Asphalt Paving in Homestead, FL

Asphalt paving in Homestead is a different job from paving almost anywhere else in the country. There is no frost to worry about. Instead, the ground is thin soil over limestone, the wet season runs from mid-May to early October, and the city averages close to 60 inches of rain a year. A driveway or parking lot that is graded to shed water, built on a dense base and kept sealed will handle all of that. One that is not will hold puddles, ravel at the edges and fade to gray within a few summers.

Shallow rock under most of South Dade

Much of the land around Homestead, Florida City and the Redland is Krome soil, which the USDA describes as a gravelly loam formed from weathered oolitic limestone. Its official series description puts the bedrock just 2 to 10 inches down. That has two practical effects. First, cutting a new grade often means cutting into rock, so excavation and grading are priced with that in mind. Second, rock close to the surface is a strong foundation once the loose material above it is removed and replaced with a compacted base.

For that base, a common Florida specification calls for limerock with a bearing value of LBR 100, placed in lifts no thicker than 6 inches and compacted to 98 percent of its laboratory maximum density. Residential driveways typically get 2 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt on top, according to HomeGuide's cost guide, with 4 inches or more where trucks run.

Water has to go somewhere

With elevations of only a few feet and a water table that sits in the limestone, there is not much room for water to drain down. The Biscayne Aquifer under South Florida is shallow and highly permeable, and its top is the water table itself. During the wet season the ground is often saturated. Asphalt that sits in standing water softens at the base and breaks apart under traffic. We set slopes so water runs to the swale, a drain or a pervious area, and we point out low spots before paving rather than after the first storm.

Heat and UV are the slow damage

Summer highs in Homestead average 90 to 92 degrees, and the sun is strong all year. Ultraviolet light dries out the asphalt binder, which is why older driveways turn gray, lose fine stone from the surface and start to crack. A sealcoat slows that down. HomeGuide's guidance is to hold off 3 to 6 months on brand-new asphalt, and after that its resealing interval spans 2 to 10 years, shorter for pavement in full sun.

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Permits depend on where you are

Homestead runs its own permitting. The city's permit guide lists Public Works right-of-way permits alongside building and zoning permits, all filed through its EPL-B.U.I.L.D. online platform. Outside city limits, in places like Leisure City, Naranja or Princeton, Miami-Dade County is the authority, and its exemption guide says paving and drainage work requires a Zoning Improvement Permit even though it falls outside the Florida Building Code. On a county-maintained road, the county's Department of Transportation and Public Works handles right-of-way permits, even inside a city. We confirm which rules apply to your property at the estimate.

A South Dade driveway, step by step

• Measure, then shoot grades to see where runoff will head
• Removing old asphalt, concrete or loose rock and hauling it away
• Cutting the grade, including any limestone that is in the way
• Placing and compacting the limerock base in lifts
• Priming the base, then placing and rolling hot-mix asphalt to the quoted thickness
• Tapering edges and matching the garage slab and street apron
• Leaving you a cure-time note: first car, first trailer, first sealcoat

Homestead is home base. We also work in Florida City, the Redland, Leisure City, Naranja, Princeton and Goulds, north through Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay, South Miami Heights, Richmond West, Country Walk, The Hammocks, Kendall and Pinecrest, and south to Key Largo. The ground is similar across much of this area, but the permitting is not. Cities such as Homestead, Florida City, Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest handle their own permits, while the unincorporated communities fall under Miami-Dade County, and Key Largo is in Monroe County. Lot sizes run from small townhouse drives to five-acre parcels in the Redland. The town pages cover what is specific to each place.