Spring Driveway Inspection Checklist for Michigan City Homeowners
Winter has a funny way of covering up driveway problems.
For a few months, you're dealing with snow, ice, slush, salt, and everything else that
comes with winter in Michigan City. Most people aren't exactly walking around the
driveway looking for cracks when it's 20 degrees outside.
Then spring comes around.
The snow melts, everything dries out, and you start noticing things.
There's a crack you don't remember seeing last fall.
One edge looks like it's starting to break apart.
There's a puddle sitting near the garage that wasn't there before.
Maybe there's even a pothole beginning to form.
This doesn't necessarily mean your driveway is in serious trouble.
But spring is a good time to take a walk around and see how everything held up.
You'd be surprised how much you can learn just by looking.
Start With the Cracks
Cracks are probably the first thing most people notice.
The important thing is not to panic every time you see one.
Asphalt doesn't stay perfect forever. A driveway can have a few cracks and still have
plenty of life left in it.
What we're more interested in is whether anything changed over winter.
Did an old crack get wider?
Are there new cracks nearby?
Is water sitting inside them?
Are several cracks starting to connect?
A couple isolated cracks may just need attention before water has more time to work its
way underneath.
When you start seeing a whole group of connected cracks, that's different.
That pattern is commonly called alligator cracking, and we've gone into more detail
about what causes it in our What Causes Alligator Cracking in Asphalt Driveways in
Michigan City guide.
The short version is that sometimes the crack you're looking at isn't really the main
problem.
The problem may be underneath it.
Take a Look at Any Potholes
Potholes are a little harder to ignore.
If one showed up over winter, take a look at the pavement around it too.
Don't just look at the hole.
Are there cracks spreading away from it?
Does the asphalt around the edge feel loose?
Are little pieces starting to break off?
Does water collect inside it every time it rains?
Those things can tell you quite a bit.
Potholes usually don't appear because the asphalt suddenly decided to fall apart one
morning.
Water, traffic, freezing conditions, and weak pavement underneath can all play a part.
The Federal Highway Administration has studied how moisture and pavement
conditions contribute to this kind of deterioration.
One pothole doesn't automatically mean you need a new driveway.
But it's worth figuring out why it developed.
Check the Driveway After It Rains
This is one of the easiest things you can do.
Wait for a decent spring rain and go outside afterward.
Look at where the water goes.
Most of the driveway may already be drying while one area still has a puddle sitting on
it.
That's the spot you want to pay attention to.
Maybe the pavement settled a little.
Maybe the grade isn't moving water away properly.
Maybe something underneath the driveway has changed.
We recently covered this in our Standing Water on Asphalt in Michigan City: What It
Means and How to Fix It article.
A puddle doesn't look nearly as serious as a pothole, but sometimes it tells you about a
problem before the pothole ever shows up.
Don't Forget About the Edges
People naturally look at the middle of their driveway.
We look at the edges too.
The edges can take a beating over winter, especially if they're already unsupported.
Maybe the soil beside the driveway washed away.
Maybe a tire has been running over the edge every day.
Maybe a snowplow caught part of it.
Whatever the reason, once the edge starts breaking away, water has another place to
get underneath the pavement.
Walk both sides of the driveway and look for cracks, loose asphalt, or sections that are
beginning to crumble.
Our Why Driveway Edges Crumble in Indiana Winters article explains why these
areas tend to give homeowners trouble.
Catching a weak edge early is a whole lot easier than waiting until several feet of
asphalt have broken away.
Look for Spots That Have Sunk
This one isn't always obvious when you're standing directly over it.
Back up a little and look across the driveway.
Sometimes you'll notice a dip that you couldn't really see from above.
If the driveway has sunk in one area, water will usually help you find it because that's
where the puddle forms.
The question is why it sank.
It could be settlement underneath.
It could be a drainage issue.
The base may have lost some of its support.
Whatever caused it, sealcoating isn't going to raise that section back up.
If the pavement physically moved, we want to know what happened underneath before
deciding how to fix the surface.
Look Around the Garage
Take a minute to inspect where the driveway meets the garage.
This area can tell you quite a bit.
Has a gap opened between the driveway and the garage floor?
Does the driveway look lower than it used to?
Is water running toward the garage?
Does water sit right outside the door after rain?
Sometimes homeowners get used to these changes because they happen slowly.
You see the driveway every day, so a small amount of settlement doesn't always jump
out at you.
Compare it with what you remember from last year.
If something looks different, it's worth paying attention to.
Watch for Alligator Cracking
We've mentioned this already, but it deserves another look during a spring inspection.
Alligator cracking doesn't look like one clean crack running across the driveway.
It's a bunch of cracks connected together.
It looks a little like scales.
That's where the name comes from.
When we see this, especially in an area where vehicles regularly drive or park, we start
thinking about what's happening underneath the asphalt.
The pavement may be flexing because the support below it isn't as strong as it used to
be.
One small area doesn't necessarily mean the entire driveway is finished.
