Paving questions, answered properly

We don't publish prices, because the number depends on things you cannot see in a photo: how much old material has to leave the site, whether the granular base is sound or has to be rebuilt, how tight the access is, and how thick a mat the use calls for. We measure and probe the base on site, then send a written quote that breaks out excavation, granular, asphalt tonnage and finishing so you can compare it line by line against anyone else's.

Stay off it for 24 to 48 hours for cars, and about a week for heavier vehicles. Asphalt is workable as soon as it cools, but it keeps curing for six to twelve months — avoid parking in the same spot in a heat wave and keep trailer jacks and kickstands on a board for the first season.

Sometimes. An overlay works when the base is sound and there is room to raise the surface without burying the garage slab or blocking drainage. If the old surface is alligatored, heaving or sitting in a low spot, an overlay will telegraph those failures within two years and we will tell you so.

Plants open in April and generally close in late November. Late spring through early fall gives the best compaction. We book fall work early because the last three weeks of the season fill up fast.

Yes. AMPAC carries full liability insurance and WSIB coverage, and certificates go out with every commercial contract. Our workmanship warranty covers defects in the asphalt and base we install — the terms are written on the quote, not buried on a website.

Because any number we published would be wrong for most driveways. Price is set by what is under the surface, how much material has to be trucked off, access, and the mat thickness the use requires — none of which can be judged from a photo or a phone call. The site visit is free, takes about twenty minutes, and produces a written itemized quote within 48 hours.

For residential work we take a deposit at scheduling and the balance on completion after your walk-through. Commercial contracts follow standard progress billing, and we can work to your holdback requirements.

Sealcoating is a protective coat applied over sound asphalt to slow oxidation and keep water out of small cracks. It is worth doing every three to five years on a driveway in good condition. It is not a repair — sealer over a failing base hides the problem for one season.

No. Hot mix cannot be laid on standing water or in steady rain, and compaction suffers when the base is saturated. We reschedule rain days rather than pave badly, which is why our quotes give a target week rather than a guaranteed date.

Yes, where the work requires one — boulevard work, curb cuts, widenings that affect municipal property. We handle the application and the fee appears as a line item on your quote.

Call us or send the property address through the contact form with a photo of the surface. We book a site visit, measure, check drainage and the existing base, then email an itemized written quote that is valid for 30 days.

A properly built asphalt driveway in the GTA should give you 15 to 20 years, and longer if it is sealed every few years and the drainage keeps working. The variable is almost never the asphalt — it is the base depth, the compaction and whether water is being carried away from the surface. Driveways that fail at eight or ten years were built short somewhere underneath.