For many people spring brings a lot of mud and some of this is due to a combination of melting snow and spring rains but much of it is because your soil is not draining correctly. This can be a problem on unpaved country roads and in fields where you plant and fighting it becomes a never ending battle if you don’t take the time to diagnose and cure the problem.
What Is …
Driveways
How To Install A New Driveway On Your Undeveloped Property
Whether you purchased an undeveloped acre or two of land in a suburban community or you are homesteading away from town one of the first things that you will want to do is survey your land and then install a driveway for access and construction.
If you were building a development you would be required to have soil engineers come out and inspect your land. At that point you can make decisions on how …
How To Not Get Screwed On A New Concrete Driveway
A Friend is asking about a concrete job they just contracted for. They live in a Southern State and the driveway will be 16 feet wide and 70 feet long with an additional slab near their carport at the home for additional parking.
The contractor was suggested to them by other contractors that are backed up with work. He has said he is licensed and insured but hasn’t provided proof of it yet and even …
How To Repair Someones Failed Attempt At A Garage Door Install
Ok, so this is a pretty bad project but a guy was asking what he could do to seal a garage floor that was extending past the opening of the garage door.
At first glance I thought ok someone decided that they wanted to install a wood floor in their garage and maybe it is an older home with an attached garage where they didn’t have the money to install concrete and didn’t want to …
How To – Spring is here Time to prepare the Garden for Planting
Temperatures overnight are still too cold in most parts of the country for planting but it is getting time to get outside and do some work after a long winter.
Personally it seems that this winter has been longer then those in the past with cooler weather and some unexpected snows late into March but unfortunately the weather people are saying we can’t expect a cooler summer that would mean more rain. They are predicting …
How To – Driveway Sealing Do it Yourself or Hire a Pro What are the Costs
Lets face it for jobs that you have to do around your home sealing your driveway comes in just after cleaning out a clogged toilet in the level of nastyness. Even if you wear old clothes and try to protect yourself you are going to have little specs of latex or oil based material all over yourself by the time you are done and the job is not that easy if you are doing …
How To – Winter Repair Of Concrete And Driveway Damage
Unfortunately there are times in the dead of winter when you need to repair or at the very least patch a section of damaged Concrete or Driveway. I say it is unfortunate because the materials that you need to perform a permanent repair are either not available or will not cure correctly when temperatures drop below freezing.
In the dead of winter you are likely to find that mix companies that provide delivery of asphalt …
How To – Replacing Snow Blower Shear Pin Blade Shaft Bolts
Many snow blowers have shear pins that break off when you hit something hard to protect the motor and drive mechanism from serious damage.
It can happen when you hit a chunk of ice that was kicked into snow at the end of your driveway by a snow plow or if you happen to hit something harder like the edge of the curb, a …
How To – Low Voltage Exterior Lighting Options For The Holidays
The Fall season means you will be preparing for a number of coming holidays. With the holidays come visitors and you may want to decorate the exterior of your home to make it more inviting or you may just want to provide some extra light outside of your home so guests that arrive after dark won’t be tripping on the way to your door.
The benefit of low voltage lighting is that you normally can …
Installing an asphalt driveway
Driveways can be made of many different types of material and the selection you choose will vary on your need and the amount you are willing to pay.
Asphalt driveways are the standard for most people and provide a mixture of moderate cost and somewhat low maintenance. Other choices may be Crushed Stone which is low-cost, Concrete which is expensive and may tend to deteriorate in winter climates or Brick and Stone pavers which are the most expensive and also require high maintenance.
Since most home buyers are in the moderate expense range they require a material that is both low-cost and maintenance free. Asphalt provides that however this is not to say it is totally maintenance free. Emulsion based sealers are the best friend to asphalt driveways and will extend the life of your driveway by many years. They work best when applied in the late summer to early fall and will seal out the harshness of winter salts and ice damage.
Next we will step through the basic instillation of an asphalt driveway and explain some of the things you should look for in a good job.