Welcome to our guide about the most popular types of driveways including design ideas, cost and pros and cons.
First you will need to decide the materials to make the driveway out of. This can range from bricks to dirt and everything in between. It is good to keep in mind your budget, climate, how much use the driveway will see, and the aesthetics that you wish to have. All of these factors will play a role in the effectiveness of the driveway. After that picking the size and shapes of the driveway will be a breeze.
Concrete Driveway
Durability – As long as the concrete driveway is installed correctly, it should be there for years to come. The only downsides to concrete are that it stains easily, and de-icing solutions can cause a quicker breakdown. In addition the drying process may take a few days, which will mean no use of the driveway for that times. Visit this page to learn more about heated driveway systems including those made from concrete.
Price – The price of concrete is pretty reasonable with a range of $3 to $10 per square foot.
Maintenance – When getting a concrete driveway, it is sometimes relevant that a concrete driveway sealer is used. This product will expend the products life as well as up the appearance of the concrete by adding a glossy factor. The process of sealing a concrete driveway is one day, not very difficult task, and does not require many expensive materials.
Sealing – When selecting a driveway sealer, one should take into consideration the safety, appearance, and performance. The slip resistance will be a large factor based on the amount of texture that the concrete has. A “wet-look” sealer will be the most slippery while a stamped will look similar but be less slippery. For maximum slip resistance a low gloss sealant or adding anti-skid additives to the sealant will be the best bet. The gloss level will also affect the appearance of the concrete. As for performance, based on the product, sealer will typically add 1 to 3 years to the life of the concrete. In most cases, lower costing sealant will last a shorter amount of time then the higher costing products.
Stamped Concrete Driveway
The maintenance and life length will also be the same as regular concrete driveways. Stamped concrete will typically be used in situations where the aesthetics and budget are important to the user. For example if you are looking at doing a brick driveway and the price comes out to be just too high, stamping the concrete to resemble bricks will be a great way to get the best of both worlds.
Asphalt Driveway
Though asphalt doesn’t allow for color selection or any customization, the low price is an considerable factor. The cost for an asphalt driveway typically ranges from about $3 to $5 per square foot. Asphalt is generally much cheaper to install than concrete, however it will require more maintenance especially in areas with a colder climate.
Asphalt dries and settles in only a few hours. Asphalt is also an easily repairable product with good durability in temperatures changing settings. Unfortunately, asphalt will requires resealing every 3-5 years and regular resurfacing.
Concrete vs Asphalt Driveway
Concrete and asphalt driveways are two of the more commonly used driveway surfaces. This is because the price compared to the length of life is average and its what most people can afford or are willing to spend for that length of time. Concrete driveways will be a little bit pricier than asphalt, making asphalt more popular to the budget cutting individuals.
The appearance of asphalt if pretty basic, it only comes in the color black, which is why for more aesthetic seeking people they are more likely to go with a concrete option, due to the more choice you have for colors and styles. Another factor when choosing between concrete and asphalt is the install time. Concrete can take days to dry while asphalt takes only a few hours. This means that the cars that usually hold residence to the driveway will only be displaced for a short time. Based on your needs in addition to your location will help choose between the great choices of concrete and asphalt driveways.
Tar and Chip Driveway
Unfortunately, a tar and chip driveway will be susceptible to damage with snow removal. Sometimes some of the stones will be misplaces and leave holes, but these are usually pretty fixable. Typically, a tar and chip driveway will last about 7 to 10 years, and after those 7 to 10 years are up, adding another layer of stones and tar will be enough to bring it back to life, not taking up too much money or time. The cost for a tar and chip driveway is about $2 to $5 per square foot, which is right around the same pricing as the asphalt driveways.
Brick Driveway
The durability is not the best on the market, some bricks may crack, shift, or break. This being said they can be easily replaced without having to repair the entire driveway, which makes for easy and less expensive repairs. For maintenance you should plan to wash the driveway a few times a year.
Sealing the brick will also give the best possible outcome but will add a few bucks to the price. If sealed properly and taken care of a brick driveway could last up to 25 years! Though installation can be a do it yourself project, it requires a lot of manual labor.
