Concrete or Asphalt Road/Driveway?

[Pik]

I need about 150m long and 4m wide access road/driveway.

I am thinking about 150mm deep, 9mm rebar, 25 mpa pre-mix concrete

i would appreciate feedback from people who have done something similar.

thanks in advance for help

[JaiLai]

I've done something similar recently.

About 90m long 3.5m wide but only about 90mm thick with re-bar.

Cost - about 120K all in, materials and labour.

I had them mix all cement by hand so i could control the quality of it rather than get the one of the trucks with the spiny things.

Happy with result.

[manfredtillmann]

both methods stand and fall with the substrate preparation. you need a well compacted, clay free base.

if you are building on questionable ground subject to expansion and contraction, use 125mm 25 mpa 20mm aggregate concrete and introduce meshed - through dummy joints at short intervals. that will allow your driveway to brake in a control way without leaving un - sightly 'lightning' cracks.

if you are confident that your base is solid and stable you can do a 30mm bitumen cover without joints, all you need is stable and straight edging to work to.

ensure a 1:50 cross fall to the CORRECT side for drainage in both cases - this is something that seems to elude thai's on everything i have seen here so far.

[Crossy]

Do consider if it needs to be concrete.

If you have an informal garden through which it travels how about a laterite drive?

Rural wavy edges and grass up the middle after a while.

We had a "temporary" laterite / gravel access which became a permanent feature. It does need maintenance (top up the low spots once the wet season finishes) but so long as the traffic isn't heavy it's cheap and long lasting.

[weegee]

Do consider if it needs to be concrete.

If you have an informal garden through which it travels how about a laterite drive?

Rural wavy edges and grass up the middle after a while.

We had a "temporary" laterite / gravel access which became a permanent feature. It does need maintenance (top up the low spots once the wet season finishes) but so long as the traffic isn't heavy it's cheap and long lasting.

Yes i agree, as it doent crack because it can move with the ground....BUT, it's a pain when the stones get picked up from the mower and fly off to break something

[Kwasaki]

Yeah done 50m with concrete mix delivery and it's been OK 3 years now, did grass blocks but lots of maintenance and before that stone covering just disappeared into the ground, mine was open to sun so tarmac surface wasn't an option.

Dunno about a driveway being done in a good road asphalt concert mix in Thailand probably much more expensive than a concrete based driveway.

[JaiLai]

both methods stand and fall with the substrate preparation. you need a well compacted, clay free base.

if you are building on questionable ground subject to expansion and contraction, use 125mm 25 mpa 20mm aggregate concrete and introduce meshed - through dummy joints at short intervals. that will allow your driveway to brake in a control way without leaving un - sightly 'lightning' cracks.

if you are confident that your base is solid and stable you can do a 30mm bitumen cover without joints, all you need is stable and straight edging to work to.

ensure a 1:50 cross fall to the CORRECT side for drainage in both cases - this is something that seems to elude thai's on everything i have seen here so far.

Bit OTT for this place is it not?

[Berty100]

Do consider if it needs to be concrete.

If you have an informal garden through which it travels how about a laterite drive?

Rural wavy edges and grass up the middle after a while.

We had a "temporary" laterite / gravel access which became a permanent feature. It does need maintenance (top up the low spots once the wet season finishes) but so long as the traffic isn't heavy it's cheap and long lasting.

Yes i agree, as it doent crack because it can move with the ground....BUT, it's a pain when the stones get picked up from the mower and fly off to break something

You mean like the hole in my double glazed door, the very first time i mowed the lawn in my brandnew house

Edited July 27, 2016 by Berty100

[keeniau96]

Had a concrete driveway installed about 6 years ago. Tricky installation because two curves and a middling slope. hand mixed just because of difficulty getting concrete truck inside to do the job. About 3 m wide x 50 m long. Used heavy mesh and sloped the surface a bit toward the right where I have a drainage ditch. Forgot the thickness, nothing special, no cracks at all even with the occasional full honey wagon making a visit.

