Shell & Gravel Driveway Paving in Palm Bay, FL

Shell and gravel driveway paving is a job we do more in Palm Bay than almost anywhere else, because so much of the city was built quickly on long, straight streets and some of it never got paved. Wikipedia notes that most of Palm Bay's roads west of DeGroodt Road are unpaved, and many homes on and near those streets still have shell, gravel or dirt driveways. They work, but they rut in summer storms, wash shell into the swale, and track dust and grit into the house and car.

Using what is already there

An old shell or gravel drive is not wasted. Where the material is clean and well packed, it can be regraded and compacted to become part of the base for the new asphalt. Where it has worn thin, mixed with sand or turned to mud in low spots, we dig those areas out and replace them with fresh base rock. The result is a firm, even platform ready for paving.

Lifting it out of the water

Unpaved drives often sit lower than the yard around them after years of wear, so they collect water. Part of a conversion is building the grade back up, so the finished asphalt sits slightly above the surrounding ground and sheds water to the sides and toward the street. On flatwoods soils that hold the water table close to the surface in summer, that extra height makes a real difference.

Long drives on big lots

In the western and southern parts of Palm Bay, and in neighboring towns like Malabar and Grant-Valkaria, drives can be long. Paving the full length at once is the cleanest result, but not always the budget. We can pave the section closest to the house or garage first and finish the rest later, leaving a square, sealed edge where the next section will tie in.

Recycled asphalt option

Recycled asphalt, made from ground-up old pavement, is a lower-cost surface that some owners choose for long rural drives. Installed, HomeGuide prices it around $4 to $9 a square foot, against $5 to $12-plus for fresh hot-mix. It is not as smooth or as uniform as new asphalt, but it is far better than loose shell. We can quote both so you can compare.

Steps in a conversion

• Measure the drive and check where water runs and pools
• Strip vegetation, regrade the shell or gravel, and remove soft spots
• Add base rock where needed and compact the full width
• Shape the surface to shed water to the sides
• Pave with hot-mix asphalt and roll
• Finish the edges and the tie-in to the apron and street