If you own a home in Chesterfield Township or Washington Township, you already know what separates these communities from the rest of Macomb County. Both townships sit in the northern reaches of the county, where lots are larger, homes are well-kept, and residents take visible pride in every detail of their properties. In these communities, a driveway is more than a functional surface — it’s part of the overall impression your home makes from the street.
That makes the choice of driveway material genuinely important. Walk through any established neighborhood in Chesterfield or Washington Township, and you’ll see all three major options: brushed concrete, asphalt, and brick pavers. Each has its advocates and its tradeoffs. But when you stack them up honestly against one another — especially in the context of Michigan’s climate and the long-term costs of ownership — one material consistently comes out ahead.
Flat Rock Concrete Construction, based in Utica, has been installing concrete driveways throughout Macomb County for years. In this article, we’ll give you a straight, honest comparison of all three materials so you can make a confident decision for your Chesterfield Township or Washington Township home.
The Three Contenders: A Quick Overview
Before we dive into the head-to-head comparison, it’s worth understanding what each material actually is and how it’s installed.
Asphalt is a petroleum-based material — essentially the same product used on roads — mixed with aggregate and laid hot over a compacted gravel base. It cures quickly, costs less up front than concrete, and is the most common driveway material in Michigan due to its familiarity and lower upfront cost.
Brick pavers are individual units — made from clay, concrete, or natural stone — set in a sand or mortar bed over a compacted base. They create a decorative, high-end look that no poured surface can replicate. Installation is labor-intensive, and the material and labor costs reflect that.
Concrete is a mixture of Portland cement, aggregate, sand, and water, poured as a liquid and finished before it hardens. Brushed concrete — the broom-finish surface Flat Rock specializes in — is the most durable, lowest-maintenance, and longest-lasting of the three options for residential driveways in Michigan.
Upfront Cost: Asphalt Wins — But Only at First Glance
Let’s be honest: if upfront cost is your only consideration, asphalt will almost always be cheaper than concrete, and both will be cheaper than brick pavers. For large driveways common in Chesterfield and Washington Township — where lots are often wider and deeper than in the more densely developed southern townships — that cost difference can be significant in absolute dollars.
But upfront cost is a misleading metric when you’re talking about a driveway, because driveways are long-lived assets. The real question isn’t what it costs to install — it’s what it costs to own over the material’s lifetime.
Asphalt needs to be crack-sealed annually or every other year to stay in reasonable condition. It needs to be seal-coated every three to five years to prevent oxidation and surface degradation. And it typically needs to be completely resurfaced every 15 to 20 years. Add those costs up over a 30-year period, and asphalt’s lower upfront price erodes quickly.
Brick pavers have the highest upfront cost of the three options — often two to three times that of concrete for comparable square footage. While individual pavers can be replaced if damaged, the ongoing maintenance of sand-set paver systems — including weed growth in joints, sand erosion, and periodic re-leveling — adds up meaningfully over time.
Concrete requires the least ongoing maintenance of the three. A sealer application every 5 to 7 years is the primary recurring cost, and a properly installed concrete driveway can last 30 to 50 years without major intervention. Over the full lifecycle, concrete typically wins the total cost-of-ownership comparison decisively.
Michigan’s Climate: Why This Changes Everything
The freeze-thaw cycles that define Michigan winters are brutal on driveway surfaces — and they affect each material differently. Understanding how each material responds to our climate is essential context for any driveway decision in Chesterfield Township or Washington Township.
Asphalt is particularly vulnerable to Michigan’s temperature extremes. In summer, asphalt softens in the heat, making it susceptible to ruts, tire marks, and surface deformation. In winter, it contracts in the cold, widening existing cracks and creating new ones. Road salt — which homeowners in these townships use liberally, given the significant snowfall in the northern parts of Macomb County — accelerates asphalt deterioration and requires more frequent sealing to counteract it.
