Uncategorized

Holy crap on a cracker!

23 Comments

.

Our driveway is old and in desperate need of replacement. It’s cracked, rutted and basically caving in on itself. This isn’t uncommon in the great state of Maine, land of frost heaves and pot holes that can swallow a car in one easy gulp, but sooner or later everything has to be fixed.

.

.

We’ve been putting off the inevitable because I knew the cost of contracting a new one was going to make me scream. But fate intervened when our neighbor told us they were redoing theirs and the paving company said we could both get a discount if we did them at the same time. Never wanting to miss a sale… we sucked it up and took the plunge.

.

.

Mind you, our driveway isn’t huge. 92 feet long, narrow at the road end and widening by the garage with a parking bump out on the left.

Not knowing a damn thing about the process of ripping up the old and installing new, I naively guessed the cost would be eight to ten thousand dollars.

I was wrong.

By half.

.

.

Hence the title of my blog.

Over $20,000…. and yes, I did scream. For mercy but there’s none coming.

We had a few other estimates that were similar but none of those companies could get to us until late next year, they were booked that far out. The only reason we’ll be redone next week is because our neighbor was already on the list.

Oh, the discount?

$576. A weirdly random number and not nearly enough… but it’s something.

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go have another scream at the thought of writing an almost $21,000 check for something I’m just going to drive on.

😩

.

23 thoughts on “Holy crap on a cracker!”

  1. At $218.75 a foot, that actually sounds reasonable. Yes, I know believe me I know how that sounds. But asphalt has gotten more expensive (if asphalt will be used, didn’t really read through the quote you posted) since it’s oil based and you know how that goes. But then again, you gave a 96ft drive way when most driveways are less than 10ft…..lol. Rural living can be a bit more expensive in aspects I suppose, 🤔.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Yep. We had our front concrete sidewalk replaced last summer, not so long as it is curvy. Bottom line was close to 1/3rd of your estimate. For a sidewalk, basic. Nothing embossed on it. 😕

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. Yikes. I’d be querying if you need the metal culvert replaced with plastic – I’d say no to that option. Metal flexes and can be reformed, plastic degrades…

    Why do they need to pull out and haul away then replace the underlying gravel? Something is sus there – They’ll probably re-use that elsewhere. Research bitumen base coat and surface option – probably saying they’re going to do 2 coats when it’s really just one coat that is legislated to be a certain thickness, but they want to charge extra, so they BS and say there’s a second coat. Also ask for how long it will last – a warranty or guarantee. Research everything, because people are taking advantage and price gouging. The convenience of having it done now may be swaying you – it’s actually a marketing ploy “Act now! Don’t delay! or miss out” . Be informed so you can negotiate. I really hope this hasn’t been paid for yet.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. We’ve been researching this for years. They have to haul out the old dirt because most of our natural under layer is sand and clay. Our old culvert is metal and completely rusted away. We have the option of a 2 or 3 inch, 2 inch is the minimum they can lay. As for this company, they’re the largest, oldest and most reputable in the state. No one is rushing anything here. I bitch about the cost but it’s a necessary evil.
      🥴

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. Ours is shaped similarly..95 feet long, but goes from 20 feet wide to 30 feet wide at the 65 foot mark. Total square footage is 2200 . It is concrete, and needs to be either replaced or, at a minimum, new surface. The $20k cost scares me way too much.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It’s a massive cost but we’ve been putting it off long enough. Shoveling and snow blowing is becoming difficult and keeping the grass out of the cracks is a losing battle. We’ve got to suck it up and pay.
      😰

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. Yikes. I loathe spending money on things that aren’t pretty. I feel you, as we just did the same thing for a generator, at twice the cost. But….that driveway WILL be used daily and hopefully, it will be the last one you have to do?? Maybe?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a reply to masercot Cancel reply