Hiring someone to do the work will be costly but will mean the jobs gets done right which will affect the life length and appearance of the driveway. The price for a brick driveway will be from $10 to $30 per square foot depending on installation and material choices.
Paver Driveway
This sort of driveway will be aesthetically pleading in almost any situation due to the wide variety of options to choose from. The pavers will not require much maintenance, just a quick sweep here and there. Sometimes weeds will sneak through the cracks, but just pull them out and they will not cause a problem. If any stains happen, there are different concrete cleaners that can help clean the surface.
Typically, if everything is done correctly a concrete paver driveway can last up to 50 years! Depending on the pavers that you choose will greatly change the cost factor. Some pavers alone will cost around $3 to $10 per square foot, but depending on the style and installation methods, with install the price could jump to about $30 to $40 per square foot.
Clay Brick Paver Driveway
Interlocking Driveway Pavers
The cost of interlocking pavers range from around $6 to $8 a square foot. However, there are a wide variety of manufacturers and your cost will depend on the material you choose and local labor and installation costs.
Cobblestone Driveway
The only maintenance this product will be needing is pulling any weed that try and sneak through the cracks. Similar to brick the lifespan is up to 25 years! Unfortunately, the price on cobblestone will run you about $20 to $70 per square foot. This is typically seen in upscale areas or when people have extremely short driveways, due to the high cost.
Sealing and washing cobblestone will be best to help the large purchase stay looking good for as long as possible. Sometimes using cobblestone as an accent, inlay or border will help you be able to use the product without completely destroying a budget.
Gravel Driveway
Unfortunately, gravel is a loose material so is easily misplaced from where it was put. This can cause a need for maintenance of raking misplaced gravel and repairs to the driveway if too much gets away. If driving too quickly over this type of driveway there is the possibility to rack up some dust.
Though the durability is lacking it is still a viable option for people looking for a cost efficient driveway because luckily this is outweighed by the cost of $0.75 to $3 per square foot!
Crushed Stone Driveway
Crushed stone driveways are typically made of stones, and pebbles, differing from gravel because it does not include sand and clay products. This will make the look of it a bit more elegant. Snow removal will be pretty difficult and over time the rocks will move which can made for the need to throw some more rocks down, but that will be pretty inexpensive maintenance. Similar to gravel it will stir up some dust and can often collect rocks on the grass besides it, but for long country driveways it should not be much of an issue.
Crushed Basalt Driveway
The functionality of the crushed basalt is surprisingly good to, except if there is constant snow removal. The nice thing about crushed materials is they require slim to no repairs since there is not really a way to break it, the worst that can happen is some stones fall out or get stuck to something. With the occasional throwing down some more material, this driveway should be good to go for as long as you are. Crushed basalt is a less dusty material and will typically be used in upscale locations with longer driveways.
Dirt Driveway
A dirt driveway will be the simplest, and most inexpensive driveway to install. Most of the time, the dirt is already there, just drive over it a bit and it will leave tire tracks and becomes a driveway.
There are some downsides to this seemingly simple answer to a driveway. Where there is dirt and rain, there is mud. A dirt driveway will turn into a mud driveway when the rain starts coming down which can cause and issue for small vehicles. Dirt driveways will also be, well, a little dirty. Dust can blow off in the wind or when cars drive over it.
Often people will start off with a dirt driveway and once they get more money to spend on the project, add stone or gravel to the top of it to add some extra stability. Similarly, a grass driveway will be just as much of a simple and easy solution, in this case the location just being covered with grass instead of dirt.
These types are often used in country settings with different sorts of equipment driving through and over it. Certain residential areas will require there to be a paved surface as the driveway which will take these types of driveways out of the running.
Concrete and Grass Driveway
Recycled Glass Driveway
These driveways are environmentally friendly to the nature of the recycled glass materials used, which can be a huge perk to those keen on saving the environment. The resin in the mixture will add a great durability factor to the product, making the maintenance for the driveway slim to none.
