HomeFocus.com Create Listing
Contractor Directory Talk Boards Ask the Expert Resource Library Top Real Estate Agents Home Plans
Home | Contact Us | Job Opportunities | Client Login


It's fast, easy
& free!

click here


Login

Username
Password

I forgot my password




Ren Molnar Bio



Ren Molnar Archive



Homefocus Archive


Expert Q Ren Molnar Q&A Archive
Top > Community Pros > Contract

Question:

Regarding overlaying driveway with asphalt vs digging and replacing after 15 years; what do you recommend? We plan staying in this house for ever!

Answer:

Your reputable contractor is best to tell you that. It depends very much on how the sub-structure of the driveway has endured the past fifteen years and it takes experience to determine that.

Answered By: Ren Molnar

More Questions & Answers ...

1. My wife & I plan on building a new house next year, with ourselves acting as the general contractor, do you ha ...
2. I would like to install a gas log set in my existing fireplace. It is open on two sides at right angles. At pr ...
3. I have several inter-related questions re: my home in Windsor, Ontario. I have a 35-40 yr old 3 level side spl ...
4. I'm buying a new home from an Ottawa, Ontario builder; their technology is to use for exterior walls 1.5" pane ...
5. I was reading an article in the identifying you as the home improvement Guru. I spoken to an expert who came ...
6. Our elevated bungalow is about 25-30 years old. The garage has one wall with bricks on it, there is bricking a ...
7. My daughter has purchased a new home in Kanata, Ontario with takeover/closing this month. She mentioned that t ...
8. Regarding overlaying driveway with asphalt vs digging and replacing after 15 years; what do you recommend? We ...
9. We have an oversized double garage and live in an area prone to shifting due to clay. The asphalt floor and d ...
10. We live in Pickering, Ontario in an older established neighbourhood. This summer the town will be installing s ...
11. I take possession of a 50 year old house as of August 1 2008. I’ve completed arrangements to move in on Aug ...
12. we have an interlocking stone border around our driveway
a kind friend came after the 50 cm snowfall with h ...
13. We are installing chain link fence on our property and I would like to know (generally speaking) what is the n ...
14. I have been put in charge to find contractors to bid on various projects in our Co-op. These projects involve ...
15. i am looking at purchasing a property with an unfinished basement and converting it completely to an in-law su ...
16. I just had a new cedar fence installed and when I put pressure on the posts the panels sway and rattle. One si ...
17. What should I look for when hiring a home building contractor, or any type of contractor for that matter.
...
18. seriously thinking of buying a 3 storey but have some concerns about a stairway from the 2nd to 3rd floor. as ...
19. I had my driveway paved with concrete in July. The contractor poured the concrete and began smoothing it out ...
20. The floor in my bathroom is leaking into the ceiling of my kitchen. My handyman told me not to use the shower ...
21. I have an old farmhouse, the middle part is approx. 120yrs plus. The front addition is approx. 30 yrs. and th ...
22. I am going for my pre delivery inspection on Monday. Could you please let me know what I should look for when ...
23. We are embarking on the fun journey of finishing our basement. Our first job is to install a 16ft. I-beam for ...
24. what is your opinion on getting your furnace duck's cleaned out? ...
25. Can you recommend how to choose an electrician and/or a roofer. I have no way of knowing how to judge reliabil ...
26. My wife and I listen to your show quite often but have never heard you talk about what contractors need to car ...
27. Had new eaves intalled, initial estimate of $500 went to $1500, as they recommened new facia as well. I paid ...
28. Am renovating an older RV and need to find some dark panelling. Have checked various big boxes and no one see ...
29. Am considering purchasing a 'historical board' protected home, a small cottage style home (approx. 1 ...
30. We have a two story, 16 year old home with a walkout basement in the rear. I repaired a crack in the (stepped ...
31. Want to add an addition (approx. 22' x 20' ) from front room. Keep internal wall and add french door ...
32. Planning a home renovation. Can you direct me to printed advice on how to go about this in terms of how many e ...
33. We want to do a kitchen renovation which includes knocking out a wall to open it up but we're unsure of w ...
34. I have an awkward little area in my apartment where several rooms and entries are accessed. The person who put ...
35. I have two decorative wood columns which support the roof of my front porch. Between the cement porch and the ...
36. I have finally selected a contractor to renovate a room in my basement including putting up dryall, electrical ...
37. I have a house that is approx 2 years old. There was a leak in the basement where the sump pipe goes through t ...
38. We are having house built with a cold storage room in the basement. The foundation walls were poured about a ...
39. I asked you previously about this. 3" maple site finished flooirng has gaps you can fit a twonie and a loonie ...
40. My wife and I would like to build an extension to our garage to make it a two-car garage. Because of limitati ...
41. I am looking for someone who can arbitrate between myself and a construction company that did some work in our ...
42. We have downsized to a new apartment in Kanata (ON). When you turn on a fan in 1 bathroom the other one comes ...
