Frequently Asked Questions

National cost guides put new asphalt driveways at about $5 to $12 or more per square foot (HomeGuide) and $7 to $15 (Angi); HomeGuide's table puts a 500-square-foot driveway at $2,500 to $6,000. Parking lots run about $2 to $4.50 per square foot (HomeAdvisor). Base repair on clay, removal and drainage work change the total, and your written bid is the price.

Cost guides give 15 to 30 years for driveways and 20 to 30 years for parking lots with routine care. On Blackland Prairie clay, the base, the drainage and how often cracks are sealed decide where in that range a surface lands.

They are the same thing. Blacktop is the everyday name for hot-mix asphalt pavement. You may also hear asphalt concrete or bitumen; for a driveway or lot, they all mean the same material.

If the base is still firm, a new layer of hot-mix asphalt, typically 1.5 to 2 inches, can go right over it after cracks are filled and failed spots patched. HomeGuide prices overlays at about $1 to $3 per square foot. If the base has failed, the cracks will come back through, and replacement is the better value.

Mesquite requires construction permits through its Citizen Self Service portal and a Professional License registration for every contractor and homeowner who applies. Which permit applies depends on the work, especially at the curb and approach, so we confirm with Building Inspection first.

Usually because the clay beside it gets wet, swells, then dries and shrinks away, leaving the edge unsupported. Directing water away from the edges and building a compacted, tapered edge reduces that.

Yes, but we start early in the day so the asphalt is compacted and cooling before the afternoon heat, and we ask you to keep cars off it longer than you would in spring or fall.

National ranges run about $5 to $12 or more per square foot (HomeGuide) and $7 to $15 (Angi). HomeGuide puts a 500-square-foot driveway at $2,500 to $6,000. Clay base repair and removal move that up or down, and your written bid is the price.

Both can work. Asphalt flexes a little with soil movement and is easy to patch and resurface, but needs sealing. Concrete costs more and lasts longer, but cracks from clay movement are harder to hide. Budget, how long you plan to stay and HOA rules usually decide it.

A common residential figure is 6 to 8 inches of compacted stone under 2 to 3 inches of asphalt, and more for heavy vehicles. On soft clay we often go deeper. The bid lists the exact depths.

Yes, on your property. If widening changes the curb cut, it needs a city permit, which we confirm with Mesquite Building Inspection before scheduling.

HomeAdvisor's national range is $400 to $1,130 per space, or $2 to $4.50 per square foot. Their examples are about $10,000 for 10 spaces and $75,000 for 100. Base condition and drainage change the price for each lot.

For some low-traffic rural lots it can be, and HomeAdvisor lists it at $1 to $5 per square foot. For busy commercial lots with turning traffic and striping, hot-mix asphalt is the more practical surface.

HomeAdvisor lists 20 to 30 years for asphalt with routine care, resurfacing every 15 to 20 years and sealcoating every 2 to 5 years.

Yes. We phase the lot so part of it stays open and plan the work around your busiest times.

Milling is usually priced as part of a resurfacing job rather than on its own. HomeGuide puts overlays at about $1 to $3 per square foot and driveway resurfacing at $3 to $7, which includes the preparation. Your bid lists milling as its own line where it is needed.

On a sound base with cracks filled first, they stay away much longer. If the base is failing, cracks reflect through, which is why we check the base before recommending an overlay.

By 1.5 to 2 inches unless the edges are milled. We mill at the garage, curb and doorways so it ties in flush.

Yes. We phase commercial resurfacing so the lot stays partly open, and we can do the worst sections first.

Because the base under them is still wet and soft. A saw-cut repair removes that material and rebuilds the base, which is what stops the cycle.

HomeGuide's national range is $100 to $400 for a typical pothole, and many contractors charge a minimum of $100 to $250. Doing several repairs in one visit lowers the cost of each.

As soon as they appear and while they are still narrow, ideally in mild, dry weather. Sealing before a wet season keeps water out of the clay.

Yes. If the work stays on your side of the curb, we rebuild and repave it. If it involves the curb cut, we check the city permit first.

HomeGuide's national range is $1 to $2 per square foot for driveways, with an average job around $600. Parking lots cost less per square foot because of scale, about $0.15 to $0.30 according to HomeAdvisor.

When the surface turns gray and stops shedding water, typically every few years. Published guidance ranges from 2 to 10 years depending on the sealer and the climate.

Wait about 3 to 6 months so the asphalt can cure. Sealing too early can leave the surface soft.

No. Cracks are sealed separately with hot material first; the sealcoat goes over the top.

Under the 2010 ADA Standards, 1 for up to 25 spaces, 2 for 26 to 50, 3 for 51 to 75, 4 for 76 to 100, and more as the lot grows. One in six must be van-accessible.

Yes. DOJ guidance says restriped lots must provide accessible parking that meets the 2010 Standards.

HomeGuide estimates 2 to 5 years, depending on traffic, weather and paint.

Yes. We often stripe early mornings, evenings or weekends so the lot stays usable during business hours.