Maybe I’m a chump.
Yesterday, Impact Paving was doing a driveway down the street. While I was working in the yard, the foreman came by. He’s got the equipment and the guys here, so he could offer me a deal.
The auxiliary driveway has been a mess the whole time. I’ve been meaning to look into possibly thinking about doing something about it. Wayne said that Impact would do it for $6 per square foot. I didn’t say yes. I did a reasonable amount of research. The company has been around for a long time, customers are mostly happy and the price seemed plausible.
They are doing the work right now. I go out occasionally to check on it. They should be done by the end of the day. Sparky and I are stuck here, supporting the construction. The guys need bottles of water, Wayne has occasional questions and there was a yellow jacket nest inside a railroad tie. I put on the bee suit for that. It keeps me distracted, and unable to relax.
Sparky doesn’t want to go for a walk. He doesn’t mind standing on the deck, watching the guys work, and making fun of Mexicans. (there aren’t any Mexicans on the crew) He prefers to stay inside, and wait for something to happen.
I didn’t know that asphalt takes time to cure. By the next morning, it’s fine to walk on. If the weather isn’t too hot, it can be driven on the next day. It take up to a year to fully cure. The oils need time to oxidize, turning the asphalt from black to gray. I will give it a week or so.
I don’t like the idea of patronizing a walk-up salesman or making a big decision precipitously, but I am optimistic. If Impact didn’t do the work, there is a good chance it would never get done. That wouldn’t be a big deal, but I’m about getting shit done.
They seem to be doing a good job. At worst, had I taken several estimates, I may have saved some money. Or not.
Here’s what it looks like so far:
that looks really good! Supposed to be hot for a while though……stay off it, I think.
It might be overkill, but I’m going to try not to drive on it for a month.
Is that a second driveway? Wasn’t your regular driveway gravel years back? I was only at your house once, maybe in 2006. We were working on the front yard drainage.
Oh yeah, sorry about that. Turns out my water supply line was broken. That’s where the water was coming from.
Yes, my main driveway is gravel. I want to get concrete for that, but I deplore calling contractors and getting quotes.