Are you looking for ideas or inspiration to find out what type of driveway to have installed at your home? Have a look at some of the excellent driveway solutions available when you choose a Proven Local Expert as your contractor.
A driveway is more than just an entrance point to your home and parking spot. A creative or custom designed driveway can drastically alter the appearance of your home and give it kerb appeal. With colour variety, edging styles, shaping the entrance and more to further custom the outlook of your driveway. Read on to learn about the types of driveways and what other things you can do to further enhance its appearance.
What Types Of Driveways Are Available?
Here is a look at the 5 most popular types of driveways that are commonly laid by our Proven Local specialists.
BLOCK PAVING IDEAS
Block paved driveways are probably the most common type of driveway installation currently. With a wide variety of colour options to choose, laying styles, textures and even paving blocks to choose from.
Very easy to custom tailor and supports a wide range of driveway features including recessed covers and paving patterns.
You can opt for herringbone for the more traditional style or you can choose staggered which is used when you lay Tegula paving on the driveway. We recommend a high contrast border to make the main center colours pop out a bit more.
Click Here to Get More Ideas for Block Paving
TARMAC DRIVEWAYS
Tarmac was previously the most popular option and lately has been staging a bit of a return as well. Where it lacks variety in colour, as in you can only get red or black tarmac, it makes up for in durability and customizable options with edgings. For example, a paved brick apron on the entrance of it such as shown above, really changes the overall look of it.
For red tarmac or black tarmac, we recommend a contrasting border. For red tarmac, we recommend a charcoal or natural grey border. For black tarmac, we recommend a red or buff border to make the black pop out more. For extra choice, edging kerbs bring clear definition. Learn here about our edging kerb options.
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RESIN BOUND
Even though resin bound is around for a good few years, it really only has become more of a commonplace on driveways in the last 3 or so years. Previously, it was very common on side pathways and patio areas especially because of its anti slip features.
However, on driveways it is just as functional and in fact more durable than most of the other options. A proper installed resin driveway will last upwards of 15 years with only minor maintenance. Another feature of resin is the unlimited colour variety.
The colour is achieved through the use of the chip which is mixed with the resin in a special mixer. Normally 2 sizes of chips are used which creates a bespeckled finish. Most common colour for a resin bound surface is gold, granite or terracotta. For extra custom options, we recommend a brick or natural cobble stone border. This makes the colour of the resin really pop out and gives definition to the driveway.
GRAVEL DRIVEWAY IDEAS
Gravel driveways make beautiful, traditional and rustic driveways. Very commonly seen on larger more traditional homes where its more cost effective to have gravel instead of tarmac or paving. An added bonus to gravel is that is permeable which means you do not need to worry about surface water with gravel.
Most common colour choices in Surrey for a gravel driveway has been the gold colour or Cotswold stone. A brick paved apron makes a beautiful additional to gravel along with a brick border to contain the gravel to stop it spilling out.
We often install gravel as a low maintenance option for customers in garden areas. We put a nice paved pathway through the middle of it to allow ease of movement and the gravel effectively replaces what would be otherwise a grass area.
See More Gravel Driveway Ideas
CONCRETE DRIVEWAY IDEAS
The oldest and most reliable solution for any driveway. Concrete has an added advantage when it has a pressed or imprinted finish. It turns it from a grey colour finish to any colour you want along with a pattern finish that can be tailored to really any type of design.
The most popular type of imprint patterned concrete we lay is the charcoal colour cobble finish. It looks very similar to the old Victorian styled pathways you would find in the city centres especially when you apply a nice matted finish to it.
The more modern style look people opt for is the sandstone look where lines are drawn to resemble flagstones and its coloured to match the sandstone finish. Always make sure you allow for proper expansion joints in your concrete and proper drainage as imprinted concrete can become quite slippy!
Get More Ideas For Concrete Driveways
Design and Shape Ideas For Your Driveway
As you have now seen, there is a huge variety of choices and styles when it comes to laying in that new driveway at your home. Now of course, a block paved driveway is a block paved driveway, so how do you customise that even more?
You can put some definition into your driveway by choosing a swirl, lazy S or angled boundary lines around the driveway. When it is combined with a contrasting border or edging kerbs, it can really enhance the look of your driveway.
Geometric patterns on concrete or block paving can make a large difference to a driveway as well. It can help to break up the paving pattern on larger driveways or help to stand the concrete out on a patterned concrete finish.
Lets look at some of the things you can do for shaping your driveway or creating custom bordering and patterning on it.
Regardless of the type of driveway you would, our experts excel at installing them. Click here to view our service for driveways or head over to our contact page to book a free estimate from one of our Proven Local experts.
