Driveways are the one hardscape where the cheapest option and the most expensive option are separated by a factor of four, and where the cheapest option is sometimes genuinely the right answer. What decides it is not the price per square foot. It is the price per year of service, and how much frost heave your base is built to survive.
Quick price summary by material
| Material | Per sqft installed | 600 sqft driveway | Lifespan in Ontario | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel | $3 – $8 | $1,800 – $4,800 | Ongoing top-up | $150 – $400 |
| Asphalt | $8 – $15 | $4,800 – $9,000 | 15 – 22 years | $290 – $520 |
| Broom concrete | $14 – $23 | $8,400 – $13,800 | 25 – 35 years | $300 – $470 |
| Exposed aggregate | $19 – $29 | $11,400 – $17,400 | 25 – 35 years | $400 – $600 |
| Stamped concrete | $22 – $34 | $13,200 – $20,400 | 20 – 30 years | $520 – $830 |
| Interlocking pavers | $24 – $42 | $14,400 – $25,200 | 30 – 45 years | $400 – $700 |
| Permeable pavers | $28 – $48 | $16,800 – $28,800 | 30 – 45 years | $470 – $800 |
Look at the last column rather than the third. Over the life of the surface, asphalt and interlock are much closer than the install price suggests, and interlock is the only one of the group you can lift, repair and put back rather than replace.
Base depth is the whole ball game in Ontario
Everything above depends on what is under it. Ontario frost drives down 1.2 m in a hard winter, and a driveway carries vehicle loads that a patio never sees. The base spec that separates a driveway that lasts from one that fails in five years is not visible once the job is finished, which is exactly why it is the first thing cut from a cheap quote.
| Element | Patio spec | Driveway spec (correct) |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation depth | 230 – 300 mm | 350 – 450 mm |
| Compacted granular A base | 150 – 200 mm | 250 – 350 mm |
| Compaction lifts | 2 lifts | 3 to 4 lifts of 100 mm |
| Geotextile over subgrade | Recommended | Required on clay |
| Bedding layer | 25 mm HPB or coarse sand | 25 mm HPB, never sand |
| Edge restraint | Standard | Heavy duty, spiked at 250 mm |
When you compare driveway quotes, the excavation depth and the granular A depth are the two numbers to insist on in writing. A quote offering interlock at $18 per square foot is almost always achieving that by digging 200 mm instead of 400 mm. You will get three good winters out of it.
What else lands on the invoice
| Line item | 2026 cost |
|---|---|
| Remove and dispose existing asphalt | $1.50 – $2.75 per sqft |
| Remove and dispose existing concrete | $2.50 – $4.00 per sqft |
| Regrading for positive drainage away from the house | $500 – $2,500 |
| Trench drain across the garage apron | $900 – $2,600 |
| Catch basin and connection | $800 – $2,200 |
| Curb cut or widening permit | $150 – $900 |
| New curb cut construction by the city | $1,200 – $4,500 |
| Retaining or step work at a raised garage | $1,500 – $9,000 |
| Soldier course border in a contrasting paver | $14 – $26 per linear foot |
| Snow melt cable under pavers | $22 – $38 per sqft |
| Sealing, interlock (year two, then every 3 to 5) | $1.20 – $2.50 per sqft |
| Sealing, asphalt (every 2 to 4 years) | $0.35 – $0.75 per sqft |
Permits and by-laws, which do apply to driveways
Homeowners routinely assume a driveway is unregulated. It is not. Across Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville the common constraints are:
- Maximum driveway width as a proportion of lot frontage. Widening an existing driveway is the most frequently refused landscaping request in this region.
- Minimum soft landscaping in the front yard. Several municipalities cap how much of the front yard can be hard surface, which rules out paving the whole frontage.
- Curb cut approval from the municipality for any new or widened access to the road. This is a separate application from any building permit and the city usually does the cut itself.
- Boulevard work between the sidewalk and the curb, which is municipal land even though you mow it.
Confirm the current rules with your city before you commit, because widening refusals after a deposit has been paid are common. Permeable paving is sometimes treated more favourably in the soft-landscaping calculation, which can be the difference between an approval and a refusal.
