Remodeling Your Driveway: Choosing the Right Materials for Your Home

Pavers can give an Old World look to new construction. Photo courtesy of Systems Paving, Inc. Another green option is pervious concrete, which absorbs water. With the right design, a pervious driveway will store as much as six inches of rainwater that will drain into the underlying soil instead of running down the street, says Gordon Kenna, executive director of the Tucker, Ga., based-Georgia Concrete and Products Association. Pervious driveways aren’t difficult to install, Kenna says, but proper design is essential to achieve the correct drainage. Also, the material is “very, very different” from regular concrete and will probably cost 20 to 25 percent extra, he cautions. “It’s made with a specialty aggregate,” he says. “Most concrete producers can secure it but won’t have it on-site.” It is much dryer than regular concrete and needs to be raked into place, compacted with a roller and immediately covered with plastic for a week to keep the water in the cement from evaporating. Otherwise, “you get a lot of loose stones,” Kenna says. Maintenance is easy: Sweep or blow it off like any other driveway. Pavers Pavers are an ancient surfacing choice with a reputation for durability. Whether they’re made of concrete, brick or natural stone, pavers are one way to avoid the cracking that comes with concrete because they’re installed individually. “They don’t fail because they’re basically a pre-cracked driveway,” says Doug Leuck, a partner with Systems Paving in Newport Beach, Calif., which manufactures and installs interlocking paving stoves. “The product we install is a manufactured product out of concrete, but the concept has been around since the Romans. Some of those roads are still there today.” Imagination is the only limit to the designs that can be incorporated into a driveway done with pavers. The ring pattern shown here around a pool area is popular in driveways as well. Photo courtesy of Systems Paving, Inc. As with concrete, pavers can come in a wide array of colors and patterns. Most people opt for a simple design that complements the colors and architectural style of their home. Others, however, use it to make a major statement. “We’ve inserted Olympic rings, a basketball, a Christmas tree, roses, even a dollar sign,” Leuck says. Another benefit of pavers is that they’re ready for use as soon as they’re installed as there is no curing time during which it can’t be walked or driven on. And if a repair is ever needed, it’s a fairly easy process to remove the damaged section and replace it. The biggest drawback of pavers is the expense. Leuck estimates that his product costs about three times as much as asphalt and at least twice as much as plain concrete. The primary reason for the cost difference is the labor involved to set each piece. That’s why many of Napier’s customers use pavers as decorative accents in a concrete driveway. There’s also a risk of the pavers sinking if they’re not properly installed, and Napier says he sometimes gets complaints about weeds growing in between them. Like most driveways, pavers need to be properly maintained. They should be sealed at least every two years to prevent water damage and staining.

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