ᐅ Driveway Renovation – Costs

Hello everyone!

According to an expert report, our garage with a basement is at risk of collapse because the reinforcement in the basement ceiling is corroded and partly exposed.
So far, we have received three renovation proposals from three different experts.
The most drastic one was to fill in the basement and rebuild the garage.
Another company sees the main problem as water penetration through the deteriorated asphalt surface of the garage driveway.
Their recommendation is therefore to renovate the driveway.
The cost estimate for 95m² (1,023 sq ft), including excavation, ground preparation, and asphalt paving, is 9,700 (currency) including VAT (they factored in that a knowledgeable friend is helping for free).
For aesthetic reasons, I would prefer paving stones. Now the company says that would cost TWICE as much and would not solve the moisture problem because paved surfaces are not waterproof.
I don’t understand either argument.
After researching on forums for a while, I have not found any indication that paving stones are significantly more expensive.
And wouldn’t EVERYONE who installs paving stones have moisture problems if only asphalt is waterproof?
(I should mention that I have not yet spoken to the company myself; my co-owner handled that.)

Thank you in advance for your advice!
Anna

Anna74 schrieb:
Hello everyone!

According to an expert report, our garage with a basement is at risk of collapse because the reinforcement in the basement ceiling is corroded and partially exposed.
So far, we have received three renovation proposals from three different specialists.
The most extreme suggestion was to fill in the basement and rebuild the garage.
Another company sees the main problem as water ingress through the deteriorated asphalt surface of the garage driveway.
Their solution is to renovate the driveway.
The cost estimate for 95m² (1023 ft²), including excavation, ground preparation, and asphalt paving, is $9,700 (this price includes the fact that a knowledgeable friend will assist free of charge).
For aesthetic reasons, I would prefer paving stones. Now the company says that would cost TWICE as much and would not solve the moisture problem because paving stones are not waterproof.
I don’t understand either of these points.
After extensive research in forums, I found no indication that paving stones are that much more expensive.
And shouldn’t anyone who installs paving stones have moisture problems if only asphalt provides a sealed surface?
(I should add that I have not yet spoken to the company myself; my co-owner handled the communication.)

Thank you in advance for your advice!!!
Anna

Concrete always needs to be sealed, whether paving stones or asphalt are installed on top.
Or maybe they simply skip doing this when paving with asphalt, which could explain why paving stones would cost more?

Hello!
There is no concrete slab under the driveway; there is soil underneath.
The concrete slab is flush with the garage.

And what does this company plan to do about the damage to the basement ceiling? It certainly depends on the paving you want. A good paving stone already costs about 25-30 Euro per square meter (around 2.3-2.8 USD per square foot). Well, the company only charges 100 words per square meter (about 9.3 USD per square foot). That would already be a third. Of course, I don’t know how expensive asphalt is.

Anna74 schrieb:
Thank you in advance for your advice!!!

I didn’t understand how the basement ceiling (at risk of collapse!) is related to the driveway.

Whether the quotes for asphalt and paving stones are comparable needs to be checked (scope of work, construction method, type of paving used). The prices can be assessed by obtaining comparable offers.

Anna74 schrieb:
Hello!
There is no concrete slab under the driveway; there is soil underneath.
The concrete slab is exactly aligned with the garage

Oh, I misunderstood. Well, it doesn’t really matter what you do in front of the garage. You will have to renovate the concrete slab anyway.