Have you ever wondered whether parking your car aimlessly by the street might give a negative impression to your neighbours or guests arriving at your place? Are you parking out on the street because you have a disheveled-looking front yard with overgrown weeds, ferns, and other foliage? If building a new driveway will take up too much of your time and money, you can easily spend a few hours cleaning up the front yard and making room for an attractive driveway.
Driveway design is a part of the overall landscaping around the house. The wider your driveway with a stunning layout, the more accessible it is to the occupants and guests arriving in cars. At the same time, consider if the design should be curved, circular, or straight, according to the shape and size of your plot.
Let’s take a look at how to go about making your driveway.
Driveway Design Ideas to Look for
There is an array of driveway design Ideas with pattern stamping, integral colours, edging or decorative borders, and ornamental plants or sculptures. Here are some of the unique driveway designs ideas that you can consider:
01. Stone Blocks and Grass Patches:
Lay the stone blocks with the grass in patches like a chessboard. You can keep the green patches and the stone blocks of the same size or leave a little space around the boundaries of the blocks where grass can grow in a linear pattern. You need to trim the grass regularly to stop the blocks from getting damaged.
02. Full-Brick Anti-Slip Driveway to the Road:
Burnt or sun-dried bricks can be used in a pattern or sideways on the substrate, and you can fill in the gaps with concrete to prevent the growth of weeds. While offering excellent drainage, this driveway will provide traction for the tires to avoid skidding, last long, and won’t wear off due to adverse weather conditions.
03. Cobbler Blocks Driveway on Grassy Field:
If you have a grass lawn, mow a well-planned space and dig a hole a few feet deep to fill it up with substrate and sub-base. Now, give it a rustic historic look by laying cobbler blocks along the way so that it stands in perfect contrast with the greenery.
04. Gravel Pathway with Abundant Greenery:
Just as the cobbler blocks, you can make a driveway with white, yellow, brown, or grey gravel and, if you are creative enough, create a pattern with different coloured stones. Keep a smooth-finish edging by the gravel driveway for pedestrians and ensure that the surrounding garden area is well maintained to complement the gravel path.
05. Driveway Canopied by Greenery:
This is the best driveway design idea if you have several overgrown trees in your front yard, invest a day or two to prune the branches. While trimming the excess growth, make sure to leave the canopy created by the different trees with a wide gap running between them. Now, lay this area with gravel, concrete, asphalt, or whatever material you find suitable, and get a well-shaded driveway for pedestrians and cars to pass through.
Let us now take a look at different materials for making a driveway.
Driveway Materials
Choosing the perfect material for the driveway might seem like a daunting task as you need to go with something that will last longer and brave any climate. Here is a detailed look at the common driveway materials to help you get started:
01. Asphalt Driveway
You can choose a recycled, coloured and stamped, tar and chip, or any other type of asphalt driveway based on the look of your house.
Pros:
01. Affordable installation
02. It will last a minimum of 10 to 15 years
03. Looks sleek with a professional finish and adds to curb appeal
04. Durable with a hard-wearing seal on the surface that prevents cracking in the cold
05. Easy to repair
Cons:
01. Maintenance of the seal is a bit high
02. Due to flexibility and malleability, dents and tire marks can appear, especially in the summer
03. Colour variety not available
04. Unless properly designed, it may get damaged due to heavy rains, and accumulation of water, etc.
02. Concrete Driveway
Concrete is the most common material used for driveways as it is hard-wearing and requires minimal maintenance. Concrete is used in the installation of roads and streets for these same reasons.
Pros:
01. Excellent temperature control even in the hottest summer months
02. Aesthetically pleasing with a smooth and uniform finish, complementing an industrial interior
03. It can be stained with different colours
04. Perfect for high rainfall areas
Cons:
01. Can form cracks over time and might need removal and re-doing if not done properly on the first try.
02. Initial costs are high
03. Will form contrasting stains from oil drips
04. It gets monotonous over the years as it has a long life.
05. Will get damaged if it is not made adequately thick or if a proper sub-base is not provided
06. Difficult to excavate if you want to lay any pipes, cables, etc. underground. Hence, proper preplanning needs to be done, or provisions for pipes need to be made at the time of concrete installation.
