Problem
After moving into the house, it was immediately apparent that the driveway was going to be a problem. We failed to get the moving truck up the driveway as well as our van. Additionally, every low vehicle we attempted to pull into the driveway would bottom out, even when pulling in at a strong angle. To my surprise, my Subaru Crosstrek was bottoming out too when pulling straight into the driveway! I knew that the grade needed to be adjusted sooner than later.
Analysis
After looking at ways to remedy this situation, I came to the conclusion that it was caused by the depth of the gutter. As you can see in the photo, the driveway has had several attempted corrections using tarmac and cement. These repairs were now loose and the gutter was coming apart at the joints from years of freezing and thawing. The root of the problem comes from the process of repaving the road, leading to the top of the finish coat being about 2 inches higher than the toe of the curb. That mixed with the typical raised curb face was causing the vehicles to drop down 2+ inches and then while trying to climb the steep grade of the driveway, would bottom out. In the end I determined that if I raised the gutter height it would resolve the issue (in most cases).
Solution
The plan was to match the height of the tarmac and nearly match the height of the curb face. This house is located at the top of the hill, so it would still divert water properly and wouldn’t cause any issues with standing water. I decided to go with a cold patch blacktop to complete the repair as it is easy to install at home and will work just fine. This material takes up to 6 months to fully set, but it is immediately ready to drive on. The patch was installed in two one-inch layers, compacting each as much as possible. Before installing the second layer I cut down the old failed patch so the new material wasn’t feathered (which it isn’t designed to do).
To complete this project, the ramp took approximately 850 lbs. of blacktop to fix. Luckily, I was able to find a few damaged bags on sale at a significant discount! As a note, when putting down cold patch it is highly important that the hand tools stay well lubricated; the tar will stick to absolutely everything. If kerosene or diesel fuel isn’t available, I highly recommend PB Blast.
Check below for more photos and the finished product!
