Guides
Straight answers to the questions we get asked most
Written by the people who do the work, for the CSRA specifically. No prices, because the honest answer to most cost questions is that it depends on the site — but we explain what it depends on.
Concrete or asphalt driveway — which is right for my property?
Length and slope usually decide it. Concrete lasts longer, handles heat well and needs almost nothing done to it once it is down, which makes it the stronger choice on shorter residential drives. Asphalt costs less to install, tolerates ground movement better, and can be resurfaced later rather than removed, which makes it the sensible answer on long rural approaches where the material cost of concrete over a few hundred feet is hard to justify. On sandy Aiken County ground, gravel and crush-and-run is a genuine third option that is often overlooked.
Read the full answerHow long before you can drive on a new asphalt driveway?
Passenger vehicles can normally use a new asphalt driveway after two to three days, and longer in hot weather. Heavy vehicles — loaded trucks, dumpsters, moving vans — should wait about a month. The reason the answer is a range rather than a number is that asphalt does not set like concrete. It is laid hot and gains strength as it cools and cures, so ambient temperature during the first week changes the timeline more than anything else.
Read the full answerHow much does it cost to clear an acre of land in Georgia?
There is no useful single figure, because the cost of clearing an acre in Georgia is driven almost entirely by what is standing on it and what happens to the debris. An acre of open pasture with scattered brush and an acre of mature hardwood that has to be grubbed and hauled off are different jobs by a wide margin, not different by a percentage. The five variables that move the number most are tree density and size, whether stumps are grubbed or left, how far debris has to travel to be disposed of, the slope, and whether equipment can get to the work.
Read the full answerWhat permits does a commercial parking lot need in Richmond County?
For new construction in Augusta-Richmond County, expect site plan review, a grading permit, and compliance with the county's Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance, with stormwater review triggered by the impervious area you are adding. Work touching a state route may also need GDOT review of the access. A resurfacing job that does not change the footprint or the drainage is a considerably lighter process than new construction — which is the single biggest factor in how long your project takes to start.
Read the full answerWhy does my driveway keep failing in the same place?
Because the surface was never the problem. Water is getting under the driveway and washing the fine material out of the base beneath it, which leaves a void. The surface above a void has nothing supporting it, so it flexes under load, cracks, and breaks apart. Patching the crack replaces the surface and leaves the void exactly where it was, which is why the failure returns in the same spot. Until the water is dealt with, every repair is temporary.
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Call either office and ask. We’ll tell you straight, including when the answer is that you don’t need us.