Is it Time to Replace Your Driveway?

Amber RandhawaHomeowner and Homebuyer Tips

Photo Credit: Zac Gudakov @zacgudakov

If you talk to real estate agents or read real estate magazines and blogs, you will likely hear a lot about curb appeal. Real estate experts love to point out how the front and exterior of your home are the key focal points for making a good first impression when you are listing your home for sale. Great curb appeal isn’t just good for resale value though. That feeling you get when you drive home after a long day at work or a fun, but exhausting vacation, and you see your welcoming house is just as important as escalating home values, and curb appeal is the reason.

What many of you probably have not thought of, however, is the effect that your home’s driveway can have on it’s curb appeal. Driveways are mainly seen as utilitarian, useful only as a way of connecting your house to your street and delivering your vehicle safely to your garage. But the driveway is more than this. It can also be a major visual attribute to your home. It is usually one of the first things that visitors see, and in the case of a long driveway coupled with a large amount of shrubbery and hedges, it may be the most visible aspect of your property when someone first turns in off the street.


For these reasons, spending a good amount of both time and money planning, and then refreshing, your driveway makes a lot of sense. If you are in your home for a long time, you may find that you are faced with the need to overhaul your driveway. Resurfacing a driveway can be an expensive undertaking, but the return on investment is worth it for many homeowners. Especially if your current driveway is beginning to crack, or if pressure washing alone simply isn’t cutting it, it may be time consider a driveway upgrade.

Whether you are looking for a creative way to boost your home’s curb appeal and resale value, or you are just looking for a way to make your home’s entrance more accessible and functional, changing the way your driveway looks can be a worthwhile home improvement project. There are vastly more material and design elements available for use in your driveways than you may have realized. Here are some of the most popular home driveway materials and shapes popular with homeowners today.

Concrete

Photo Credit: Zac Gudakov @zacgudakov

By far the most common material used in driveways in the United States, and in Atlanta specifically, is concrete. This is with good reason, as concrete has a number of benefits, including low cost and longevity. Professional installation of a concrete driveway will cost roughly $4-$10 per square foot of concrete poured. You can expect to pay more if an old driveway will need to be demolished and removed, or if significant site preparation work is required. Repairs are rarely needed, and most concrete driveways will last 40-50 years without needing major maintenance. Concrete is the perfect driveway choice for any climate, so it will stand up to the sweltering summer heat in metro Atlanta, and also be fine throughout the winter even with our occasional snow storms.

As far as appearances go, concrete is also incredibly versatile, and will look appropriate in front of any type of home, from modern to traditional. There are multiple shades of concrete available to complement your home’s exterior and the surrounding landscapes, and most any shape and design can be created with concrete, including adding texture and decorative designs and colors.


Upkeep can be a bit of a chore for a concrete driveway. They look great when they’re new. But stains such as those from oil, grease, rust, mildew, and tire marks can quickly rob concrete driveways of much of their luster. Be prepared to have your concrete driveway pressure washed annually, and you may find that it is worth your time and money to purchase pressure washing equipment yourself.

Asphalt

Photo Credit: Alessandro Cavestro @alessandrocavestro

Asphalt is another common driveway material, and can often be as much as half the price of concrete depending on fluctuating oil prices. The average asphalt driveway costs $3-$7 per square foot to install, but as with concrete, demolition of an existing driveway and site preparation will cost a good bit more. Asphalt is not quite as durable as concrete, and has been known to degrade somewhat in high heat. The average asphalt driveway will last 15-20 years in most climates. However, asphalt can be easily resurfaced in a way that is not possible with concrete. Color options are limited, but asphalt tends to appeal to those who want their driveway to look like an extension of the roadway.

You’ll likely find that asphalt driveways are much less common here in the south, so when you see them, they may look a bit odd or out of place. However, they are a very popular choice up north, where they weather the freeze-thaw cycles found in the northern United States far better than concrete. Because the black color of asphalt retains heat, snow that falls on an asphalt driveway melts relatively easily. This means that asphalt in metro Atlanta can be susceptible to softening on hot days and can be damaged by encroaching tree roots.

If you are choosing to use concrete or asphalt for your driveway, check with your neighbors to see if any of them are also interested in a driveway overhaul. For both materials, installation costs can be reduced if you partner with another homeowner to have multiple driveways done at the same time. Using the same contractor, who will be able to purchase their asphalt in a larger quantity, can reduce costs for everyone involved.


Brick versus Pavers

Photo Credit: Shelter @shelter

One material you may want to avoid for your driveway is brick. While brick can give your entrance an elegant look straight from a Victorian countryside, or a classic rugged look, it can also be problematic. As a driveway material, brick costs significantly more than concrete or asphalt, and it is more likely to settle over time needing repairs. If you can find someone with a lot of experiences building out brick driveways, they may be able to prevent some of this settling. In that case, though expensive, brick can be a long lasting and attractive choice.

For a similar look to brick, a better alternative to consider is a driveway made of paving stones. Paving stones (or “pavers”) is a name given to a variety of natural stone and manmade clay or concrete bricks that are commonly used for driveways, sidewalks, and patios. When using pavers, you have all of the same advantages of brick when it comes to color and pattern choices, and if one section does need to be repaired, it can be done easily without needing to overhaul the entire driveway. Paving stones are also available in a cobblestone look, so you can give your driveway an elegant and even antique look, which is particularly suited to colonial-style homes. Like brick, paver stones can be an expensive driveway choice, but they are low maintenance and you can expect your driveway to last 30-40 years without a need for repair.


For anyone who is particular skilled at DIY endeavors, installing paver stones is a task that many homeowners can tackle on their own, unlike pouring concrete or asphalt. This task is labor intensive, but it can save you thousands of dollars over professional installation which typically runs $30-$40 per square foot. This is in addition to the $3-$10 per square foot that you will pay for the paving stones themselves.

Driveway Designs

Before you can begin playing with the shape and layout of your driveway, there are a few things you must consider. The most important factors will be the layout of your home and property relative to the roadway, and any possible restrictions that may be in place with your homeowners association, if applicable. Even if your driveway ideas are not in violation of any rules, you will likely need to have any major alterations approved in advance before work can begin.

Straight driveways are by far the most common, especially if you are limited by space, HOA regulations or cost. If changing your driveway layout from straight to another style isn’t an option, you can always spruce up the look of it with a row of hedges along one or both sides.

If you have the room and ability to make small changes to your driveway layout, adding a simple curve or two can create a winding effect, giving the appearance of a longer driveway. Meanwhile if you have plenty of space to play with and a larger budget, splurging on a horseshoe or circular style can completely transform the look of your home. These styles are great for function as well – with a circular or horseshoe-style driveway, vehicles can travel in and then out without needing to back up, alleviating concerns about kids and pets running behind a vehicle that is in reverse.