43. We have a 6 mos. old home we have natural on-site installed maple flooring. Since November the planks have be ...
44. My husband and I would like to add an addition to our home to enlarge our Kitchen area. The extra space would ...
45. I am planning to put on a 500 sq ft addition on my house. I have a side split home and would like to add anoth ...
46. We are building a house in the Spring and I was wondering if you have ever used the servces of (?) Home Buildi ...
47. Yesterday my fire alarm went off.I turned the breaker off but still the alarm on bedroom level won't shut ...
48. We're about to sign a contract with a renovator. What should we be sure to include and what should we be ...
49. Unknown to me, my roof has been leaking for about the past year. This is a 2 story house and due to the incorr ...
50. had our bathroom done over, we had a stand up shower, and tub put in, and they put ceramic tiles on the floor, ...
51. Is there such a person who will come to your home and help you design a finished basement/family room. We hav ...
52. Our attemps to repair our leaky foundation (poured concrete) failed due to massiv cave-ins during excavation. ...
53. I have recently moved into a new home & after my home closed we discovered that the Builder dug the foundation ...
54. My husband and I had an addition put on in the Summer of 2001. We've tried to contact the contractor on ...
55. I live in a newly built home. The main and ensuite bathrooms both have ceramic floors that squeak when walked ...
56. We have a couple of water leaks into the basement of our 1985 house. One is near an electric panel, and it may ...
57. I am inquiring about build my first home without going thru the home builder. Home building cost increased so ...
58. I own a house that I rent, and my tenants just told me that there was a leak in the bathroom floor, and the wa ...
59. we are starting to do a renovation and have an older building which must meet fire code for the ceilings and f ...
60. We just bought a terrace home with bedrooms and tv room in basement.In all 3 rooms the floors are on a slope g ...
61. We live in a 2 year old 2 storey home in Aylmer (Que). Basically the floors on the first floor are always too ...
62. our home was built 3 years ago and we just find out that our contractor who went bankrupt put only 1 inch of c ...
63. Several years ago, water started to appear in my basement, in bad storms, in a corner close to where the garag ...
64. Is it feasible to reconstruct an old farm house from top to bottom, with a second floor addition as well. Ha ...
65. We hired a company to paint our home exterior. They used a pressure washer to prep the surface. We suffered w ...
66. I am not sure that you are familiar with (?) builders in Indianapolis, but they are a new home builder. I was ...
67. We have a split level 3 BR home. We would like to do a room addition--a master bedroom/full bath combination. ...
68. How can I fire a contractor that I'm unhappy with and settle up fairly and legally? ...
69. I plan to put on an addition soon.My contractor will hire subcontractors.In the event that the contractor is n ...
70. I've engaged with a gentlemen to build an enclosed patio for me, I was introduced to him by a friend of my ...
71. How can you find out if a contractor first is licenced and whether or not he carries insurance? Is there a way ...
72. Should the contractor be able to provide an itemized listing of costs for the remodel, ie. how much each cabin ...
73. I am having vinyl placed on all my wood trim on my brick home. I have four gables, and the contractors are wa ...
74. I have a second floor condo. The floor bounces when walking. I just had a tile counter top installed and it is ...
75. I am getting ready to have a contractor screen in an existing deck with a gable roof. The contractor said he ...
76. what is the 10% holdback law? ...
77. I am having my attic renovated and we agreed on 50% down initially--however upon some minor adjustments my con ...
78. How cost effective is it when planning renovations to do the tear down work ourselves? Do contractors charge ...
79. If I would change my mind in using him because he wants to charge me for the Perf. Bond, do I lose the $3000.0 ...
80. My bank is requesting the Perf. Bond due to some credit issues my contractor has. What I actually wanted to k ...
81. We have a contractor finishing our basement. My husband had pretty much completed it prior to the contracor c ...
82. My contractor is asking me to pay for a Performance Bond he has to get from a bank to add a two story, do I ha ...
83. We recently had a steel roof installed by a reputable company, but the end result was an unprofessional, slopp ...
84. Would you by any chance be able to recommend a roofing contractor in Ottawa (ON) to re-roof a bungalow owned ...
85. i am getting ready to build my first house and was wondering if would be beneficial to have the builder screen ...
86. Does a contractor have to have a license to do asbestos and/or mold abatement? ...
87. At the end of 1999 I had a full addition to the basement plus main floor put in by home. After a year the new ...
88. We have three quotes from reputable landscapers to provide an interlock front walkway and ashpalt paved drivew ...
89. I am getting two opinions on insulating my old cottage walls. I am putting in a new kitchen and also consideri ...
90. I have a partial ptf basement walls (10x25). I am afraid the contractor I hired did not have the required know ...
91. Hi Ren, we have a new construction house with (?), the problem we have is that the one beam spans almost the e ...
