A crushed concrete driveway costs an average of $1,200, and most homeowners pay between $300 and $1,800, depending on driveway size and labor and delivery costs.
The average cost to install a crushed concrete driveway is $1,200, but the total can fluctuate based on the size of your driveway, the old material you need to remove, and some other factors. Your price could sit as low as $250 for a single-car driveway or reach as high as $2,400 for a three-car driveway. Prices could fall even lower if you spread the crushed concrete yourself.
A crushed concrete driveway will cost an average of $2.50 per square foot, including materials and labor, so you can expect larger driveways to cost more. On average, a single-car driveway that’s 240 square feet will cost $600, and prices increase from there based on driveway size.
In terms of material costs, crushed concrete is one of the most affordable options. Gravel costs $1 to $2 per square foot, while crushed concrete can run as low as $0.60. For a 400-square-foot driveway, you could pay as little as $240 for materials. Compare this to the average cost of installing a concrete slab—$6 per square foot.
Number of Cars | Size (Sq. Ft.) | Average Cost |
---|---|---|
1 | 240 | $600 |
2 | 480 | $1,200 |
3 | 720 | $1,800 |
Labor will account for 40% to 80% of your total and averages $360 for a single-car driveway. Labor costs will decrease a bit with larger driveways, so expect to pay closer to 40% to 50% on labor if you have a two-car or three-car driveway.
Crushed concrete is loose aggregate, so unlike poured concrete driveway costs, your prices won’t go up based on driveway shape. Your professionals won’t need to make more complex forms as they would when pouring concrete, so the installation costs per square foot will always be about the same.
There are some other minor costs to consider that can impact your total.
Delivery fees for crushed concrete range between $10 and $25 per ton. Depending on the depth, a single-car driveway will need between three and five tons. That puts your delivery fees between $30 and $125. Delivery fees can be higher if you live in a remote area that takes longer to reach.
The depth you’re aiming for on your driveway will play a role in your total price, mostly because it affects the material costs. The average crushed concrete driveway is 4 to 6 inches thick and includes a base layer of gravel or paver base, followed by a thicker layer of crushed concrete. Thicker driveways might be necessary if you have poor soil conditions or plan on parking commercial vehicles on your driveway.
Thickness (In.) | Average Cost |
---|---|
4 | $1,000 |
6 | $1,250 |
8 | $1,800 |
12 | $2,400 |
Many homeowners choose to install some kind of border or landscape curbing around their crushed concrete driveways to help contain the loose aggregate and create a more professional, finished appearance. Landscape curbing costs between $15 and $20 per linear foot, depending on the material you choose. For a single-car driveway, you’ll need an average of 54 linear feet, putting your total for this add-on between $800 and $1,100.
Unless you’re installing a driveway where there wasn’t one previously, you’ll need to consider the cost to break up and haul away the old driveway material, which will total between $1 and $6 per square foot, depending on the material. For a one-car garage, you’ll pay between $240 and $1,440.
Delivering crushed concrete or gravel is a job you’ll need to hire a concrete professional for, as it’s extremely heavy and requires commercial vehicles. However, once your aggregate is delivered, you can spread it yourself to save an average of $250 on labor costs. Delivery will cost an average of $100, and the material itself will cost between $600 and $900, so your total for a DIY installation will sit between $700 and $1,000.
Crushed concrete is heavy, and working with it will kick up quite a lot of dust that’s dangerous to inhale. You can consider DIYing if you have the proper safety equipment, but to save your back and protect yourself from the dust, don’t be afraid to call on a concrete driveway company near you for help.
There are a few key pros and cons of crushed concrete driveways to consider before choosing this material.
Versatility: Use crushed concrete across a large area of your landscape, especially if you're not ready to lay down something more permanent. You can use the material everywhere, from the area around your garden to your driveway, offering a streamlined look across your property.
Cost: Crushed concrete is one of the most affordable driveway materials, costing $0.50 less than gravel per square foot and less than half of the cost of a poured concrete driveway per square foot.
Eco-Friendliness: Purchasing crushed concrete keeps pre-used construction materials out of landfills, so you can feel good about giving it a second life.
Ease of Installation: Unlike installing a concrete or asphalt driveway, this is an installation you can handle yourself. If you decide to call a local concrete driveway professional, the process will only take a few hours since you won’t need to wait for a poured material to set.
Permeability: Crushed concrete is better than asphalt and poured concrete if you have drainage issues on your property. Installing a permeable driveway can save you from erosion, stormwater runoff, and damage from rock salt. Crushed concrete is an excellent option for designing a permeable driveway, either with permeable pavers, a grid to hold the concrete in place, or on its own.
Durability: Most importantly, crushed concrete is not held in place. Driving and walking over the surface will likely move rocks out of place, meaning that you will frequently need to keep your driveway tidy, especially if you have a steep incline driveway. If you're looking for the textured look of crushed concrete but need more stability, you can also consider exposed aggregate concrete.
Appearance: You won't get that streamlined, modern look with crushed concrete, so keep this in mind if you're trying to increase your curb appeal. It won’t look as sleek or as clean compared to asphalt or pavers.
Compaction: As you drive and walk over your crushed concrete, it will compact into itself and eventually sink several inches into the ground. You will need to top up your driveway, especially in the areas where your tires press into the ground.
Dust: This type of concrete will kick up a lot of dust during installation, and you’ll notice some dust long after that point, too, especially if your driveway sees heavy traffic.
A crushed concrete driveway is one of the most affordable driveway options, but there are still some ways to keep costs down you may want to consider.
Spread the crushed concrete yourself: You’ll need a pro to deliver your crushed cement and concrete, but once it’s on-site, you can spread it yourself with some basic tools and safety equipment.
Minimize the driveway depth: The thicker you make your driveway, the more you’ll pay in both materials and labor per square foot. Keep your driveway between 4 and 6 inches thick if you don’t need it to support heavy vehicles.
Forego landscape curbing: Landscape curbing can improve the appearance of your crushed concrete driveway and add more value to your home, but it can easily double the cost of your driveway installation. Consider passing unless you’re going for a cleaner look.
A crushed concrete driveway normally won’t have a major effect on your home value, in part because it’s a basic option that doesn’t add much in the way of curb appeal. You’ll get much more of a bump to home value from a poured concrete driveway. However, if you’re coming from a driveway that suffers from heavy staining, cracks, or potholes, you could see a return on investment (ROI) of between 50% and 70% from installing one.
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A yard of crushed concrete costs between $20 and $50. A single-car driveway will need 1.5 to 2.5 yards of crushed concrete, putting your material costs between $30 and $125, which is much less than you’ll pay for most driveway paving methods. Your total could vary based on the thickness you’re going for, and, of course, total prices will increase with added square footage for driveways that fit multiple cars.
A crushed concrete driveway can last a lifetime if you maintain it properly. Concrete is extremely durable and will resist physical damage and weathering from snow and rain for centuries, and since you don’t need to worry about a slab cracking or sinking concrete as a result of soil movement and freezing temperatures, there’s minimal maintenance and no need for repairs. You’ll just need to make sure the aggregate stays inside the borders of your driveway, and you may need to deal with weed growth through the material over time.
Placing either a layer of mixed-size gravel or a paver base under your crushed concrete driveway is a good idea. The smaller pieces will compress and prevent the larger pieces of concrete from driving into the soil below, helping to avoid sinking over time under the weight of vehicles. For added protection from sinking and weeks, you can also install a heavy-duty weed liner beneath the gravel or paver base. Just be sure to use a permeable material to avoid drainage problems.