A Guide To Building The Best Driveways and Patios On Your Property

Building anything outside your home or office comes with a lot of challenges. Especially in Alaska, which experiences some harsh weather, freeze-thaw cycles, and permafrost conditions. For such situations, you want your outside structures to be reliable, strong, and durable, whether you are building polished concrete shop floors or a high-end driveway. Also, it must be versatile and complement the right aesthetics. 

Here, concrete, asphalt, and pavers are the common choices. However, if you are not careful, the wrong choice can ruin your whole plan. So, you need to opt for a high end construction service with the right material to get the desired results, and that is exactly what we are here to help you with. 

Comparing Concrete vs. Asphalt vs. Pavers For Driveways and Patios

This comparative guide will help you choose the right material for your driveways, patios, or both, and also make it look appealing. 

Concrete

Concrete is a mixture of different elements that creates a rigid and firm surface. These include aggregates, like sand and gravel, and water. It is a favorable choice for many as it proves to be quite durable in many climates, and it can withstand high pressure. 

Advantages

• Concrete has a high strength and proves to be highly durable in a range of different situations. With proper techniques, concrete driveways and patios can last for decades. However, it may require specialized mixes, like air-entrained concrete. The sheer strength and durability make it a preferable choice for concrete sidewalks for homes and even for a monolithic concrete slab foundation. 
  
  

• Going for concrete also brings you great versatility, as you can find stamped, stained, or colored concrete, whichever seems best. This opens up a lot of design possibilities, allowing you to get amazing decorative concrete floors and driveway decorative concrete looks. Also, it helps you personalize your driveways and patios. 
  
  

• Many may not know this, but the light colored concrete reflects sunlight, which is a good little benefit in the Alaskan summers. It can lower the heat absorption as compared to darker, more light-trapping surfaces. 
  
  

• Concrete is not only an affordable construction solution, but once cured, it requires little maintenance beyond some leaves and snow removal. Still, it is better to call a reliable concrete contractor occasionally for sealing services for extra protection. For example, for something like a concrete floor shop, it is good to know the best concrete sealer for shop floor for ultimate longevity.

Disadvantages

• Concrete can sometimes suffer damage, mostly due to freeze-thaw cycles, moisture, or ground movements. If you do not address this early and properly, it may lead to cracking. Although the control joints can manage it somewhat, they do not make the concrete structure completely invincible to cracking. Another winter issue is permafrost. It can cause structural troubles for poured concrete retaining wall, making it critical to use strong footings involving sonotube installation, but you must know “where to buy sonotubes” to get the best deal. 
  
  

• Once concrete gets cracked, you might go for repairs, but they may be too noticeable. However, extensive damage might make it impossible to repair, and you will have to opt for a complete re-structuring, which will make it costly and disruptive. 
  
  

• Pouring concrete can be hard in some places and situations, like cold weather, and you may require specialized techniques. Also, you may need admixtures to accelerate curing. This will not only make it complex but also costly. Although mobile concrete batching can prove to be useful for remote Alaskan sites.

Asphalt 

Asphalt is a petroleum-based product known for its dark color and great flexibility. This is especially useful in cold climates. 

Advantages

• The great flexibility of Asphalt allows it to flex and adapt to ground movements that may happen during freeze-thaw cycles. This makes it rigid and less prone to cracking.
  
  

• Asphalt is quicker to install and ready much sooner than concrete (often within a couple of days). Moreover, even if the cracks and potholes appear, they are easier to repair than concrete and blend well into the surface. 
  
  

• The dark color of asphalt absorbs solar radiation, which helps melt the snow and ice on the surface. This is especially beneficial during long Alaskan winters. 
  
  

• In more than one case, asphalt is the most budget-friendly option for most initial installations, especially for concrete sidewalks for homes or driveways for offices and shops. 

Disadvantages

• Even with good and proper maintenance, asphalt has a shorter lifespan than concrete or pavers, especially under the harsh conditions of Alaska. Moreover, it is a high-maintenance material that may require sealcoating every 2-5 years. If you don’t opt for it, it will become brittle, cracked, and deteriorated due to UV radiation, water, and the constraint stress of winter. 
  
  

• While not as extreme, Alaskans do see summer heat. Due to it, asphalt can become soft and more prone to stress from heavy pressure or sharp objects. 
  
  

• Asphalt has very limited options when it comes to aesthetics. You can opt for some decorative borders, but asphalt is primarily black, so you won’t have many other options to go for. 

Pavers

Pavers are separate interlocked units made from concrete, clay brick, or natural stone. They are placed over a thick base of gravel and sand. This modular structure allows them to be highly adaptable. 

Advantages

• Pavers have exceptional flexibility and resistance to freeze-thaw cycles. Similar to asphalt, pavers can move and settle with ground shifts without getting cracked.
  
  

• When correctly installed with a robust base, pavers can last for a long time (40-50 years). This shows their incredible strength and durability even under heavy loads. Moreover, if a single paver is damaged or stained, it can be removed and replaced without affecting the whole surface. This makes repairs easy and invisible. 
  
  

• You get a lot of versatility with pavers as they offer a lot of design options. There are a lot of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, allowing you to customize it with unique patterns to make your outdoor space more aesthetically pleasing. It makes pavers great for building decorative concrete floors even in an outdoor setting.
  
  

• Another great benefit of Pavers is that it has a permeable system, which allows water to pass right through the joints into the ground. This ability is great in managing stormwater and reducing standing water. 

Disadvantages

• As they say, high end construction comes at a premium price, which means it has the highest initial cost out of all and is labor-intensive too. 
  
  

• The longevity and performance of pavers depend entirely on the quality and depth of the underlying base. Without proper preparation and deep work, pavers can experience uneven settling and instability.
  
  

• Without proper joint sand and polymeric sand installation, ants can tunnel through it, and weeds can sprout on it as well. Therefore, regular maintenance is absolutely necessary. 

Summary: Make A Confident Decision

To sum it up, the choice of the right material depends on several different factors. This includes climate and ground conditions, budget, aesthetics, maintenance tolerance, and traffic load. 

For maximum durability, adaptability, and unparalleled aesthetics, pavers are great, especially for high end construction. If budget is your concern, asphalt can prove to be a great option with good flexibility. Lastly, basic concrete has great durability and rigidity, but you will have to be careful about the weather conditions and take all necessary precautions. 

Before making the final decision, it is always best to consult an experienced Alaska concrete services provider. You can search for a driveway or an affordable patio installation near me. If you want area-specific results, you can look for something like concrete contractors near Willow, Alaska, or concrete contractors near Eagle River, Alaska, etc. They will understand the unique challenges, whether you need a durable concrete floor shop or a beautiful decorative concrete patio. Ultimately, it will help you make a confident decision much more easily.