Fixing up your driveway is a good way to improve the curb appeal of your house, and also to help protect it against weather damage and other problems. But it can also seem a bit hard on the wallet, at first. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to improve your driveway that are much kinder than you might think on your bottom line.
Here are three paving ideas to help improve your home.
1. Gravel
Your house doesn’t need to be a manor to have a gravel driveway.
Paving ideas don’t come cheaper, or simpler, than gravel. Simply pour out some gravel, rake it out into a proper road formation, and have a steamroller come through to compact it. Repair requires nothing but a bucket of rocks, a shovel, and a rake.
Gravel doesn’t work for everybody, though. Weeds and ruts will form more easily, and while you can take care of them yourself, it may not be a lot of fun. Also, snow removal can be a very difficult task with a gravel driveway; done incorrectly, your driveway can be ruined.
2. Replace Concrete With Asphalt
Asphalt is simple, reliable, and attractive.
Concrete is a great building material, but it’s not necessarily the best material for driveways. Concrete is porous when it dries, so as it rains, and as you drive on it, it begins to fill with water. With water comes problems like cracks, stains, and mold, which can make your home unsightly and your driveway outright dangerous in some situations. If you’ve inherited a concrete driveway, you’ve probably priced fixing it… and you probably don’t like the bill.
So, one of the more common paving ideas is to replace it with asphalt. Asphalt paving is not only cheaper than concrete, it’s more durable and attractive. An asphalt driveway will last you a long time, and make your home that much more tempting if you’re looking to sell. You might not even need to truck the concrete away, as it can be broken up on site and used as part of the sub-base, depending on your design and state laws.
3. Paving Stones
Paving stones compliment the look of many homes.
Perhaps you’d prefer paving ideas that give your home a different look altogether. Paving stones can give a house a touch of class, and they’re less money than you might think. Paving stones used in driveways aren’t necessarily just rocks pulled out of the ground; the stones can be mixed with sand and cement and put in steel molds. And of course, you can just use the large stone directly.
The key appeal for this method really boils down to maintenance. Pavers are less likely to suffer cracking and other damage than concrete and, more to the point, if a stone is damaged or causing problems, you don’t have to redo your entire driveway. Just pull out the offending stone and replace it; you won’t have to replace your whole driveway.