92. I bought a new house about 3 years ago, and the basement leaks really bad. My house is supose to have a warran ...
93. We contracted to have an addition to our house. We had been shopping around for window prices and had receive ...
94. I am remodeling my kitchen. I hired someboday to install granite for the counter top. We bought the stone from ...
95. We are revovating a family home. I have gotten all of the contractors to perform the work. We at first were th ...
96. I am interested in building a new house where I plan on doing the contracting with help from an experienced bu ...
97. We recently hired a contractor to knock out our existing livingroom wall and extend it into our garage area. I ...
98. How do painting contractors estimate their fee? For example, a new house would need 3 coats, primer +2; what a ...
99. I enjoy your show . Could you please let me know where I can purchase your newsletter. ...
100. I'm looking at having a new home built and I'm nervous about the strength and thickness of the subfloo ...
101. Is the Ontario Building Code applied Province wide or do Municipalities have some discretion. My two year old ...
102. Attic has blown-in insulation and when I look up into the attic,I only see light from the two mushroom vents. ...
103.
I listen to your show often and really enjoy it. Keep up the good work. Recently, my wife and I had the r ...
104.
We are building a new home, and the builder told us that the house wrap is only used (as a standard featur ...
105. Ren, what is a fair price to pay an installer of hardwood floors?Job consis ...
106. Our foundation that has been painted requires parging. Areas where there is no parging were also painted. Is i ...
107. We are planning quite a bit of work for our home. (ie: replace carpet with hardwood floors, some rennovations ...
108. We are going to finish our basement. The ceilings are quite low so we need to dig out the basement and go down ...
109. Our nephew, a first time home buyer has been looking at houses in Hamilton (Ontario) where he works and wants ...
110. The patio is covered with an "applied stone chip" product. This was laid abut 2 1/2yrs ago and has now mildew ...
111. Ren, 3 toilets in my house don't flush well. The house was renovated and ever since, the toilets don't flush s ...
112. My 30 year old detached garage has developed a 4 inch sag in the roof line. This is a 2 car garage about 20x24 ...
113. The first floor bathroom (there is no bathroom on the second floor) is currently being redone; new fixtures a ...
114. We have a two story brick house 25 years old. There is a wood balcony accessed through sliding doors in the ma ...
115. We cannot afford a contractor to dig around the perimeter and raise the cottage to put in a footing and lay bl ...
116. Just wanted your opinion regarding the upstairs floors of a 22 year old home. They are parquet hardwood throu ...
117. Ren, we are getting quotes on hardwood floor and have been given some conflicting information. One person say ...
118. Could you please educate me regarding the repair of a wet basement? The home is a bungalow dated about 40-50 y ...
119. Who could I get to remove the windows and drill the 3/l6 inch holes to ventilate the thermally glazed windows? ...
120. I faithfully listen to your show on Saturday mornings on CHUM in Toronto, Ontario. We have just installed a 30 ...
121. Our home has a mansard roof and we have to replace the shingles on the four sides. We have quotes from four ro ...
122. We'd like to replace the old vinyl tile in our kitchen with vinyl sheet flooring. Several of the tiles are bro ...
123. When our living room hardwood floor was refinished, the contractor hung a plastic sheet to prevent dust from e ...
124. My husband and I own a home that was built in 1956. We know it needs some repair. What kind of professional sh ...
125. My basement floor, along the length of our driveway is seeping water. We own a house that is about 60 years ol ...
126. Could you advise me on the need to replace all the clay in the driveway rather than just the top two feet. On ...
127. In the process of waterproofing my house, approximately half of my drive way will have to be torn up. I have ...
128. I have a 30 year old home with a flat roof. My roof has been leaking. But water has leaked through the 2nd f ...
129. We have 50 year old cement asbestos shingle siding on our cottage. They are in good shape but the surface coat ...
130. I have a nasty mess on my driveway caused by a very leaky engine. The driveway is tarmac and it has soaked in ...
131. We presently have compressed wood siding on our home of 28 years that needs replacing. To date we have receiv ...
132. My home has a poured concrete foundation with 2 rows of concrete block added to the top. The seam between the ...
133. I own a cedar sided home and I need to re-stain this spring but not before I strip the old stain. I have bee ...
134. We have a 30 year old 2-story house and we are finishing our basement. I received a quote from a local company ...
135. A caller to your show inquired about hardwood flooring, stating that some cracks developed between the boards ...
136. Problem: need new roof, area, 5000 sq. ft. (4 foot overhang all around bungalow), pitch, about 2 1/2 - 12. Hav ...
137. I did a bunch of research, and I learned the following: Asbestos was not used much before the 1930s. After t ...
138. The house the kids bought is 50 years old it is a bungalow that was converted into a story and a half. Whoever ...
139. Some neighbors have trouble plastic pipes freezing - the ones located in the wall between the bedroom over the ...

Home Plans