03. Block-Paving Driveway
A wide range of different coloured blocks with various patterns are available in the market. You can easily place them one by one to get a neat and refined look for your driveway.
Pros:
01. Blocks that match or contrast your house exterior can easily be obtained
02. Diverse designs, patterns, and colours are available
03. Extremely durable
04. If one or a few blocks break or get damaged over time, they can be replaced instead of relaying the entire driveway.
05. They are flexible so, they don’t form cracks etc.
06. It is considered a green material as it allows the percolation of water into the ground.
07. Can be reused at a different location
08. Available in varying thicknesses, strengths, sizes, etc. so they can be designed based on traffic.
Cons:
01. Relatively expensive and time-consuming to install as the substrate has to be level before the blocks are laid
02. Installation needs to be done by professionals
03. Can’t last long if the sub-base is of poor quality
04. It needs curbs on the sides to retain them
04. Resin Driveway
Thanks to its durability and aesthetically uniform finish, resin driveways are now trending in large properties that require large driveways.
Pros:
01. Professional and contemporary finish enhancing the curb appeal
02. Once properly installed on a porous layer, water drainage will never be an issue
03. Affordable option if substrate does not need a remedial job
04. Easy maintenance with regular hose cleaning or jet wash
05. Does not get infested with weeds
06. Installation takes only a few days
07. WA variety of colour options are available
Cons:
01. Needs installation by professionals
05. Gravel Driveway
Gravel is one of the most eye-catching and timeless options that has been in use since. Gravel driveways can be made more unique by using different coloured stones randomly or in a pattern. It needs proper edging, or small chips might get scattered around.
Pros:
01. Very cost-effective and cheap installation
02. Gives a simplistic and rugged look
03. Fast setup and immediately usable
Cons:
01. Regular maintenance is needed to remove moss and weeds
02. Debris, dirt, snow, and ice can easily seep into the stones
03. Sinkholes and ruts might appear after prolonged use
Installation Costs
Now that you have some unique design ideas for your driveway and a wide selection of materials to choose from, I’m sure you must be wondering how much would the installation cost be. You have to factor in the fixed costs, variable costs, whether it’s a new installation, full or partial replacement, and whether you’re opting for an asphalt overlay or not, when arriving at the final driveway installation costs.
Conclusion
When making a driveway, consider the amount of space required depending on the frequency of guests arriving at your place. You can provide room for two cars or more to be parked side-by-side or stick with a narrow driveway. Also, choose heat-resistant plants to be placed along the boundary of the driveway. In case, you are planning to keep potted plants or incorporate statues alongside the driveway, make sure that they are made of ceramic, terracotta, or any hardy material. Don’t forget to consider the maintenance of these statues while making your choice.
From overhangs to pedestrian access, a suitable surface for different types of vehicles to lights for night-time – there are multiple things to keep in mind while making a driveway. No matter what material you choose, make sure that it is durable enough to resist oil drips, tire marks, etc. so that it lasts for years to come.
The driveway design ideas will depend on the nature and volume of traffic, and the life you live. If you have low and light-weight traffic and don’t want to spend too much money, thin block or asphalt is the best option for a driveway. But if you are looking for driveways with long life and can afford the initial cost, there is nothing better than concrete stained with colours. Though gravel is perhaps the most affordable option, it may not last as long and may not work equally well in all seasons. High-strength para blocks are the best choice as they have a long life, flexibility to repair and maintain, and beauty with a mix of patterns and colours. At most places, they are cheaper than concrete but more expensive than asphalt.
We have written other articles related to this topic. You may refer following links:
5 Ideas on How to Incorporate the Elements of Stone in Your Exterior Home Design!
Beautify Your Home Exteriors With Paver Block Flooring
Image Courtesy: Image 10
Author Bio
Sanjukta Ganguly – I am Sanjukta Ganguly from Kolkata. I have 9+ years of experience in content writing. I have written for multiple niches and genres like, health, travel, pregnancy, love and relationship, dating, hosting services, and WordPress, Press Release, Web Designing, Case Study, Thesis, Proof Reading, Academic Writing, etc. I can handle the work of 4000-5000 words daily.