When people search for cheap alternatives for their driveway, crushed concrete is one of the many options they initially consider. So, to answer the question, is crushed concrete good for driveways, yes it is. But there are limitations to using crushed concrete.
For starters, the style of crushed concrete is very limiting. You can only use it in rural areas. You certainly do not want some crushed concrete welcoming guests at your modern house, in a thoroughly modern neighbourhood.
The search for crushed concrete starts the moment you look for a cheaper alternative than gravel. For starters, gravel is a rather cheap driveway product. But there are always cheaper alternatives, and one of them is crushed concrete.
What Is Crushed Concrete?
The best way to decide whether crushed concrete is good for driveways is to delve into the details of the product itself. There are few places that recycle materials and then resell them to the public. Paving companies do this all the time, bringing large blocks of concrete or asphalt to these yards. The crusher then crushes and mills the big blocks, and resells the paving or filling material as crushed concrete.
Most of the recycled concrete comes from old structures. When these old structures are demolished or renovated, companies in the field of recycling collect the material from demolition sites. They put it through a crushing plant to create a new product, which is the crushed concrete.
And unlike concrete, crushed concrete is more eco-friendly. Homeowners interested in adopting green construction practices have many alternatives to concrete. You can use this recycled material for patios and driveways.
Prices of crushed concrete change all the time. It all depends on supply and demand. When there are large paving jobs, and companies deal with huge amount of material that they are trying to get rid of, the price will go down. Some companies even give away crushed concrete for free when they clean the plant. But the price is usually 2 to 3 times cheaper than gravel.
Benefits Of Crushed Concrete
There are many benefits of crushed concrete. There are also limitations. Therefore, if you want to know is crushed concrete good for driveways, let’s look at the benefits of the material.
The first and main reason people use this material is price. Crushed concrete is less expensive, resulting in cost savings. The first builder paid the full price of concrete at the time of using the structural filler, and the recycled version comes with a lower landfill tax.
The material is just cheaper to produce, meaning it is cheaper for buying. And when you save on driveway material, you can spend more on decorative surfacing materials instead.
Another benefit we touched upon earlier is the green effect. Crushed concrete is eco-friendly, and is characterised as a “green construction material”. You are giving a new lease of life to the unwanted concrete, that involves little processing to produce it.
And despite being a recycled material, crushed concrete has a relatively long lifespan as well.
Last, but not least, it is a multifunctional material that can be used in different applications. You can use the material for driveways, patios, and also for land-filling tasks, like laying a foundation of a new home, or extending the basement of your property.