Replace Your Asphalt Driveway With Concrete in Northeast Ohio

Why do homeowners replace asphalt driveways with concrete?

Most people make the switch when the blacktop is cracked, alligatored, rutted or crumbling at the edges, and they are tired of patching and resealing it. Rather than repave with asphalt again, they want a surface that holds up longer with less routine upkeep.

Concrete stays cooler in summer, does not soften in July heat, and will not track black residue into the garage. Its lighter color also makes the driveway easier to see at night, and it can be finished with stamping, color or exposed aggregate if you want more than plain gray.

Resale is another reason some owners give. A clean concrete driveway reads as a long-term upgrade to buyers, though how much value it adds depends on the house and the neighborhood.

• Longer expected life with routine care
• No sealcoating every few years
• Does not soften or rut in summer heat
• Decorative finish options are available
• Lighter surface reflects heat and light

Typical ranges from published cost guides. Contractor quotes vary with your site.

Concrete vs asphalt: what changes for a Northeast Ohio driveway?

Asphalt is cheaper to install, flexes slightly with ground movement, and is easy to patch. It needs sealcoating every few years to keep water and sun from breaking it down, and it tends to wear out sooner, especially where plows and salt are involved.

Concrete costs more per square foot but needs less regular maintenance. It does need care in its own way: no deicers the first winter, no ammonium-based deicers ever, and a penetrating silane or siloxane sealer reapplied every two to five years depending on the product and how hard winter hits your street.

On heaving clay soils, either material will suffer if the base is poor. Concrete is more rigid, so the base under it deserves extra attention, which is a point to raise with every contractor who quotes the job.

How much does it cost to replace asphalt with concrete?

The new concrete itself follows the usual Cleveland-area ranges from HomeBlue: roughly $6 to $11 per square foot for plain broom finish, or $7 to $12 with reinforcement. A 24 by 30 foot two-car driveway comes in around $4,200 to $7,700 unreinforced in that guide before any removal work.

Removing and hauling the asphalt adds to that. Published guides give concrete tear-out figures, but asphalt removal pricing depends heavily on thickness, how many layers have been paved over each other, access for equipment and local disposal options, so the contractor will price it after seeing the site.

Remember that published numbers are reference ranges, not our prices. A conversion often turns up base problems once the asphalt is lifted, and correcting those is part of doing the job right.

Can concrete be poured over an existing asphalt driveway?

Concrete is generally not poured directly over old asphalt for a driveway. The asphalt underneath can keep shifting, soften in heat and trap water, and the added height can create problems at the garage floor, the sidewalk and the street.

The standard approach is full removal. Once the blacktop is gone, the crew evaluates the stone base below. Sometimes the existing aggregate can be regraded, topped up and recompacted; other times it is mixed with soil and needs to be dug out and replaced with fresh crushed stone such as 304 limestone.

Ask each contractor how they plan to handle the old base and why. A clear answer is a good sign that they have done conversions before.

Removing the asphalt also lets the crew reset the driveway's height. Many older blacktop drives have been overlaid more than once, which can leave the surface higher than the garage slab or create a lip at the sidewalk. Starting from the base lets the new concrete meet the garage, walk and street at the right elevations.

What does an asphalt to concrete conversion involve?

The work begins with saw-cutting a clean edge where the driveway meets the street or sidewalk if those are staying. Then the asphalt is broken up, loaded and hauled away, often to a recycler that reuses it.

Next comes base correction and grading, with the slope set so water runs away from the house and garage. Forms and any reinforcement go in, and the contractor pours an air-entrained mix, commonly around 4,000 psi for exterior work in this climate, at least 4 inches thick for cars and thicker at the apron or where trucks park.

After finishing, control joints are cut at intervals of roughly two to three times the slab thickness in feet. The slab then cures, and you can usually drive on it after about a week.

• Saw-cut edges and remove the asphalt
• Check, repair or replace the stone base
• Set grade for drainage away from the house
• Pour air-entrained concrete and cut joints
• Cure before parking cars on it

Do I need a permit to change from asphalt to concrete?

Many Northeast Ohio communities require a permit for work on the driveway apron or anything in the public right-of-way, and some regulate the materials allowed there. A few may also want the contractor registered with the city before work starts.

Because rules vary by city and village, confirm with your local building department before signing a contract, and ask the contractor whether permit handling is part of the price.

If the city owns the sidewalk that crosses your driveway, the section of sidewalk inside the drive may have to be rebuilt to the city's standards during the conversion. Ask about that early so it is included in every quote you compare.

Requesting conversion quotes through LocalConcreteDriveway

Describe your current asphalt driveway and what you want instead using the quote form. We forward the request to independent concrete contractors who serve your county, and they reach out to schedule a look and give you a price.

Contractors pay us for project requests, so the service costs you nothing and you are under no obligation. Where several contractors cover your area, you can compare more than one quote. Each pro sets its own pricing, schedule and warranty, so ask for those in writing.