Driveway Replacement in Tualatin, Oregon: When It's Worth It & What It Costs

When a Tualatin Driveway Needs Full Replacement

At some point, patching and overlays stop paying off. When the base under your driveway has failed, no surface treatment will hold, and a full tear-out and rebuild is the honest answer. In Tualatin, that point often arrives after years of wet metro winters working into a base that was too shallow, sometimes with mature tree roots adding their own damage from below. Wet soil softens the base, roots lift and crack the surface, and eventually the driveway is beyond repair.

Replacement is the most expensive driveway option, but on a driveway that is genuinely failing it is the only one that lasts. A driveway rebuilt with a deep, well-drained base — and a layout that accounts for the trees — can outlast everything around it. Here is how to know you are at that point and what the work involves in Washington County.

Signs You Need Replacement, Not Repair

Some problems are cosmetic. The ones below are structural and mean the base is done. Our guide to the signs your driveway needs replacement covers each; these are the ones Tualatin driveways show most:

• Alligator cracking — Interconnected reptile-skin cracks mean the base can no longer support the surface.
• Root heaving — Sections lifted and cracked over the roots of mature firs and maples often mean the base is compromised there.
• Sinking — Areas that have dropped usually point to wet soil softening the base beneath.
• Widespread damage — When more than roughly a quarter of the driveway is broken, repeated repairs cost more than replacing.
• Recurring potholes — Potholes that return after patching mean the problem is underneath.
• Drainage failure — Standing water after rain undermines the pavement and speeds every other failure.

If you are seeing root heaving along with cracking and sinking, the base needs rebuilding, not patching.

What a Full Replacement Involves

Replacement is essentially a new install with the old driveway removed first. The base, drainage, and root management are where the lasting value lives.

Demolition and Removal

The crew breaks up and hauls away the old asphalt and any failed base. On Tualatin lots, removal also exposes the drainage problem or root intrusion that caused the failure — the chance to fix the real issue instead of paving over it.

Excavation and Sub-Grade Repair

With the old surface gone, the sub-grade is dug to proper depth, inspected, and compacted. Soft, water-saturated spots get dug out and replaced. Where tree roots caused the failure, the layout may shift slightly or roots may be cleared so the new driveway has a stable, root-free base.

Drainage Correction

A replacement is the time to fix drainage for good — re-grading to shed water, adding drains, or installing a culvert where needed. In a wet climate over moisture-holding soil, managing water is the single most important thing for driveway lifespan.

Base Rock and Compaction

A fresh, deep layer of crushed aggregate base is laid and compacted in lifts, often with a geotextile fabric over wet soil to keep the base from sinking. A new driveway should get a more generous base than the original, especially on the metro's moisture-holding soils.

New Asphalt and Rolling

Hot-mix asphalt is laid in a binder and surface course and rolled while hot. Done right, you get a smooth, sealed driveway built for Tualatin's wet seasons and mature-tree lots.

What Replacement Costs in Tualatin

A full replacement costs more than resurfacing because you pay for demolition, removal, base work, and new asphalt. Industry baseline ranges for full driveway replacement have historically been reported around $5 to $10 per square foot, though actual costs frequently run higher once removal, deep base work, drainage, and root management are included.

What pushes a Tualatin replacement higher:

• Demolition and haul-off — Removing the old driveway and failed base adds up-front cost.
• Root management — Clearing roots and adjusting the layout adds labor.
• Drainage work — Re-grading and drains on wet or sloped lots add to the total.
• Base depth — A deeper, well-drained base costs more but is what makes the new driveway last.
• Access — Tree-lined or narrow approaches raise labor.

These are industry baselines, not a Cojo quote. The accurate figure comes from a site visit where the failure, soil, drainage, and trees are assessed together.

Why It's Worth Doing Right

The temptation is to match the original spec and save money. In Tualatin's climate and mature neighborhoods, that usually repeats the failure. The original driveway broke down for a reason — wet soil in the base, roots lifting the surface, or both. A replacement that rebuilds with a deeper, well-drained base and a layout that respects the trees costs more now but solves the actual problem. One that just copies the original will fail the same way.

Once the new driveway is in, regular asphalt maintenance services — sealcoating every few years and filling cracks early — protect the investment and push the lifespan well past 20 years. A new driveway is a significant expense, but built and maintained right, it is one of the longest-lasting improvements you can make to a Tualatin property.