Choosing between the materials
Pick asphalt if
Budget is the deciding factor, the driveway is long, or you want the job done in a day. It is quiet underfoot, it hides dirt, and it is the only surface you can genuinely resurface rather than replace: a 2 inch overlay at year 15 costs about 45% of a new driveway and buys another decade.
Pick concrete if
You want a clean uniform look with low maintenance and no weeds. Its weakness in Ontario is that it cracks, and there is no such thing as an invisible concrete repair. Control joints manage where it cracks rather than whether. De-icing salt on concrete under five years old causes surface scaling, so plan on sand for the first two winters.
Pick interlock if
You are planning to stay, and you care how the front of the house looks. It is the only surface that is repairable: lift the affected pavers, correct the base, reset the same pavers, and the repair is invisible. It also handles frost movement better than a monolithic slab because the joints flex. It costs the most up front and it needs joint sand topped up and the surface sealed periodically.
Pick permeable pavers if
Water pools on your property, you are at the bottom of a slope, or your municipality is counting hard surface against you. The open-graded base stores and infiltrates runoff rather than sending it to the street. It costs 15% to 20% more and the joints need vacuuming out every few years to stay permeable.
Signs your driveway needs replacing rather than repairing
- Alligator cracking across an asphalt surface. That is base failure, not surface failure, and sealing it is money wasted.
- Water running toward the garage or the foundation. A grading problem. Resurfacing keeps the problem.
- Settled areas deeper than 25 mm that hold water and turn to ice.
- Concrete scaling where the top surface flakes away and exposes aggregate over large areas.
- Interlock with widespread rutting in the wheel tracks, which means the base was under-built and the whole area needs lifting and rebuilding.
- Repeated patching. If you have patched three times in five years, the base is telling you something.
Getting the timing right
Asphalt needs air temperatures above roughly 10 C to compact properly, which in this region means late April to late October, and quality is best in the warmer months. Concrete can be poured in shoulder season with blankets and admixtures but pours after mid November get expensive and risky. Interlock can be installed almost any time the ground is not frozen, which makes it the most schedule-flexible of the three and often the one still available in October.
Booking in the winter for spring work is worth 5% to 12% on most quotes in this market, and it puts you at the front of the queue rather than at the back of a May rush.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a two-car driveway cost in Ontario?
A typical 600 sqft two-car driveway in 2026 runs about $4,800 to $9,000 in asphalt, $8,400 to $13,800 in broom concrete and $14,400 to $25,200 in interlocking pavers, before removal of the old surface.
Is interlock worth it over asphalt for a driveway?
On cost per year of service they are closer than the install prices suggest, because interlock lasts twice as long and is repairable in place. The real reasons to choose it are appearance and repairability. The real reason to choose asphalt is upfront cost.
How deep should a driveway base be in Ontario?
Excavate 350 to 450 mm and build 250 to 350 mm of compacted granular A in lifts no thicker than 100 mm, with geotextile over clay subgrade. A driveway base built to patio depth is the most common cause of early failure in this climate.
Do I need a permit to widen my driveway?
Usually yes. Most municipalities in this region cap driveway width relative to lot frontage and require approval for any new or widened curb cut. Confirm with the city before signing a contract, because refusals after a deposit are common.
Can I pave over my existing driveway?
An asphalt overlay works if the base underneath is sound and the grade is correct. It does not work over alligator cracking, over settled areas or where water runs toward the house, because you are simply reproducing the old surface at a higher elevation.
How long before I can drive on a new driveway?
Asphalt: light vehicles after 24 to 72 hours, no heavy loads or sharp turns for about 30 days. Concrete: 7 days for cars, 28 days for anything heavy. Interlock: as soon as the joints are sanded and compacted, usually the same day.
Does salt damage a driveway?
Yes, most of all on concrete under five years old, where it causes surface scaling. Use sand for traction on new concrete for the first two winters. Interlock tolerates salt better but the joint sand needs topping up more often, and asphalt is largely unaffected by salt though it is damaged by fuel and oil.
- Our interlocking patio and driveway service
- Asphalt vs interlock vs concrete driveways compared
- How to choose the right paver
- Why is my interlock sinking?
- How to seal interlocking pavers
Choosing stamped concrete? See the full stamped concrete cost guide for pattern and colour pricing, control joints and salt scaling.