Like all other aspects of your home, your driveway reflects the time and effort you put in to making your home look nice. There are tons of different materials on the market, so whether you’re concerned with being environmentally friendly, or just want a low-maintenance, good-looking driveway, you’re bound to be able to find something that’s right for you. But with so many choices out there, you need to evaluate their advantages and disadvantages.
In 2017, there are even more choices than there were 10-15 years ago, now we have combinations of materials, too, like juxtaposing asphalt and pavers. This blog post won’t talk about the work you need to do to prepare your driveway to receive the surface you choose. But, it should be noted that you will need to prepare the ground, otherwise your investment could be a waste of money.
There are so many choices, so how do you break them down? I’m a fan of lists, so I firmly believe you should start by listing the elements that are most crucial to your decision in order of their priority. For example:
- Maintenance: Are you prepared to spend a lot of time maintaining it?
- Appearance: Do you want it to blend in with the overall architectural style of your home?
- Weather: Do you live in an area prone to significant temperature variations, high heat, freezing cold, heavy snow or rain?
- Budget: How much are you willing to invest?
Gravel
Gravel is not just the cheapest solution, it’s also a very green solution. Gravel helps to protect the environment as rainwater is absorbed, rather than running into the street and sewer systems. But, it does require a lot of upkeep. Initially, you’ll have to add several different layers as it compacts over time. And, if you live in an area prone to heavy snowfall, you’ll have to spend time fishing pieces of gravel out of your garden that have been dispersed by the plough.
It’s not the most attractive solution, although you can add a layer of decorative gravel (about 0.5” thick) to the top of gravel to improve its appearance. You could also opt for a natural stone, like slate or limestone. This is a more expensive option, but requires less maintenance as you won’t have to spend time cleaning it up from your lawn in the spring!
Asphalt
Asphalt is the most popular and widely used driveway surface material. You need to ensure you properly prepare the ground for successful results, and you will also need to regularly (every few years) apply a sealer to protect the surface from the elements. You can obtain sealers in many different shades. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask to get a pattern stamped into the asphalt that makes it look like pavers!
Concrete paving block
Concrete paving blocks aren’t for you if you’re on a very tight budget, as they are more expensive than asphalt, however, they do better withstand freezing, thawing and heavy vehicles. Get concrete paving blocks installed now and you can expect them to last you for up to 30 years. They are available in many shapes and colours, and like asphalt need a sealer applying regularly.
Again, for the best results you need to properly prepare the ground before having pavers installed.
Unistone
These attractive driveways consist of 2.5” thick blocks fitted together and held in place using a cement, aggregate and sand mixture. People tend to opt for this type of driveway as they are easy to maintain (only require an annual application of sealer), and if a block is damaged, it can easily be replaced.
Reinforced grass
I bet it comes as a surprise that you can have a “grass” driveway… Well, you can! If you’re looking for an option that blends in with your lawn, this is the perfect solution for you! The ground underneath is reinforced with a plastic honeycomb-like structure that is filled with soil and seeded with grass.
Although laying sod to move things along more quickly might seem appealing, I suggest you avoid it at all costs unless you can allow the grass enough time to take root before you start driving and parking on it.
If, after reading through all of these options, you still can’t decide which type you like best, why not mix materials? Choose a hardy material for the surface you will drive on and surround it by grass or gravel… You can go with any combination!
A combination of different materials
If you can’t seem to identify a single solution that’s just right for your driveway surface, why not consider a combination of materials? You might use gravel where your vehicles are actually parked, border or surround the gravel with pavers, and even add reinforced grass around key decorative elements like fountains or flower beds. There’s really no end to how you can mix things up, so there is no obvious choice, why not think about mixing two or more materials? For the areas where the vehicle actually touches the surface, there can be strips of concrete pavers, for instance, surrounded by gravel, grass or another ground covering. The choices are almost endless, so you can certainly get just the look you want for your home.
Don’t forget your garage door
You might be improving your curb appeal with a new driveway, but it’s not going to work wonders if your garage door is past its best. If it deserves a makeover, give us a call at 508-966-0242, you can also request a quotation, which we will email to you.
If you are interested in buying a new door but don’t know where to start, come down to our showroom or ask us to make a house call, it’s our pleasure. With years of experience in the industry, we know garage doors better than anyone else and are the best people to help you make the right choice. If you’ve got a garage door in mind, try out or Design Centre to see what it would look like with your home, if you’re lacking inspiration, browse through our image gallery.
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