But this isn't something you want to hide under a fresh coat of sealer and forget about
either.
Look at the Overall Surface
Now forget about the individual problems for a minute and look at the driveway as a
whole.
How does it look?
Is the asphalt still in pretty good shape?
Has it faded quite a bit?
Does the surface look dry?
Are you seeing a handful of small cracks but nothing structural?
Sometimes you finish a spring inspection and realize the driveway actually made it
through winter pretty well.
That's good.
This may be the point where regular maintenance makes sense.
Crack sealing and sealcoating can both be useful, but they don't do the same job.
We explain that in our Sealcoating vs Crack Sealing in Michigan City guide.
If you're going to spend money maintaining asphalt, you want to use the right treatment for the condition it's actually in.
Think Back to What Happened This Winter
This part is easy to overlook.
You were there all winter.
What did you notice?
Was there one area where ice constantly formed?
Did snowmelt always run toward the same side of the driveway?
Did you hear the snowplow catch an edge?
Did a crack seem to open up during one of the colder stretches?
Did you notice a soft spot during one of those warmer winter days?
All of that information can help.
Michigan City and Northern Indiana don't always go straight from winter into warm
spring weather either.
Freezing temperatures can hang around into spring, which is why the National Weather
Service keeps regional information on spring freeze conditions.
That means a driveway can still go through freezing and thawing even after it feels like
winter is mostly behind us.
Figure Out What Actually Needs Attention
After walking the driveway, don't assume every little flaw needs to be repaired
immediately.
That's not the point of the inspection.
You're trying to separate normal aging from problems that are getting worse.
Maybe you have two cracks that should be sealed.
Maybe one edge needs some attention.
Maybe there's a low spot that should be looked at because water keeps sitting there.
Or maybe you're looking at widespread cracking, potholes, settlement, and drainage
problems across most of the driveway.
Those are very different situations.
And they shouldn't all get the same solution.
A Repair Doesn't Automatically Mean a New
Driveway
This is something worth repeating.
Finding damage doesn't automatically mean we're going to tell you to replace the entire
driveway.
Sometimes one section failed.
Sometimes a drainage problem caused damage in a specific area.
Sometimes cracks were simply left open too long.
Don's Do It All provides asphalt paving and repair services for homeowners and
businesses throughout Michigan City and the surrounding area.
The important thing is figuring out what caused the problem before deciding how much
work actually needs to be done.
When Should You Start Thinking About
Replacement?
This usually becomes a conversation when several problems start showing up together.
The driveway has widespread cracking.
Potholes keep coming back.
Several areas have sunk.
Water sits in multiple spots.
Edges are breaking away.
You've repaired the same sections more than once.
At that point, you have to ask whether continuing to repair individual problems still
makes sense.
Sometimes an overlay may be an option.
Sometimes replacement makes more sense.
Our Asphalt Overlay vs Full Replacement in Michigan City guide goes through those
choices in more detail.
And if you're starting to plan for a new driveway, our Cost to Pave a Driveway in
Michigan City article explains some of the things that can affect the project.
Your Spring Driveway Checklist
You don't need anything complicated.
Walk around and look for:
New cracks
Cracks that got wider over winter
Alligator cracking
Potholes
Loose asphalt
Crumbling edges
Sunken areas
Standing water
Water running toward the garage
Areas that stayed icy during winter
General surface wear
That's really it.
You're mostly looking for changes.
If something looks noticeably different than it did last year, there's probably a reason.
Frequently Asked Questions About Spring Driveway
Inspections
When should I inspect my driveway?
Once the snow and ice are mostly gone, take a walk around. You don't necessarily need
to wait for warm summer weather to spot winter damage.
Does every crack need to be repaired?
Not every crack means serious damage, but open cracks can allow water into the
pavement. It's worth having larger, widening, or unusual cracks looked at.
Should I sealcoat right after winter?
Not automatically. Take care of cracks, potholes, drainage problems, and other
necessary repairs first. Sealcoating isn't meant to hide structural problems.
Is standing water really a problem?
A small puddle isn't necessarily an emergency. But if water sits in the same place after
every storm, it's worth finding out why.
Does one pothole mean the driveway needs replacement?
No. One damaged area may be repairable. We look at the condition of the surrounding
asphalt and what's happening underneath it before making that call.
Final Thoughts
Spring is really just a good excuse to take a closer look at your driveway.
You don't need a tape measure.
You don't need to know everything about asphalt.
Walk around.
Look at the cracks.
Check the edges.
See where the water goes after it rains.
And think about what changed over winter.
Maybe everything looks pretty good.
Great.
Maybe you find one or two things that are worth taking care of before another winter
comes around.
That's good too.
The problems we'd rather find in spring are the small ones.
If you have a driveway in Michigan City, La Porte, or the surrounding Northwest Indiana
area and something doesn't look right after winter, Don's Do It All can take a look and
help you figure out what's going on.
Sometimes it needs a repair.
Sometimes it just needs maintenance.
And sometimes the best news we can give you is that the driveway is doing just fine.
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