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“My asphalt driveway is sinking, along with the yard next to it. The sunken area is a car-length wide and two car-lengths long. I repaired it with two tons of asphalt, and since then it has sunk 6” to 8” more. Can you please give repair advice?”
-Steve
Asphalt driveways should be poured over a base of crushed stone, which is placed either on undisturbed grade, or on fill soil that has been mechanically compacted. When driveways sink, it’s most often because the underlying dirt was not properly compacted, or because the fill dirt contains debris (such as tree stumps) that are decomposing and collapsing underground. However, there can be some other causes:
- Erosion and undermining of the soil bed due to improper rainwater drainage.
- Underground collapse or erosion due to a broken buried pipe or underground stream.
- Environmental factors specific to your region and building site, such as sinkholes, unstable marshland, expansive soil, volcanic or seismic activity, or hillside erosion.
You’ve described some pretty significant sinking, more than I’d expect from normal soil settling. I’d take these steps:
- If your home is fairly new, contact your builder. Improper compaction of the driveway subsoil is an issue that should be covered under your home’s warranty.
- Contact your utility company, or dial 811 for a free identification of buried lines and cables. Not only is this a good safety measure, but it could also tell you if a broken buried line or pipe could be contributing to your problem.
- Examine your downspouts and rainwater drainage. Make sure water isn’t running toward your driveway, pooling or eroding the soil underneath it.
- Contact a soil engineer, to determine exactly what’s going on underground – particularly to diagnose regional geologic conditions. You don’t want to keep on patching your driveway if it’s going to keep on sinking, and you really need to make sure there’s not an underlying problem that could grow worse or even affect your nearby home’s foundation.
Based on the soil engineer’s report, your repair may be as simple as another patch, or it may involve taking up the existing driveway and making extensive repairs to the subsoil. The repair may or may not be a DIY job, but you could really use a professional opinion (or more than one) for diagnosis and recommendations.
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8 Comments on “How to Fix a Sinking Asphalt Driveway”
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January 21st, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Thanks for your response.
The sinking place is over 100′ from the house. This area had a large hole come about after 2 days of hard rain, about 5 years ago. I held Randy by his belt while he tried to reach the bottom with a driver golf club, but could not reach it. We proceeded to fill the hole with lots of rocks and larger stones. We packed them in the hole with a 4×4 and poured a bag of Quik-rete on top. This was all underneath the driveway because the collapse was at an angle. We then placed larger rocks up to the edge of the yard and poured another bag of Quik-Rete. The 2 tons of asphalt was added a couple years later.
IT’S STILL SINKING!!
thanks
steve
Julie Day Says:January 23rd, 2009 at 10:25 am
Steve, that definitely sounds like a bigger problem than simple ground settling! I’d call in a soil engineer to have a look. Rainwater and underground streams are routed through networks of underground pipes, and if a pipe cracks, eventually a sinkhole will form as the soil washes away – our city lost an entire restaurant (and a customer’s Corvette) that way. Have you checked the location of underground pipes or natural ground water routes?
April 7th, 2010 at 10:25 am
We have a problem with our yard sinking. There are numberous pipes that used to take water to a pond on the property but they have all busted. We bought this house almost 5 years ago but this problem started about 3 years ago. We have 3 small children which we have to keep out of their yard. There are actually holes where you can see the water running underneath. We don’t have any money to fix it. My husband is the only one working at the time and barely makes the bills now. I go to school and will graduate in August and hope to get a good paying job. Till then my children are confined to the deck only. Is there an organization that could help us. The banks are out of the question. Please answer as soon as possible.
Thank you,
Linda
Julie Day Says:August 3rd, 2010 at 8:25 am
Linda, that sounds like a terrible problem! I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. There might be some organizations in your area that can help, or perhaps a church or civic club – particularly since the yard isn’t safe for your children to play. I’d also check with your homeowner’s insurance just in case.
Are those pipes carrying stream water? How big are they? It sounds like more than a DIY job, but you may be able to cut costs by helping out or doing some of the prep work.
August 9th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Foundation is the key to a solid driveway. Without a solid base nothing will last. I think stamped asphalt would also be a good option.stamped asphalt has more advantages which help with maintenance, durability, life spn. Stamped asphalt is far less maintenance than regular asphalt because it never needs sealing due to the polymer cement coating. Also it is the least expensive out of all the decorative options, like stone, brick, slate etc. In the winter you can plow stamped asphalt, salt it, etc. Which you cant do on concrete because the salt will seriously damage it. Also, becuase of the coat and the prep work before the stamping the driveway should last twice as long as a regular asphalt as well as not crack. There are more advantages but these are just some. I think its stamped asphalt is a good option if you want something to last and stay strong.
-My Driveway Dr.
August 29th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Our drive way runs right along side of our garage and part of the house. The garage is attached to the house. I’ve noticed the drive way sinking about 5″ where it butts up against the garage and the house. Also, in the back corner of our house there is a slab that the AC compressor sits upon. It is also leaning in towards the house. There are 3 downspouts that go down into the asphalt driveway. My suspicions are that the drain tiles are cracked underground somewhere between the house and where they drain out into the street. Also, our garage floor has started to collapse and crumble. I want to get this fixed, but I don’t even know who to call for this. Plumber? Driveway person? Foundation repair? Who handles this kind of problem?
August 8th, 2011 at 10:55 am
Hello, thank you in advance for your reply. Steve Gresham 0 706 369 7045 – Can I send you a picture of my issue for a response?
May 20th, 2013 at 10:22 am
Hello.. I had my driveway asphalted in September and it is now the following May. I notice when it rains there is are now a few puddles of water that collect and right where I would step coming out of my vehicle.. The puddle is about half inch deep.. How would this be fixed.