Many people don’t put too much effort into maintaining their driveway since it seemingly has one purpose and one purpose only – to welcome you in or out of your home. In simpler words, your driveway is nothing more but a relatively small area of your yard that serves as a temporary parking place for your vehicle. However, there are many driveway ideas to make your driveway more appealing, and potentially turn it into the focal point of your front yard.
It’s no secret that well-maintained front yards fare much better than neglected ones, both because of the superior aesthetic appeal and because it shows the owner’s dedication to bringing the neighborhood to a whole new level. If you’re not satisfied with the looks of your driveway, take a moment to check out some of the ideas we have covered in this article, and we promise you’ll find at least one that seems like a perfect solution!
Driveway Ideas That Will Turn Some Heads
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Pressure Wash Your Front Yard
It’s probably the best idea to start with the simplest way to make your yard look more attractive. This is also one of the least expensive solutions for your front yard, and on top of that – you can do it all by yourself, no need to ask for help.
You can hire a team of professionals and let them handle it, or you can also rent a pressure washer and do it yourself. Using a pressure wash machine isn’t rocket science by any means, but make sure to follow the instructions and safety protocols!
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Incorporating a Simple Border
Even though it sounds a bit cliché, simple ideas are usually the best ones, and this particular one isn’t an exception. You can do this by using bricks, concrete blocks, and even stone blocks. Many people struggle to fix the edges that are continually crumbling, and fixing those is only a temporary solution since they will start crumbling again soon. The solution to this predicament is rather simple – a boundary made of blocks.
A single row of blocks will be more than enough elevation from the ground to prevent the edge from crumbling, and more importantly – it won’t allow rainwater to wash away the mulch from the ground toward the concrete. You can experiment with different colors, shapes, and patterns. Let your artistic spirit run wild, and you’ll have a mesmerizing driveway in a heartbeat.
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Filling Cracks and Repairing Damaged Paving
The great thing about paved yards is that you can repair them without having to break the whole design. All you need to do is find the same material, shape, and color of your current paving, buy a couple of tiles and put them in place of the damaged ones. You can somewhat DIY your way out of this situation, but we would recommend you to hire a team of experts and let them deal with it.
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A Complete Upgrade
If the situation with your driveway is beyond repair, it might be a good idea to think about upgrading it with some new materials, colors, and shapes. Here are some options you might want to consider.
Bricks are a great solution, mostly because they are affordable, easy to install, and they offer a good deal of reliability and durability.
Gravel is a low-maintenance material, and it adds a unique touch to your front yard. It’s relatively inexpensive, and the best thing about it is that you don’t need a massive team of people to handle it for you, you can do it yourself since it’s all about spreading it evenly on the surface.
Paver driveways are the best solution since they come with a wide variety of options you can choose from, including colors, shapes, patterns, material, and much more. This method also allows you to combine pavers with grass or other materials in order to create a stunning work of art. However, if you’re looking to make the best of it, you ought to hire a team of experts and put matters into their hands.
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A Small Driveway Landscaping Project Makes a Huge Difference
You don’t always have to buy new materials or completely re-haul your front yard in order to make it look better. Some people aren’t keen on investing money in new paving or bricks, so they instead opt for a nice landscaping project.
The idea behind this is pretty simple – you can add flowers, trees, grass, or anything else you might find interesting. We would recommend opting for perennials since you won’t have to replant them the next year. However, annuals are also great because you can more or less choose new colors each year. One thing we would strongly recommend you to avoid is using biennials since they need at least two years to complete their growing cycle.
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Incorporate Interesting Lighting Ideas
If you don’t have lighting fixtures in your yard, then what are you doing? Jokes aside, a well-designed avenue of lights will significantly improve the overall aesthetic appeal of your driveway. It’s up to you to choose between solar-powered panels, LED strips, or anything else that you might find interesting.
We would recommend going for solar-powered units since they don’t require any batteries or electricity and are therefore virtually maintenance-free. With that being said, don’t worry about any rules tied to the “best” design, since it doesn’t exist. It is entirely up to you to arrange the lighting as you deem best.
Things to Consider Before Upgrading
In case you have decided to upgrade your driveway by installing new pavers, here are a couple of things you should consider before starting a new project:
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Calculate Your Budget
The number-one problem many people struggle with is improper budgeting. People tend to oversee the unforeseen expenses during a complete overhaul project, which is why some of these projects grind to a halt and sometimes never get finished.
So, before you dive deeper into the matter, make sure to ask the experts for an estimate, or if you’re doing the project by yourself, calculate the necessary expenses and don’t hesitate to add 10% to the overall price just to be safe.
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Permits and Local Regulations
Another thing that most people oversee is the existence of local laws and regulations that might, in some cases, hinder your progress. There’s nothing worse than buying the necessary materials and finishing half of your project just to realize that it doesn’t meet the regulations of your municipality.
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Choose the Right Company
If you’re looking to hire a team of experts rather than resort to DIY solutions, make sure to research the company and get familiar with their work, pricing, and organization. At Cricket Pavers, we strive to fulfill the expectations and requirements of our client by providing the best installation services in South Florida.
In case you want to fix or renovate your yard, pool, or patio – call us, and we will be more than happy to lend a hand!
