Asphalt Driveway Paving in Antioch, CA

Asphalt driveway paving is mostly about what you never see. The black surface is a few inches thick; under it is a compacted aggregate base and, under that, native soil. In Antioch that soil is often clay that swells in the rainy season and shrinks through the dry months. When a driveway here sinks by the garage, cracks into a web of small blocks or breaks off at the edges, the cause is almost always below the asphalt, and a new driveway has to fix that first.

When to replace instead of repair

• Cracks connected into a pattern like alligator skin across large areas
• Potholes that keep coming back after patching
• Low spots where rain stands for a day or more
• Edges that crumble into the lawn or planter beds
• Cracks wider than a quarter inch, or a driveway past 20 years old with drainage problems

Isolated cracks can be sealed and a small failed patch can be cut out and replaced. Once failures cover much of the surface, replacement is usually cheaper over the life of the driveway than repeated repairs.

Building on clay

Geology reports prepared for the City of Antioch rate Capay clay, Diablo clay and Los Osos clay loam as high in shrink-swell potential, and note that most soils away from the sandy areas near East Antioch Creek have relatively high clay content. We probe for soft spots once the old surface is off, remove wet or pumping subgrade, and replace it with compacted aggregate. The base is graded so water runs toward the street or yard rather than toward the garage slab or the house foundation.

Thickness and mix

HomeGuide describes a typical residential driveway as 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel base, and 3 to 4 inches over 8 to 10 inches of base where trucks, RVs or trailers park. Your quote lists the base depth and compacted asphalt thickness for each area, so you can compare bids on the same terms. Hot mix is placed with a paver where access allows and rolled while it is still workable.

The garage, the walk and the street

The joints at each end decide how a driveway looks and drains. At the garage, the new surface is tapered to meet the slab without a lip that catches water. At the street, many Antioch homes have a concrete approach and gutter in the public right-of-way. If you want that approach widened or replaced, the City requires an encroachment permit, issued only to the owner or a State-licensed contractor, with a deposit and insurance. We tell you at the estimate whether your plans reach that far.

Gravel to asphalt

Some larger lots in East County still have gravel or decomposed granite drives. Converting one usually means removing the loose top layer, regrading, topping up and compacting the base, and paving. Angi puts grading alone at about $1 to $2 per square foot, so a well-built gravel base can save money if it is firm and drains.

Caring for a new driveway

New asphalt stays somewhat soft through its first hot season. Vary where you park, avoid turning the wheel while the car is stopped, and put a board under kickstands and trailer jacks. Wait three to six months before the first sealcoat. After that, sealing every few years and filling cracks before the rains keep it in shape.