Frequently Asked Questions

HomeGuide lists standard asphalt driveways at about $5 to $12 or more per square foot installed, and HomeAdvisor lists parking lots at about $2 to $4.50 per square foot. Driveways cost more per foot because they are smaller and need the same equipment and crew. Removal of old pavement, base repair and work at the street add to the total. We give a written price after seeing the site.

A 20 by 20 foot driveway is 400 square feet. HomeGuide's size table puts that at about $2,000 to $4,800 for standard asphalt, and notes that some contractors have a minimum charge of $2,000 or more. Tear-out of an old surface or soft-ground repairs would be extra.

Using HomeGuide's $5 to $12 per square foot range, 2,000 square feet works out to roughly $10,000 to $24,000. Long driveways on larger Antelope Valley lots often land toward the lower end per foot because the crew and equipment are spread over more area. The base condition and how much grading is needed decide where in that range a job falls.

For cars only, 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel base is a common residential build. If you park a pickup with a trailer, an RV or a work truck on it, 3 to 4 inches over a deeper base is the safer choice. Two inches on a weak base will crack no matter how well it is laid.

Spring and fall are the easiest, but we pave most of the year. In summer we avoid placing and sealing in the hottest part of the afternoon so the surface is not marked up before it cools. In winter we wait for ground temperatures that let the mix compact, since Palmdale averages about 52 freezing mornings a year.

HomeGuide recommends waiting 3 to 6 months after paving so the asphalt can cure. In the desert, the first seal coat is worth doing on time, because sun and heat start drying out the binder from the first summer.

Paving that stays on your side of the property line usually does not involve the street. Work on the driveway approach, curb or sidewalk is in the public right-of-way, and Palmdale's code adopts Los Angeles County's highway permit ordinance for that work. We confirm the current requirements for your address before any approach work is scheduled.

Most residential driveways are paved in a day once the base is ready. Removal and base work can add a day or two, more if a lot of soft ground has to be replaced.

Cost guides put asphalt driveway life at about 15 to 30 years. In Palmdale, sun exposure is the main factor that shortens it, so sealing on schedule and filling cracks before winter matter more than they would on the coast.

Sometimes, if the slabs are stable and not heaving. Joints and cracks in the concrete tend to show through the asphalt over time, so removal is often the better choice. We look at the slabs before recommending either.

Usually after two or three days, longer in hot weather. Avoid turning wheels in place, parking in the same spot every day and setting trailer jacks or kickstands on it for the first few weeks.

Recycled asphalt millings can make a firm, lower-cost surface for long rural drives and parking areas. They do not give the smooth finish of new hot mix, so we usually suggest them for secondary areas rather than the main driveway.

HomeAdvisor's national figures put asphalt lots at about $2 to $4.50 per square foot, or roughly $400 to $1,130 per space. A lot that needs base repair, heavy-duty sections or extensive grading costs more. We price your lot after walking it.

Overlay where the pavement is cracked but solid underneath. Rebuild where the base has failed. We mark both on a plan so you can see where the money goes.

Usually, yes. We phase the work and keep part of the lot and at least one entrance open whenever the layout allows.

The Department of Justice says restriping a lot requires accessible spaces as set out in the 2010 ADA Standards. A lot with 1 to 25 spaces needs at least one accessible space, and at least one of every six accessible spaces must be van-accessible.

A well-prepared overlay on a sound base can last many years, but it will never outlast the base under it. Sealing it on schedule matters as much as it does for new asphalt.

Wide or active cracks can reflect through over time. Filling them and rebuilding failed areas first slows that down a great deal, which is why we do not skip the prep.

Yes, by the thickness of the new layer. At the garage slab and the street we cut or mill a key so the new surface meets them flush.

No. Gravel needs to be graded, compacted and paved as a new driveway. Overlays are only for existing asphalt.

HomeGuide gives a range of every 2 to 10 years. With the amount of sun the Antelope Valley gets, plan on the shorter end, and reseal when the surface turns gray and you can see the old coat wearing off in the tire paths.

Yes, but we usually work in the morning. HomeGuide's guide gives a 50 to 95 degree range for applying sealer, and an asphalt surface in afternoon sun gets much hotter than the air.

No. Sealer bridges hairline cracks but will not fill real ones. We fill cracks first, then seal over them.

Usually 24 to 48 hours. HomeGuide's range is 12 to 72 hours depending on weather. Walking on it is generally fine after a few hours.

Only if the base is still sound. Sealer protects the surface but will not hold together pavement that is breaking up. If more than about a quarter of the surface is cracked or failing, repairs or an overlay come first.

Fall is ideal, before the freezing mornings start, but any time cracks are open and dry works. Filling them early keeps water and sand out of the base.

Usually because it was filled with cold patch over a wet or weak base. A saw-cut repair removes the failed material and rebuilds the base, which is what stops it returning.

HomeGuide notes that many companies charge a minimum of $100 to $250 for asphalt repairs. Grouping several repairs into one visit is usually more economical.

Crack filling often can, with sealing right after. Hot-mix patches are better left to cool and settle before sealing over them.

HomeGuide says a well-done job typically lasts 2 to 5 years. Lots in full sun and with heavy traffic land at the shorter end.

It depends on the total number of spaces. A lot with 26 to 50 spaces needs at least 2, and a lot with 51 to 75 needs 3, with at least one van-accessible space in every case.

Yes. We clean and blow off the surface first. Lines show up best on a fresh seal, so if the lot is due for sealing, doing both together makes sense.

HomeGuide notes that striping paint typically dries within about an hour in mild weather. We section the work so you are never fully closed.

Old lines that conflict with a new layout need to be covered or removed so drivers are not confused. On lots being sealcoated, the new seal coat covers them; otherwise we black them out before painting the new layout.