DIY Asphalt removal

[Weisass]

Is it worth it? We have about 600-800sqft of unecessary asphalt that I wish we didn't have. I would like to get rid of a lot of it and convert it to landscaping. Would you do that job yourself? Why or why not?

[Papa bear]

Is it worth it? We have about 600-800sqft of unecessary asphalt that I wish we didn't have. I would like to get rid of a lot of it and convert it to landscaping. Would you do that job yourself? Why or why not?

Are you planning on renting a mini excavator or bobcat and a dump truck? That would be the only way I would even remotely consider DIYing that.  You may find it cheaper just to pay a company to do this and they’ll have it done in a few hours.   

Now, after it’s removed? I’d DIY that on my own house.  Calculate how many yards of topsoil you need, have it delivered, and move it around yourself. 


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[Paper Chaser]

If you've got access to cheap machinery, then have at it. Otherwise, yours talking about some pretty brutal labor, and then you've got to get rid of it. I'd be very tempted to have that done and hauled off by a pro. They'll do it in a day. Keep in mind that there should be a bunch of gravel base under the asphalt as well that you'll probably have to remove for your landscaping to work.

[lthenderson]

I would absolutely remove it if I didn't want or need it. I think asphalt just continues to look worse the older it gets as more cracks develop and weeds start growing up in those cracks. I would absolutely not DIY it for a couple reasons. The biggest reason is disposal of all that asphalt and how you get it from where it is on your property to there. By the time you pay fees, trash out personal vehicles, take up space in a landfill somewhere, etc., it would probably be cheaper to just hire someone with a skid steer and a dump trailer to spend an hour doing it for you.  What I would do DIY is just being your own contractor. So after you arrange to have it removed and hauled off, you can arrange to hire someone else to bring back some top soil, spread it out and then seed it over early this spring.

[Morning Glory]

I've done it myself before, but the asphalt was in really bad shape and could be pried up in chunks with a shovel. I am small and not very strong, so it was good exercise.  I augmented the soil with compost from my city recycling center and planted a garden.

 I didn't know it was there because it was winter when I bought the house. It was a nasty surprise in the spring.
Disposal was a problem. I dumped it in a big pile behind my garage where nobody could see it.

[Fishindude]

It's a pretty easy job as residential asphalt is typically not very thick.  The challenge will be .... do you have something to haul it away with and a place to dump it?