[kannot]

did about 650metres with 4 inch thick as only to take pick up and light trucks 2.5 to 3m wide, stuck 6mm mesh in @20cm grid, down   about 2  years now, no prep under except original already compacted stones from previous 2-3 years all in cost with pre mix concrete was about 450k 500k

no problems except the odd crack (3) most hasnt cracked crack joints every 4-5metres

[FredTaylor]

I think depending on your needs, either is a good choice for a driveway, but asphalt driveways are most commonly found in areas with extreme weather conditions. The reason being asphalt has a natural flexibility that prevents it from cracking in extreme cold weather. The biggest advantage asphalt has over concrete is the price. Asphalt driveways can be 40-60% cheaper than concrete. Concrete is generally used in warmer climate areas and it may be more expensive than asphalt. For more information, contact a asphalt driveway contractor near you.

[Crossy]

@FredTaylor you do realise that this is a Thailand based forum don't you? Will RAMasphalt (serving all of Long Island) build a driveway here at a reasonable cost?

[FredTaylor]

You can find asphalt driveway contractors near your area for paving your driveway.

[blackcab]

5 hours ago, Crossy said:

@FredTaylor you do realise that this is a Thailand based forum don't you? Will RAMasphalt (serving all of Long Island) build a driveway here at a reasonable cost?

 

It's SEO.spam.

[r136dg]

 

Used to pour them 5" thick back in the States but no need for that here. 8-10cm reinforced with rebar or mesh on a stable base (sand or virgin soil without grass, roots, ect). I'm not very familiar with the mixes here but considering Cpac super 320 for mine since it will be troweled & light broom finished. I'll be looking into mixes according to how many bags of cement per cubic meter and if there's options for types of aggregate (probably not). At 150 meters you may want to consider a few expansion joints, although I've seen some long driveways here without them & no issues. 

I wouldn't consider asphalt because I'm a prior cement head, but more than that, the heat they would soak up & retain here.

Just my opinions & good luck!

[Pib]

Concrete will be longer lasting than asphalt.  A lot can depend on the timeframe/lifespan you are looking at.    Concrete will also hold up better under rainy tropical conditions (it is Thailand) where ground sinking/moving is common.   Minor Ground sinking/movement under asphalt will cause it to bend (down and up) and it won't bend back; minor ground sinking can have little effect on concrete since the concrete does not flex.   A lot depends on the road's/drivesway's "foundation."

 

Now although we are seeing more asphalt roads in Thailand the roads will have a well prepared, usually around a half meter thick gravel and sand base,  which greatly helps to prevent ground movement during the rainy season.   Plus asphalt makes it cheaper to build roads and resurface them periodically....relatively easy to grind-off the top layer of asphalt with current day road resurfacing machines.  But with concrete it's much, much harder....you pretty much must hammer/crack the old concrete and completely remove it--expensive and time consuming. 

 

For a driveway in Thailand I would go with concrete.

 

 

[wayned]

My driveway, and for that matter my entire front yard is modern gray gravel!.. Easy to maintain and when "potholes" appear it's easy to bring in another couple of truck loads of gravel and spread it with the blade on the front of the tractor.  Over the past 18 years they have "improved" the local rural roads in the village with both concrete and blacktop.  Both are now just potholes with no way of fixing  them due to no $.  The old way with dirt and gravel and an occasional road grader was the best!!

[Crossy]

@wayned agreed, as noted earlier our laterite / gravel drive is just fine in our less-than-formal (ok semi-jungle) setting.

[bankruatsteve]

If you don't mind some DIY, you can lay down a few cm of sand, space out with bricks, plug in some grass between the gaps and a year later you will have a driveway you can mow.  

[Crossy]

You can even buy concrete thingies to make life easy.

 

 

http://www.minimalisti.com/architecture/exterior-design-architecture/05/grass-pavers-driveway-patio-pavers.html

 

[bankruatsteve]

I know I've posted photo before in TV but can't find it.  Anyway... this is photo about 2 years ago and which was about 2 years after "planting" the bricks.  Still looks the same.

[grollies]

9 hours ago, Crossy said:

You can even buy concrete thingies to make life easy.

 

 

http://www.minimalisti.com/architecture/exterior-design-architecture/05/grass-pavers-driveway-patio-pavers.html

 

That is very nice Crossy, cheers for the link. We got a raised laterite drive in with yarfak planted on the edges to hold it all together. That looks nice though.