and possibly other flaws. The truth is, he showed us you can do it yourself. He showed us the flaws and the overall success. I will learn from this before I do mine and hopefully I will improve my end results!
I wish success to you. Overall I dont think he done a bad job. But when anyone is making an investment into their home you should definitely consider the pros and cons of using a professional. If $$ is the issue I can see diy but if doing a diy project that isn't up to professional standards worth losing out on value that could be added to the property. I mean I can go to lowes and buy quickrete in a bag and make a side walk. But it isn't gonna be a job that would add value to my home. As if I would have hired a master craftsman to do it. There are pros and cons to everything. I guess its up to us as individuals to make the judgment call if its worth it or not.
That is a big job for a diy! I think the price quoted by a paving contractor was pretty decent. My driveway is not as large or curvy as yours and I’m pretty sure my quotes would come close to what you were quoted. I don’t think i would tackle this project so 👍 to you and your kids‼️. And I don’t have a tractor nor would I want to buy a roller. Cheers🍻
Going to show my age here by saying that I can remember as a little kid my dad & some of the neighbors getting together to patch & skim coat, not sure that's the right term, all their driveways in a day. They'd fill in any potholes in the street at the same time. No roller just hand tools. I can remember seeing them shoveling it off a truck but mostly I remember the smell & how it lingered for days all up & down our street. The smell of fresh asphalt will always remind me of long hot summer days. Anyway, just to say that this was a thing people used to do decades ago but I guess it fell out of fashion somewhere down the line.
I’ve been laying asphalt for 20 years and never would have imagined that a home owner could do it there selves and make it look that good now there is a couple imperfections but for never doing it before wow what a job
I did a driveway myself but it is only 40 feet long. Spread it with the Bobcat and hand raked, than used the vibrating compactor. Over 20 years later it is still in great shape! Your job may outlast those done by professionals!
I've been doing asphalt for 7 years now and this is the first for me too little advice maintenance with oil base Sealcoat "not water" do not drag a plow across it and don't use salt and awesome job guys kudos
As a kid I remember helping my folks do our driveway. My dad was cheap. Saved up ashpalt. Bits and pieces here and there. He had his own dumptruck. Anyways he made a furnace. Oil tank from a house. And a burner. Used to throw the chunks in and shovel the hot ashpalt into wheelbarrows. Back in 1993
I do driveways with the rake and isn’t easy,cheap way to do it for sure you saved money doing it yourself great job,the only problem will be that the asphalt stayed open for too long and the compaction wasn’t done right and that will make the asphalt crumbled out with the time in multiple places making holes and cracks with the time,but you could always patch it up..
You are right, I see some trouble spots just on the video, which does make things look better. Would be great to see a follow up video now that you have had some rain and seasonal changes as well as some use on it. Don't forget to seal it soon.
I see you had lots of help I have been in asphalt for 40 years and have never seen a homeowner tackle a job like this before! You must of had someone that knew how to rake if not bro you did a real good job for someone that never did this before. You might be lacking densities the roller looked too light for a four inch job and how you will find out is when your car is parked on it on a hot day your tires will sink in a little should not hurt the asphalt other than having those little sink holes. but over all Awesome Job!
You and your family are awesome. This is inspiring me to thing about maybe starting a small company hand paving peoples driveways. Good work. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ You build a Family with works wrought in Truth.
Great job and now you have it seal coated and come back after salt and snow and show us how its holding up I have potholes and weeds growing through mine now lol I live in lower Michigan 😀
I think it looks pretty good for no experience, as good if not better than most gypsy paving companies, but obviously not as good as a reputable paving company. If you saved 50%, it really only needs to last 50% of the normal 15 to 20 years to be a success, maybe even less with inflation. The one thing about hot mix asphalt is that it is very temperature sensitive when it comes to compaction. I'm not sure if this was warm mix asphalt, which has a lower temperature compaction requirement, or hot mix asphalt. With hot mix asphalt, you must achieve proper compaction ideally above 225 degrees, and you stop achieving compaction under 180 degrees. With warm mix asphalt, you can achieve compaction at temperatures lower than 180 degrees. Once the asphalt is laid, it cools quickly. It would interesting to see with a nuclear density test what compaction % you achieved. The higher the compaction, the longer the life of the asphalt. One sign of improper compaction is tire indentations, have you had that issue when you park cars on your driveway?
You may want to investigate the merits of putting a tar sealer on top of your asphalt to fill small granular voids and prevent future cratering and cracking within 5 years. Great team job. Good Luck with the sealer.
I was able to get somebody to do my driveway for about what you DIYed it for. I think your job is competitive if not better. Thanks for showing this could be done DIY (though honestly, I wouldn’t have attempted it, wouldn’t have thought to do it 😂😂😂).
WOW!! That's impressive!! We just moved to a very rural property with a long driveway, would be happy if we could tackle the are near wear we park our vehicles (not sure if there is a business nearby that rents out the roller). Def gonna show this to my Husband! Thanks for Sharing!😊
Good job dudes I'm a 59 years old woman and I see a need for this in Africa .I hope to go to Africa and pave the whole thing. And get rich as I don't know what.
Very nice job....you should be really proud of yourself. I am a big do-it-yourselfer, and I can tell you....that's one job I probably would not have been able to do. Great job!
Base and fine topcoat is waaaaay more expensive today, in 2022. Just the front portion of my driveway is over twice yours and last year it was 17K for airport, 21K for base and fine layer finish. This year, it is now 19K and 26K. I had 8 people working the base coat today, one roller, two large skid loaders to dig out the old and lay in the 2A. Then a large machine to grade and lay down the base coat. I counted at least 8 triaxle dumps for stone, another 3 for hot mix. You have a solid stone base and mix, how is it holding up today? I am not letting any more delivery trucks on my drive after this.
As a paving contractor I will say you did a nice job a paving machine applys compaction that you will not get applied by hand over time you will notice your driveway to start unraveling very quickly because it was applied by hand although you did very well but your driveway will not last as it should next time get more than one estimate and let the professionals do their job
Im a 80th generation paving expert and I can say this is the best paving job done ever and will last 5000 years (im an expert btw, 600 years experience)
By hand first time with kids and friends you did a great job I do this every single day and yeah whatever it comes out better well it should shouldn't millions of dollars of machinery and every guy has decades of experience.
