RESIDENTIAL ASPHALT PAVING
IN MINNESOTA

Four things drive the number: how much base preparation your soil needs, what has to be removed and hauled away, the shape of the driveway, and whether drainage has to be corrected. Two driveways the same size can price differently because of what is underneath them, which is why a number over the phone would be a guess.

Asphalt can be laid when the outside temperature is 32 degrees or higher, which gives us a paving season of roughly mid-April through mid-November. Summer is our busiest stretch. Paving in cold or wet conditions compromises compaction finish, so we will reschedule rather than lay asphalt that will not hold up.

You can walk on it the day after we pave. You can pull into the garage three days after paving. On hot days, new asphalt stays soft longer, so give it the full window.

A driveway built the right way should last 20 to 25 years here, and with proper care and maintenance it can go longer. A driveway built by skimping on base depth may only last a fraction of that. From the day it goes in, the slow process of deterioration begins, and the care it was installed with is what determines how long you have.

Two to three inches of asphalt is standard for a residential driveway, and we recommend three for best results. What matters more is what goes underneath. Minnesota clay holds water and heaves when it freezes, so we build to a minimum of four to 6 inches of compacted aggregate base.

Both are good materials, but we recommend asphalt for Minnesota homes. Asphalt flexes with ground movement instead of fighting it, it is less prone to damage from frost heave, and it is unaffected by rock salt. Concrete is the better choice if you are parking something heavy like an RV or a boat. We have laid out the pros and cons of asphalt and concrete driveways if you want the longer comparison.

Yes. Every driveway we install carries a 5-year warranty. Most paving companies guarantee their work for one year, which is not long enough to see how a driveway handles a few Minnesota winters.

Ask about base depth and drainage before you ask about price. Beyond that: local Minnesota experience. Many estimates look the same on paper, with similar specs. But crew experience is often the most important part of a successful driveway build. Make sure you get a written estimate with specifications rather than a single number, and a warranty that lasts more than a season or two.