When it comes to price for an environmentally friendly, beautiful product it comes to a reasonable $9 to $18 per square foot. (compared to cobblestone and your wallet will jump in joy!) This choice could be chosen in most settings since it is not a ridiculously high price and will add a beautiful touch to any landscape plan.
Mixed Material Driveway
Prices on these types of driveways will greatly differ based on the materials that are chosen. Often this type of driveway is selected with cost savings and style kept in mind.
Maintenance and length of life of the driveway will also greatly vary based on the materials, so researching each material before selection will be an important step. If one of the materials will expand and contract with the weather and another material stays firmly in place you will need to take precautions to not cause damage to one of the surfaces. Maintaining one material may be harmful to another, for example pavers will need to be swept on occasion, but if you were to pair it with a dirt driveway, sweeping a dirt driveway will not be a wise decision.
Types of Gravel Stone for Driveways
For the upper layer grade 57 stone and 411. 57 will be machine crushed and will also be about the size of a gold ball. The uppermost layer will be 411 which is smaller and has a more coarse texture. Sometimes when adding more decorative features people add river rocks, marble chips, pea gravel, or quarry process stone.
The types of stones selected will also depend on which type of driveway you choose. For certain gravel driveways you will want larger rocks, to cover more space. For smaller driveways smaller rocks are able to be used because they will be less likely to be disturbed by speedy drivers. Each type or stone will also have a unique appearance that will be a large deciding factor. For example, choosing between crushed stone and crushed basalt will be an aesthetic decision since both materials have the same general qualities and price.
Driveway Cost
Cost is one of the most important factors in any home design project. The thing about driveways is they can either be a small project or a huge project, depending on the length, shape and materials the project includes. Those with long driveways will often stick with the lower cost driveways while smaller driveways can get more creative, since they have less area to cover. Some of the general cost to get you started are as follows.
- Concrete driveway cost: Typically about $3 to $10 per square foot.
- Asphalt driveway cost: Typically about $3 to $5 per square foot.
- Gravel driveway cost: Typically about $0.75 to $3 per square foot.
- Paver driveway cost: Typically about $2 to $10 per square foot for the pavers alone, and about $30 to $40 for pavers and installation.
- Recycled Glass driveway cost: Typically about $9 to $18 per square foot.
- Cobblestone driveway cost: Typically about $20 to $70 per square foot.
- Brick driveway cost: Typically about $10 to $30 per square foot.
Keep in mind that a typical driveway that will fit two cars side by side will be about 20 to 24 feet wide and 30-35 feet long (depending how far the garage is from the street). Multiplying these by the price will give you a rough estimate of how much a driveway will cost you overall.
There are multiple other factors that will cause the price of a driveway to fluctuate. Additional landscaping, type of materials used, or elements such as adding a driveway gate can also increase the price.Installation will be a big part, especially for the tough paver such as bricks and cobblestone, it is good to get a materials and installation quote before making the final decision. Making the project a do it yourself project can also save some bucks (that is if you are handy enough).
Sometimes spending more money up front will save you in the long run. For example, some of the materials are more expensive because they are more durable and last longer. This will save from costly repairs or having to redo the entire driveway, and over time this could actually be a money saver. Another thought that will cause prices to change is the style and color, while most products have their standard colors, customs are also usually available, but at a premium.
Driveway Shapes
After selecting the type of driveway you will be using, picking the shape should be a breeze. Typically, only one type or two types will make sense in any particular situation. This makes for easy selection on your part! Also beware that certain locations will have ordinances or rules on how many exit and entrance points a driveway may have onto a road. Checking local codes before building a new driveway will save you! Some of the most common shapes of driveways are as follows:
Straight Driveway
Circular Driveway
A circular driveway requires a large property due to needing to make the loop without any harsh turns. These driveways can be set up In a variety of ways, depending the layout of the site, they can have and entrance on more than on street, or can circle around in one section. A circular driveway will also allow for landscaping features to become a focal point. A center driveway island can be used as a focal point for statues or fountains to make a grand first impression.
U-Shaped Driveway
Curved Driveway
Y-Shaped driveway
Visit this page to see our gallery of modern driveways for more design ideas.