need opoinions /advice

[Dennis R. Goudreau]

put in a concrete drive way approx 6 years ago at my house, suffice to say it is now in bad shape, I would like to overlay with hot top is this a good idea or is it better to tear it out & start over thanks in advance

[Peter C. Russell]

Dennis, I would think you would have to remove it. My thought is if water gets in there and freezes it will heave the new asphalt and crack it.

[Frank M. Carrio, CMI]

Originally Posted by dgoudreau

put in a concrete drive way approx 6 years ago at my house, suffice to say it is now in bad shape, I would like to overlay with hot top is this a good idea or is it better to tear it out & start over thanks in advance

Hi Dennis,
A concrete driveway should have lasted you for many, many years. Sounds to me like the "base" was not stable enough, deep enough, compacted enough, or too much "expansive soil" was in the base instead of rocks and or compacted gravel.

This situation will have to be corrected/rectified or you will just have another unstable driveway on your hands. Giving unstable concrete a coating of asphalt will only exacerbate the situation and it will be money thrown down the drain.

My recommendation is complete removal of the concrete, and having a good four to 6 inches of rock/gravel compacted into a nice tight firm base.

If you decide to re-install concrete have a minimum of 3,000 PSI, 4 inches thick, with the appropriate welded wire mesh in the concrete.

Good luck!