Home Driveway Ideas

Concrete/Cement

• When properly installed, concrete or cement driveways provide a long-lasting surface that requires virtually no long-term maintenance. Installation of cement driveways requires significant excavation and preparation of a gravel substrate layer. Together, these requirements add significantly to the cost of a cement driveway. They are, however, necessities because cement poured over a poorly prepared base will crack and settle over time.

Gravel/Loose Stone

• Gravel or loose stone driveways represent the lowest-cost options. They are little more than truckloads of stones dropped off and packed down to provide a stable surface. They are popular in rural areas where the length of a driveway makes concrete or asphalt prohibitively expensive or aesthetically unnecessary. They do require almost yearly maintenance and replenishment of gravel, especially in colder climates where plow trucks push rocks out of place and off the preferred path.

Asphalt/Tar and Chip

• Asphalt is a practical and relatively inexpensive option for driveways. It is little more than a byproduct of the oil refining process -- it literally comes from the bottom of the barrel. It also has many characteristics well suited for road paving, such as plasticity under a wide range of temperatures. Tar and chip, similarly, is an inexpensive paving method that combines oil byproducts and rock. With this method, tar is sprayed onto a surface and rock is poured over the tar. As the tar cools, it grabs onto the rock and holds it in place.

Paving Stones

• Paving stones or bricks represent the most costly option for driveways, although they are arguably the most visually appealing. Laid by hand onto a pack and prepared substrate, paving bricks are sturdy blocks that in all likelihood will outlive your house. Installation is pricey: Designer cobblestones, for instance, can cost more than $5 each, and thousands of stones are required for a typical driveway. And that's just the stones. Installation costs more, as does excavation and preparation of the driveway path.