A long, flowing driveway can work wonders for the curb appeal and value of your Lexington, MA, home. However, making the right design decisions and choosing the right pavers for your driveway is no trivial task. In this guide, we go over five important aspects of choosing the right driveway pavers that will ensure your new driveway is beautiful, functional, and environmentally friendly.
Keeping Your Design Harmonious
One of the most important design decisions is the choice of colors and textures for your driveway pavers. It is important to choose a paver that complements your home’s front facade in terms of textures and colors. For more traditional homes, you can opt for a classic brick paver or cobblestone style concrete pavers. For homes favoring a more modern landscape design, you can choose a sleek paver with subdued hues to give your driveway a slick look. Moreover, the wide range of colors and textures offered by modern concrete pavers comes in handy to create interesting borders and accents. A well-designed border can frame your driveway and help make it an important design element of your home.
Contours and Dimensions
The shape of your driveway and the form factor of your pavers have to be chosen carefully for keeping the overall dimensions of your front yard and your home in consideration. A smooth, curving driveway is a classic and is hard to match if you have ample space. For smaller properties, a simple straight driveway is ideal as it maximizes the usable space in your front yard for other hardscaping. Choose pavers and a laying pattern that favor the shape of the driveway. Larger pavers tend to work well with more modern homes while smaller brick-style pavers are more suited to traditional homes.
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Durability
Durability is of paramount importance in driveway pavers given the high loads they experience from cars and trucks. Choose a concrete paver from a reputable manufacturer that is specifically designed for driveways. Manufacturers typically add extra strength to driveway pavers that allows them to cope with the extra loads. Similarly, choose pavers that are robust to dirt and stains to minimize damage from oil drips. UV resistance is also a great feature in modern concrete pavers that prevents the colors from fading because of constant exposure to the elements.
Winter Readiness
Snowy winters and a long, flowing driveway are not a good match. Consider having a snowmelt system installed with your driveway to control the snow and keep your driveway safe during winters. Snowmelt systems are installed during the construction process with heating elements embedded underneath the pavers to help melt away the snow. Couple them with permeable pavers featuring an anti-slip surface and you can minimize spills and slips on your driveway.
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Environmental Impact
Choose permeable pavers for your driveway to minimize the environmental impact of your home and avoid standing water. Modern permeable pavers have porous surfaces and jointing compounds that allow water to flow through them to the subsoil layers and become a part of the groundwater. This not only helps maintain the water table but also reduces the strain on the stormwater management system during heavy rainfall.