Brick pavers handle freeze-thaw cycles better than asphalt, since the individual units can flex independently. However, the joints between pavers are a significant weakness. Sand-set paver systems allow water to infiltrate the joint material, freeze beneath the surface, and push pavers upward over time — a process called frost heave. In northern Macomb County, where frost penetration is deep and cycles are frequent, paver driveways can become uneven and require periodic re-leveling.
Properly installed concrete handles Michigan winters better than either alternative when the right mix is used. Air-entrained concrete — which contains microscopic air voids that give the material room to expand and contract without cracking — is specifically designed for freeze-thaw climates. Flat Rock uses air-entrained concrete on every Michigan driveway we install. Combined with a properly compacted gravel base that provides drainage, a concrete driveway in Chesterfield or Washington Township can endure decades of Michigan winters with minimal surface deterioration.
Maintenance Realities for Northern Macomb County Homeowners
Talk to any homeowner who has owned both an asphalt and a concrete driveway, and you’ll hear the same thing: concrete is dramatically easier to live with. Here’s what ongoing maintenance actually looks like for each material:
Asphalt demands regular attention. In the spring, you’re scanning for new cracks that opened over winter and filling them before water infiltrates further. Every few years, you’re applying a seal coat — either hiring a contractor or renting equipment and doing it yourself. Eventually, you’re having the surface ground down and resurfaced. It’s a maintenance relationship that never really ends.
Brick pavers require periodic weeding of the joints, especially in the first few years after installation, when the joint material hasn’t fully stabilized. Polymeric sand — the modern joint filler used to reduce weed growth — needs to be reapplied periodically. Pavers that have heaved from frost need to be lifted, the base re-leveled, and the units reset. It’s not a high-frequency maintenance burden, but when it occurs, it’s time-consuming.
Concrete is comparatively maintenance-free. Keep it clean, apply a penetrating sealer every five to seven years, and address any cracks that develop before they widen. That’s essentially the full maintenance program. For homeowners in Chesterfield and Washington Township who would rather spend their weekends enjoying their properties than maintaining them, that low-maintenance profile is a genuine advantage.
Curb Appeal and Resale Value
All three materials can look excellent when newly installed. But how do they hold up aesthetically over time — and what do buyers think when they see each material at resale?
Asphalt starts looking worn relatively quickly. Within a few years, the rich black color fades to gray. Cracks, stains, and oil spots accumulate. Even a freshly sealed asphalt driveway looks noticeably different from a new one. In higher-value neighborhoods like those found in Washington Township, an aging asphalt driveway can feel out of place among well-maintained properties.
Brick pavers hold their visual appeal well and are genuinely beautiful — there’s no denying that. In the right setting, a paver driveway adds significant curb appeal and can command a premium at resale. However, they require consistent maintenance to keep looking their best, and a paver driveway that has heaved, stained, or lost joint material can actually detract from curb appeal rather than add to it.
Brushed concrete ages gracefully. It doesn’t fade, soften, or require the same visible maintenance interventions as asphalt. A 15-year-old concrete driveway that has been properly cared for still looks clean, solid, and appropriate for any neighborhood. In the Chesterfield and Washington Township markets, the durability and appearance support long-term property values in ways that asphalt simply cannot match.
Our Recommendation for Chesterfield Township and Washington Township
For the large majority of homeowners in these communities, brushed concrete is the right choice. It handles Michigan’s climate better than asphalt, costs less to own over time than either asphalt or pavers, requires minimal ongoing maintenance, and looks great for decades. For homeowners who want to add a decorative element, we often recommend concrete for the main driveway surface, with paver accents along the border or at the front walkway — giving you the best of both worlds.
Flat Rock Concrete Construction serves Chesterfield Township, Washington Township, and the surrounding northern Macomb County area from our base in Utica. If you’re ready to replace your current driveway or install a new one, contact us for a free estimate. We’ll give you an honest assessment of your project and the quality workmanship to back it up.
Contact Flat Rock Concrete Construction immediately at 586-726-6091 for expert guidance and priority scheduling of your concrete construction project before its schedule fills up.