Driveway Widening Ideas

Loose Stone

• Loose stone is one of the easiest ways to increase a driveway width, whether with gravel or crushed stone. If the driveway is loose stone in the first place, it is simple to prepare extra ground and extend the stone area. But even a cement driveway can incorporate a loose stone design, which works well if homeowners want to include a basic extra space or a complex wrap-around driveway section.

Paver Borders

• Paver borders are a frequent complement to a standard driveway. These versatile borders come in many designs and shades and are easy to extend. Rather than replacing slabs entirely, homeowners can dig out new sections and simply add more pavers until they widen the driveway to the desired width. Properly installed and sealed, pavers can be driven on like concrete and do not suffer the same cracking problems. Homeowners may want to take the opportunity to replace their entire driveway with similar paver materials.

Adding New Slabs

• If homeowners want to make a major change, they can pour a new cement slab for their driveway. This allows them to enlarge just one area of the driveway, such as one side. It also makes more artistic options possible, for instance, adding new slabs at the driveway entrance but keeping the driveway by the garage narrow. It may also be necessary if homeowners want to bring the driveway out more, as well as widening it.

Asphalt

• Asphalt is an ideal option if homeowners prefer to take out their old driveway entirely, enlarge the space then layer it with asphalt. Not only will an asphalt driveway match a nearby street, it will also last as long as the cement version. Macadam, a mixture of crushed stone and liquid asphalt, is a common option and is cost-effective although homeowners can also widen driveways with traditional black tar asphalt.