Introduction to Driveways
A driveway is situated at the entrance or rear of your home. It may lead to a garage or walkway to your home it all depends on how you home has been designed. A driveway is a place where you park your vehicle day in and day out.
A driveway can also be designed to blend with walkways, sidewalks and courtyards that will all lead you to a specific destination like the indoors of your home, pool area or back yard.
Purpose of a Driveway
A driveway acts like a pathway for your car as it enters your garage or car port. Their main purpose is to protect and guide vehicular traffic in the right direction which leads to a parking destination. Without a driveway you wouldn’t be able to have lovely landscaped gardens out front of your home. There would be all the families vehicles parked out front all over the lawn. A driveway is a must f or all residential homes, commercial builds, public places and car parks etc.
Pavers on Driveways
There are 3 main categories of pavers;
- Concrete
- Natural Stone
- Brick
Concrete Pavers: these pavers are man made and produced in large quantities in factories all over the world. Their main ingredient is cement.
Natural Stone: these pavers are quarried all over the world. Some include; limestone, sandstone, marble, travertine, cantera stone, bluestone and flagstone. Formed naturally within the earths crust.
Brick Pavers: brick pavers consist of sand, clay and cement. They are then fired together at high temperatures to bind them together.
All 3 types of pavers are suitable for driveway applications. It’s your choice as we all have different designs and ideas.
THE BENEFITS OF USING PAVERS FOR DRIVEWAYS
Pavers are the one and only choice for all driveways. They offer many great benefits such as;
- Durability
- Flexibility
- Strength
- Versatility
- Low maintenance
- Hard wearing and long lasting.
Other Types of Materials That Can Be Used On Driveways
- Asphalt Paving
- Concrete Slabs
- Rubber Pavers
- Grass and Turf Pavers
Points To Consider Before Paving a Driveway
A professionally installed paved driveway can last a lifetime if it’s taken care of. The same will also apply if you yourself have installed it with perfection. There are many main points to consider.
- Investigate the lying area, looking for underlying pipes and cables.
- Set out a boundary line so you do not end up in your neighbour’s yard.
- Measure carefully and outline the specified area using spray paint.
- Consider the slope age between house and garage if needed.
- Decide on the best pavers for the application.
Choosing the right pavers for a driveway can be difficult due to the wide array of shapes, patterns, colors, textures etc that there is available today. Therefore, careful consideration is always needed.
The Essentials
- After excavation a ground base is added to the soil. One of the most popular materials used is crushed limestone. Crushed limestone is the perfect base material because it compacts together very well.
- Try spraying a herbicide before the installation this will prevent weeds from growing in between the joints.
- If you’re not confident enough to conduct the installation hire a contractor. Research around and get plenty of quotes
- Proper maintenance will keep your driveway shinning on!
Hopefully this article has demonstrated some of the reasons why Pavers are such a common choice when it comes to driveways!
