Paving services · Nanaimo
Gravel-to-Asphalt Conversion in Nanaimo
A gravel drive excavated, based and paved in one job.
Nanaimo Paving turns gravel drives into asphalt across Cedar, Nanoose Bay and the rest of the Regional District of Nanaimo. It runs $6.50 to $12.00 a square foot, or $2,600 to $7,200 on a 400 to 600 square foot drive. We excavate the gravel and build a proper base first, which is why it costs more than a repave.
A conversion is $6.50 to $12.00 a square foot. The excavation, the base build and hauling the old gravel away all sit inside that rate.
Why it costs more than repaving
A gravel drive has no base you can pave on. Loose gravel moves, and asphalt laid over it moves with it. So we take the gravel out, shape the ground underneath, and build a compacted base before any asphalt is ordered. That extra work is the difference between $6.50 to $12.00 a square foot here and $5.00 to $9.50 for a straight new driveway.
Getting the water off it
A gravel drive sheds water anywhere it likes. Asphalt does not, so we set the shape of the drive to send water where you want it before we pave. On a long approach that usually means a crown or a cross-fall, and sometimes a drain at the low end.
What you get at the end
A single sealed surface with cut edges, no loose stone tracking into the garage, and nothing to rake back into place after a delivery truck has been up it. We clear the site and take the excavated gravel away.
How a conversion goes
- 1
We measure and price it — we walk the whole drive, measure it, and put one written price together after that visit.
- 2
We confirm the permit position — we work out which authority your driveway access falls under before anything starts.
- 3
We excavate and base it — the gravel comes out, the ground gets shaped to drain, and we build and compact the base.
- 4
We pave and clear the site — hot-mix asphalt goes down and is compacted, the edges are cut in, and the spoil goes with us.
What does the ground around Nanaimo change?
We do this work across Cedar, Cassidy and the rural side of Nanoose Bay, where the approach can run a long way off the road. The length is what moves the price, along with how much of the ground under the gravel has to be reshaped before it will drain.
What does a typical job look like?
- The problem
- A long gravel approach in Cedar washes into ruts and drops stone across the road at the bottom.
- What makes it harder
- There is no base under the gravel and the ground falls the wrong way at the top of the drive.
- What we do
- We excavate it, reshape the ground so the water leaves at the side, build the base, and pave the whole approach.
People also ask
Can you just pave over the gravel?
No. Loose gravel is not a base, and asphalt laid on it moves. The gravel comes out and a compacted base goes in.
What does a gravel-to-asphalt conversion cost?
$6.50 to $12.00 a square foot. Across 400 to 600 square feet that comes to $2,600 to $7,200.
Do you take the old gravel away?
Yes. The excavated material leaves with us and the site is cleared.
Will it drain better than the gravel did?
It drains where we shape it to. We set the crown or cross-fall before paving so water leaves the drive on purpose.
For the related work, see new asphalt driveways and asphalt repair, or compare typical prices in the paving cost guide. See also Cedar and Nanoose Bay.
Paving in nearby communities
Want a price on paving in Nanaimo?
We come out and measure the driveway, then put one price in writing.