Please welcome guest writer, Sarah Smith.
7 Driveway Paving Options to Welcome to Your Home
Not very long ago a driveway was considered a sort of necessary evil. Because their purpose was to guide the vehicle or vehicles to the garage or the carport and provide enough space for them to turn around, they needed to be flat and unobstructed. Nowadays, homeowners understand that the driveway is an important part of the overall look of the house and the property it sits on. Many kinds of materials can be used to enhance a driveway’s curb appeal. Indeed, an exceptionally beautiful driveway also increases your home value. Here are some driveway paving options that you can use to spruce up your driveway:
Brick
Very few driveways are more alluring than one paved with brick. It is true that brick is pricey to install, but a well-laid brick driveway also increases your home value. Brick can be arranged in many patterns, including herringbone, running bond, basket weave or double basketweave. They also come in a great assortment of colors and textures. There are extra-large bricks and bricks with irregular shapes. Used bricks are also employed to pave driveways, though you should make sure they are hard and free old mortar. Old mortar is surprisingly tough to get rid of.
Since brick is admittedly expensive, some homeowners only pave part of their driveway with it. Sometimes, brick is only used as an apron, wall decoration or as a border. Borders can have the bricks laid on end, laid flat, on their edges or saw-toothed. A well-maintained brick driveway can last as long as the house.
Asphalt
Asphalt is a product of the petrochemical industry, and asphalt paving is created by mixing the asphalt with gravel. Asphalt driveway installation is fairly easy, and some homeowners do it themselves.
Since it’s softer than either stone or concrete, asphalt resists the freeze-thaw cycle that might crack the other materials. Still, to avoid cracks, asphalt coating needs sealing every three to five years. Though asphalt is traditionally black, colored asphalt is also available. One advantage of black asphalt is that it holds on to heat, which helps to melt any snow and ice that fall on the driveway. This quality, along with its freeze-thaw resistance, makes asphalt a popular driveway material in colder climates.
Pervious Concrete
This is concrete made without sand. Because of this, it allows water to seep through it and avoids problems with run-off. This makes pervious concrete eco-friendly.
Regular Concrete
A concrete driveway no longer needs to be uniform, boring and gray. Nowadays, concrete can be dyed, stained, stamped and patterned. It can be polished to a mirror shine and made to resemble everything from natural stone such as granite to leather to wood. If you wish, a concrete driveway can bear your family’s coat or arms or any other image. Because of its versatility, your concrete driveway cost can vary.
Pavers
Pavers can be a bit expensive to install but can last between 30 and 40 years. Pavers come in square or rectangular slabs, shaped or textured slabs or riven and pointed slabs. Once laid, pavers are easy to care for.
Gravel
Since gravel can come for many types of stone, the colors, textures, and chipping sizes are varied. This makes it easy to find a type of gravel that complements the house and the landscape. Experts recommend gravel driveways for areas that get a lot of snow. However, gravel or other loose fill material such as slag, crushed rock or pebbles isn’t the best material for a driveway that has a steep slope. Usage and erosion tend to move the material around, and storms can wash some of it away over time.
Shell
Crushed shell is also an attractive driveway material. The shells come from oysters, scallops and clams and should be eco-friendly. A properly laid shell driveway also has the advantage of having good drainage.
You shouldn’t be afraid to mix materials in your driveway. For example, a driveway made of old brick, gravel and paving stones arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way also adds to the home’s curb appeal. A boring driveway is a thing of the past.
