Are you interested in installing driveway pavers to improve the appearance of your home?
Have you heard about driveway pavers
but don't know whether or not they are right for you?
Driveway pavers are becoming a
modern trend for style-conscious homeowners who want to upgrade their property.
They provide a sleek and classy appearance that instantly boosts the look of
the exterior of their home.
In this article, we will walk you
through everything you need to know about adding driveway pavers to your home.
Read on, and you'll learn about whether or not adding driveway pavers is a
smart choice for you.
What
Are Driveway Pavers?
Driveway pavers are also known as
paving stones. They are specially designed shaped stones made out of one or
more materials.
These materials usually include
brick, cement, or natural stone pavers. They can be added to a variety of
surfaces in the exterior of your home to boost its overall look.
Why
Should You Think About Upgrading?
There are a variety of reasons why
you might want to consider adding driveway pavers to the exterior of your
house. There are great aesthetic and financial reasons for making the upgrade.
First of all, it's well known that
adding driveway pavers can increase your property value. Taking into account
the cost of installing the pavers, they can lead to up to a 70% increase in
return on investment.
They also simply look great. They
can make the outdoor spaces around your home look beautiful. By adding a paved
pathway out to your backyard garden or pavilion, you can increase the overall
appeal of the long space on your property.
Durability
Over the Long-Term
Driveway pavers are very durable,
even more durable than cement slabs. They're designed so that they won't erode
or crack in the same way that a slab patio would. Even if one paver does crack,
you can easily replace it instead of having to redo the entire slab surface.
Driveway pavers are also
significantly easier in terms of maintenance. Compared to wooden decks, they
don't need to be re-stained and resealed every few years. They also do not
erode in the same way that wooden decks would rot over time.
Are
Driveway Pavers Better Than the Alternatives?
This is a question you will have to
answer for yourself. However, in our view, driveway pavers compare favorably to
both cement slabs and wooden decks.
What's the difference between these
different types of materials?
Cement
Cement is vulnerable to the elements
which can cause mildew and mold over time. You'll also notice some staining of
the cement, as it's weathered and potentially cracking as a result of frost
heave and water infiltration.
While these can seem like small and
insignificant faults, they can be very costly. If not repaired quickly, the
cracks will continue to develop on the slab surface.
This leads to a major trade-off for
using cement slabs. They are relatively inexpensive to buy upfront. However,
maintenance over the long term can be a hassle.
Wood
On the other hand, wooden decks are
relatively common also throughout the United States. Many homeowners prefer the
appearance of well-stained wood. But this does not come without its upkeep.
You will need to continue to stain
or reseal your wooden deck every few years so that the boards don't become
damaged or rotten from rainfall seeping in. You may need to hire out or
purchase trailer mounted pressure washers to keep the appearance clean over time.
If you are too late to the problem,
the rotting can continue to develop and you may need to replace an entire
section of your deck. This could be not only ugly but also dangerous.
Driveway pavers solve all of these
issues. They are still relatively inexpensive and are not vulnerable to the
elements in the same way that cement slabs or wood and materials are.
What
Options Do I Have for Driveway Pavers?
The great thing about driveway
pavers is that there is a multitude of different types available to homeowners.
They come in all types of different shapes and color schemes depending on your
preferences.
Natural
Stone Pavers
One common type of driveway paver is
made of natural stone that is mined from the ground. This gives an
individualized appearance to each paver.
The stone is naturally able to
withstand inclement weather and helps to give the appearance of your home a
long-standing, historic appeal. As weather comes in over the years, the stone
typically gains more character.
There are different subcategories
within natural stone driveway pavers. Depending on what you are going for, you
might want to choose granite, bluestone, flagstone, limestone, or marble
material for your outdoor space.
Each of these types of papers will
help to narrow in on the design strategy you want for your driveway or patio.
Clay
Pavers
Clay pavers are also known as brick
pavers. They are commonly seen in old historic towns,
where a variety of clay types are used.
Clays are placed into a kiln and
heated at high temperatures. This helps to produce a very tough and resilient
material. There are a variety of clay colors available, including dark brick
red all the way to pearly white.
These colors are made from natural
materials instead of dies. This means that they will not fade over time or
suffer degradation from UV rays from the sun.
Cement
Pavers
Cement pavers come as a bit of a
compromise between cement slabs and other driveway pavers. They are made of
cement, which means they can be exposed to the elements and potentially degrade
over time.
However, replacing a broken or
cracked cement paper is much easier than replacing an entire slab.
Additionally, cement pavers can be
arranged in a variety of ways to create a special visual pattern that's not
available if you simply put in a big slab.
Cement pavers are designed to look
like natural stone but at a reduced cost.
Porcelain
Pavers
The benefit of choosing a porcelain
paver is that it's made from finer clay. Just like other clay papers,
porcelain pavers are also placed in a high-fired kiln.
When most people hear porcelain,
they think of a fragile material. However, the kiln makes this material very
strong, and it's also water- and oil-resistant. This can make the material
uniquely suited for outdoor spaces with minimal upkeep required.
Driveway
Pavers: the Bottom Line
If you are looking to improve the
visual appeal of your home with a natural stone paver or other driveway pavers,
you are making a fantastic investment in your property. Over the past decade,
driveway pavers have been increasingly installed to improve the value of a
home.
If you enjoyed this article about exterior design, please check out our other home and landscaping content.
