Asphalt Driveway Replacement in Fairfax, VA

A Fairfax driveway that cracks, sinks, or holds puddles after every storm usually has a base problem, not a surface problem. We replace asphalt driveways in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax by removing the old pavement, rebuilding the base on compacted stone, and laying hot asphalt graded so water leaves the driveway. Joseph Cash, who has run this family business since 2009, gives every estimate himself.

County, City, and the apron at the street

A Fairfax address can sit in unincorporated Fairfax County or inside the independent City of Fairfax, and the apron where your driveway meets the road is handled differently in each. Most streets in the county are part of the state system, so work in the road right-of-way goes through VDOT's Fairfax and Arlington permit section. Inside city limits, the City of Fairfax Department of Public Works requires a right-of-way permit for removing or replacing a driveway apron.

We check which one applies to your lot before we quote, and we tell you whether the apron is part of the job or should stay as it is. If it needs replacing, the permit and the inspection are built into the schedule, so the street end of the driveway is not left for later.

Why Fairfax driveways fail from underneath

Fairfax County maps several kinds of shrink-swell soil, including marine clay in the southeast of the county and other high-clay soils elsewhere. Clay holds water, swells when it is wet, and shrinks when it dries. An asphalt driveway laid on a thin base over that ground moves with it, and the cracks follow.

So we dig out soft soil until we reach firm ground, put down fabric where the subgrade is wet clay, and compact the stone base in layers, typically 6 inches. That base, and the slope we set on top of it, are what decide how long the new asphalt lasts.

Widening the driveway in a Fairfax subdivision

Many Fairfax homeowners want a wider driveway or an extra parking pad while the old one is out. The county Zoning Ordinance limits how much of a front yard can be paved for parking on many single-family lots, and HOAs in planned subdivisions often have their own rules on width and borders. We look at your lot, your covenants, and the county rule together, and design a layout that fits before anything is dug.