After flipping through endless lots, you finally set your eyes on a house that you can call home. You plan on visiting that lot in person so that you can meet the realtor and close the deal for good. But, the moment you arrive at the lot, you are thrown back – in shock – by the gravel peeking through the cracks in the driveway. Maybe the previous owners of the house had a rough getaway – or perhaps, a tough live-in with oil spills from BBQ nights on their driveway.
Just like you, whoever sets their eyes on your home for your housewarming party, won’t simply ignore the path they’re walking on. Your driveway is the door to heaven – if we may exaggerate a little bit – if the doorway is pretty unsettling, nobody might dare step foot inside.
All in all – your driveway helps to either increase or reduce your curb’s home appeal, not to mention, the gnarly looks that will come your way, thanks to a disheveled exterior. Are you sure you want to live in an interior made up of gold when its exterior is a bit rough and edgy on the sides?
5 tips for Transforming Your Driveway Before You Start Living in Your New Home!
We understand you want to give your driveway a much-awaited makeover! But, with cost-guzzling home-remodeling prices, you’re tempted to give in to DIY. We believe that, until and unless you excel at nailing a couple with a hammer, hiring a skilled general contractor such as a paving contractor in Stamford CT might be the way to take care of your dirty work. Even if you’re not switching homes, your driveway can get pretty worn and torn down due to the harsh weather conditions.
Mentioned below are 5 tips that can help you choose a design for your driveway that’s not only economical and cost-effective, but also appealing!
1) Concrete Driveway for Contemporary Modern Houses
For most people, a driveway is a sign of convenience rather than style. For pulling your car into the driveway and the garage, you might want to consider a concrete paved pathway that’s easier to clean and maintain. Suppose you’re living in a house that along with its modern infrastructure and paved concrete walls breathes of contemporary design, luxury, and style. Consider going for a driveway that helps you relish the exterior of your home and matches your outlook as well.
For instance, if you want to pull your car into your garage through the driveway, consider going for a concrete-paved pathway that’s not only resilient to your car tires, but also the weather. Have your contractor style your driveway by cutting irregularly shaped squares of concrete and laying them down with gravel in between the cracks.
2) Stone Pavers for Detached Garages
Your house looks like it should be placed in a museum showcasing the relics of the Elizabethan era. With its stone walls and overly manicured lawn, you can’t decide whether you want a driveway pulling through your aesthetic garden or not. Before you turn your yard into mulch, consider going for a pathway that helps you park your car in your garage without ruining the aesthetics of your home or garden.
Settle for stone pavers and have your contractor design them with spaces so that you can fill them with pea gravels and have a concrete pathway. The stone-paved driveway will help you outline the garden with a pathway leading up to your detached garage, allowing you to keep a check of your yard in more ways than one.
3) Rustic Terra-Cotta or Concrete Pavers
If you simply want to settle for a look that’s too minimal but also rustic, you can always choose terra-cotta or brick to get yourself a clean yet modern paved driveway. You can also add a bit of stone or concrete in spaces overlapping the brick to make it appear cleaner and simpler.
4) Concrete and Plantation
With so many styles to choose from, it’s hard not to think about ecology these days. While you can always pan out a driveway with stone pavers, you can also go for one that’s completely made up of concrete for a minimal touch. Not only that, you can add planters in between each concrete tile to help enhance the outlook of your minimal driveway with a little bit of plantation peeking from each side.
5) DIY Art Stencil
Before you freak out on this style, we would like to make peace with every urban homeowner out there. Not everyone is comfortable with a circular stoned pathway or a driveway that’s up to your door with its concrete pavers and embedded show of lights.
Many urban owners decided to make their own driveways by popping over an art stencil of kinds and a pressure washer. If you’re in the market for something new and want to experiment before you hire a contractor to redo your driveway, then go for one of these art stencils and give your pathways a look of urbanism and grandiosity.
All you need is a driveway made up of dirty concrete, some DIY art stencils, and a power washer to help you pressure wash the remains of your creativity!
You may also like to know about A Garden Artifact That Will Make Your Garden Beautiful
6) Bonus – Black Cobblestone Driveway
For U.S homeowners, a driveway completely made up of cobblestone is like a dream straight out of Mary Poppins! A black cobblestone pathway extends a bit more towards the traditional side, especially when you’re done with minimalism and don’t want any of the concrete slabs near your home.
Sure, concrete slabs and alternating stone or cobblestone pavers through a yard growing with weeds appear amazing, but you can always settle for a complete cobblestone pathway if you’re confused.
People are now becoming too creative with their driveways. While many tend to prefer concrete slabs with planters, some tend to raise the outlook of their estate with circular paved stone or brick pathways. Not only do they stick to these conventional designs, but some people are also now climbing away from the norm and using whatever they can get their hands on! From crushed seals to glow in the dark pebbles, people are designing their driveway with materials and styles that best define themselves!