LESLIE: Now we’ve got Jim on the line from Ohio who’s got a, I guess, a driveway-resurfacing project. What’s going on?
JIM: Well, my driveway is all cracked up and they’re quoting me big money to bust it out and pour new concrete. And I’m just wondering, I have the height to do it; I’m wondering if I can just asphalt over the concrete and maybe just touch that up every few years instead of – with the cost of gutting it and pouring new concrete.
TOM: Probably not because what’s going to happen is the concrete, if it’s already cracking, it’s going to continue to crack and now it’s going to lift sections of the asphalt at the same time. You know, the key to a proper driveway surface is the layers and the way it’s built up. So you need to pull out the concrete which, frankly, you could do yourself. I mean that part of it is just labor; you can rent a jackhammer. But pull that out and then you put down the stone and then you have the crushed gravel and it’s compacted and that’s what really makes the driveway last a long time.
So if you’ve got bad concrete there, just pull it out yourself and start from scratch. But you cannot go on top of it; you will not be happy because those cracks will continue to move and shift. Imagine it like when you see tree roots that lift up through asphalt; it doesn’t take much strength to do that and that’s what’s going to happen.
JIM: Alright. Sounds like I should rent a jackhammer and put my four teenage sons to work.
TOM: There you go. That’s the easy way to do it.
JIM: Thanks, guys. You’ve got a great show.
TOM: You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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