3 New Driveway Options that Won’t Cost the Earth

We’re always hearing from interior decorators and home stylists on how we can remodel, touch up or decorate inside our homes for each year’s trending styles. But quite often, not a lot of thought is given to the outside.

There’s nothing like seeing your home as you approach after a good day’s work, a place where you know you will be fine. You might want to make the exterior a little nicer for yourself, to raise curb appeal if you are looking to sell, or simply for a nice path to actually just drive on.

There are three great options that are relatively cheap to install:

• Asphalt
• Concrete
• Pavers

While deep black asphalt may be cheap, it was designed for vehicles while concrete is asphalt’s grey cousin, though it isn’t suited for all climates. Pavers can add a touch of style to your home and come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Smooth as a Polished Mirror

The use of asphalt dates back to biblical times and is still in use today. The extremely smooth finish that is possible with asphalt makes it a natural choice for roads, driveways, and race tracks.

However, asphalt can become stressed from climate changes and it is best suited for warmer climates. Cracks and potholes can form with asphalt, so, how often should asphalt be sealed? Well, depending on your local temperatures, sealing would typically be done every two to three years in colder or warmer temperatures respectively. 

Asphalt is the cheaper of the three options presented here and is usually black, but it can be colored with basics of red, orange, green, or brown such as that seen on running tracks. However,  the price can fluctuate depending on oil prices since the materials of asphalt are bound using petroleum-based substances.

A Classic Still in Style

Also a very old technique, concrete has been around since the Roman Empire, who pioneered the modern concrete making technique we still use today. Concrete is poured into a cavity and left to set and once solid, provides a stable and smooth surface that can handle everyday usage.

The downside to concrete though is that it can easily crack and because of its rigid setting cannot shift as the earth below contracts and expands with temperature change. This causes cracks in the concrete, but these can easily be filled in by a professional. Other than that, it should last for quite some time.

Concrete is usually left in its grey form but can be tinted for a more aesthetically pleasing look using pigments, stains, and dyes. Concrete isn’t a very expensive option but it does cost a little more than asphalt. 

Pieces of Flair

Placing cut shapes side by side is nothing new and has been done for millennia, but pavers are a great way to add some flair to a driveway. Pavers can be cut into all shapes and sizes and then laid over a sand bedding to create wonderful patterns. 

The maintenance of pavers is very easy but they require looking after more than any of the other techniques mentioned. Because they are separate pieces, weeds and sand can rise through the gaps between each paver, but regular cleaning will remove these. However, because they are separate pieces and laid over soft sand, pavers can move with the earth which means that they won’t usually crack.

Patterns, colors, shapes, and sizes of all kinds to suit any home can be made with pavers but because of this, a skilled professional is required to install them. This makes pavers the most expensive item here but they’re still a lot cheaper than using expensive polished limestone tiles.

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