A beautiful driveway can make or break the aesthetic of your home’s exterior, but getting it right can be more difficult than it seems. A good concrete driveway, one that has been correctly laid and surfaced and which is maintained well, can last between 25 and 50 years. Driveway repairs can smarten up a home’s exterior quickly and easily.
When you install or repair a driveway, you need to consider both your practical and your aesthetic needs. We tend to think of concrete as meaning a monotone grey color and yet, with some level of variation, concrete can be colored in up to 250 hues and shades, giving your driveway a unique and beautiful finish.
When it comes to driveways size matters, especially when you consider they can range in size from nine foot to over 24 feet in width. In terms of the average though, a two-car driveway is usually 15 and 18 feet, and a one-car is between eight and nine feet. You should ensure that you have at least a one-fourth inch per foot slope on your finished driveway. Note that some cities have restrictions on the width of driveway openings. Vehicle size should also be considered when deciding on the width and length of the drive. Consider whether cars need to just fit past each other or if you need to park two cars next to each other and if you need a turn-around spot, all of which has to be integrated into the plans. If you are adding walls next to your driveway, then there has to be a small buffer zone and this must be factored into the size.
Asphalt, 350 million tons of which is used yearly at the roughly 3,500 asphalt mix production sites across the USA, is another good option for a driveway. Interestingly, nearly 100% of asphalt pavement material was reused In 2013 and 67.8 million tons of it was reclaimed. Whichever option you chose, make sure your new driveway or driveway repairs add to the beauty and uniqueness of your home.
