Pothole repair is just about a necessity with almost any driveway. It is commonly in asphalt driveways that this is needed which can develop bumps and hollow areas. The downside is that hiring someone to do this job can be quite expensive. Thats why you can do it yourself for a lot less.

The first thing we need to cover is the tools and supplies needed to complete this home improvement project.

• A bag of Asphalt Cold Patch
• Shovel
• Hose and Spray Nozzle
• Work Gloves
• 2×4 or 4×4 piece of wood that is a little bit taller than your waist when standing up.
• Broom
• Shop Vac

Make sure the conditions are right for repairing a pothole, which means that the air should be dry, and it should be rather warm outside.

The first thing you will want to do is clean out the hole. Any loose gravel should be removed from the hole. this is important otherwise the area wil be weak when trying to repair it and will just cause another pothole quickly.

Next you want to water down the pothole. not fill it with water, but just moisten the whole area. just to make sure the area is clean as possible and there is no loose dust.

Next you will fill your pothole with the cold patch asphalt. Fill it to about 1 inch over the top of the hole. This is important since when you pack it down it will need to be tight and completely full.

Now take the 2×4 or 4×4 that you have and begin tamping down starting around the edge of the area filled. This is probably the most tiring part of the process, but needs to be done well so the asphalt gets very compact. continue working your way in as all areas flatten out. Another option is to put a piece of plywood over the area and drive over it several times with your car to pack it down evenly. Then take the plywood off and tamp it some.

The upside to doing this job yourself although it is tiring and dirty is that you will save yourself a lot of money that you could have paid someone else to do it.