Garage apron
The strip in front of your garage always fails first.
Almost every driveway in the GTA settles in the same place: the last two metres before the garage door. It is not coincidence and it is not bad luck. It is what happens when a trench that was excavated for the foundation gets backfilled and paved over without being compacted.
Why it happens there and nowhere else
When a house is built, the ground around the foundation is excavated wider than the wall so crews can work. Afterwards it is backfilled — often with the same loose soil that came out, often in one lift, often not compacted at all.
That backfill then consolidates under its own weight and under vehicle traffic for years. The driveway above it follows it down. The rest of the driveway, sitting on undisturbed ground, does not move.
The result is the dish you see in front of the garage door, usually with a step at the threshold and a puddle in the low spot.
Why it matters beyond appearance
Water pooling at the garage threshold finds its way under the door. In winter it freezes, and a sheet of ice at the entrance to the garage is where most winter falls on residential property happen.
It also drains toward the foundation rather than away from it, which is the last direction you want water going.
And the step it creates catches plough blades and shovel edges, which chips the asphalt and accelerates the damage.
How we rebuild it
The failed section is cut out square, back to sound material. The settled backfill underneath is removed or compacted in proper lifts — this is the step everyone skips and the only one that determines whether it settles again.
New granular base goes in compacted, then asphalt in two lifts, tied into the existing surface with a saw-cut joint and set flush to the garage threshold with fall away from the door.
Where the apron meets a concrete garage floor, we set the transition slightly below the threshold so water cannot track inward.
Pricing
Ranges we quote across the GTA in 2026. Your number depends on area, access, disposal and what has to come out first — confirmed on site.
| Work | Price | Typical project |
|---|---|---|
| Garage apron rebuild | Quoted | By area and how deep the settled fill goes |
| Full driveway with apron | $4 – $7 / sq ft | Often better value if the rest is also aging |
| Interlock apron | $16 – $25 / sq ft | A paver apron can be lifted and reset if it ever settles again |
Ranges are for planning, not a quote. Get your exact number →
Questions
Can the sunken area just be filled and paved over?
It can, and it will settle again because the cause is below. Overlaying a settled apron buys a year or two at most.
How do I know it is the apron and not the whole driveway?
If the low spot is confined to the last one to three metres before the garage and the rest of the driveway is flat, it is the apron. We confirm by probing depth at several points.
Would interlock be better here?
In one respect, yes — if a paver apron ever settles, the pavers lift out, the base gets corrected and the same pavers go back with no visible repair. With asphalt the fix always leaves a seam.
How long does an apron repair take?
One to two days for the repair itself. Where the settled fill is deep, excavation and compaction add time.
Will the repair be visible?
There will be a saw-cut joint where new meets old, and the new asphalt will be darker for a couple of years. A paver border along the joint is the usual way to make it read as design.
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