Paving & Driveways in Shawinigan

Make each contractor state the excavation depth, sub-base material and compacted depth, surface thickness, edge restraints and drainage plan. In Shawinigan, also ask what happens to excavated spoil — cartage and disposal is a real cost that cheap quotes quietly exclude.

Gravel, by a wide margin — but it migrates, ruts and needs topping up. Asphalt is usually the cheapest solid surface, concrete lasts longer for slightly more, and pavers cost most upfront but can be lifted and relaid if services underneath need work.

Yes — water must drain to a lawful outfall or soak into the ground. Many jurisdictions now require permeable paving or on-site soakaways when front gardens are paved, precisely to stop rain sheeting onto the street. A good contractor designs falls and drainage before laying anything.

A typical residential driveway takes 2-5 days: excavation and sub-base first, then the surface. Asphalt is drivable within days; new concrete should cure about a week before taking a car's weight; pavers can be used almost immediately once compacted and sanded.

On a proper base: asphalt 15-25 years, concrete 25-40, block paving 25+ (with occasional re-sanding and weed control), gravel indefinitely with topping up. Sealing asphalt and concrete every few years extends life in harsh climates.

A skimped sub-base. The surface layer gets the attention, but 100-200mm of properly compacted hardcore beneath it is what stops sinking, cracking and rutting. Quotes that are far below the rest usually save money underground where you cannot see it.

Yes. 'We have leftover asphalt from a job down the road' is a classic scam — the material is often laid thin over no base and fails within months, and the crew is untraceable. Reputable paving firms price from a site visit and written spec, not from surplus material on a truck.

Roughly May to October — asphalt plants close in winter and cold-weather pours fail. Book in early spring; by late summer good crews are fully committed, and late-November 'deals' are usually jobs that should wait until spring.