Photo by Milly Eaton from Pexels
When we think of renovating our homes, we can often dream in a grand way. We may think of completely extending the property, renovating our garage space, landscaping the garden, or converting our upstairs bathroom into a wet room. We may imagine putting in a spiral staircase, laying marble floors, or designing that incredible outdoor pool.
It’s very rare that we think of renovating our driveway unless there’s a problem with it. But doing this could not only increase the curb appeal of the house, but serve as a first immediate impression of your design philosophy, while also improving the form and function of your home in kind. We may sometimes consider this as a final home upgrade, but why not make this an initial investment?
Once you decide upon this, you may realize that you have little idea as to what comprises a beautiful driveway in the first place. Additionally, you may wish to apply some authorial intent rather than allowing a service, no matter how great, to simply start of their own accord. With that in mind, let us consider some of the best means of renovating your exterior space.
Your Driveway Condition
Before we begin to consider the decorative or aesthetic elements that might go into the perfect driveway, we need to consider what condition it is in. Bubbled or broken material, debris, or any other unsafe and unlevel areas of said driveway can not only damage your vehicle, but they can lead to fall hazards which can be quite harmful to guests and especially children unfamiliar with the territory.
This is why using services such as Decorative Concrete can be the most restorative element here, because reinstalling and applying the best materials may not only secure the most aesthetic upgrade, but improve reliability, safety, and durability in the long term. A driveway’s condition will likely impact your morning and even schedule more profoundly than you know, and could save you untold thousands in vehicle or property damage. As such, it’s worth paying attention to this first and foremost.
Connecting With The Garden
How your driveway connects with your front garden is an important thing to consider. You may wish to use a small brick or rock wall to use as a natural divider, but this could potentially lend you vehicle damage if you slightly misjudge your turn during the winter ice. Perhaps you may wish for a large fence for more privacy, or to lay down a patio that starts at the driveway material and leads to the front door or another outhouse. It could also be that a drainage area is worthwhile to implement should your garden remain higher than your driveway at a steep angle, as your efforts here could avoid potential flood or water damage.
Driveway Space
Thinking about the driveway space you hold can potentially help you design this in a manner that can allow multiple cars to be parked there. This depends on the size of your property of course, but it’s also quite important to consider how little adjustments can make all of the difference. For example, eating into your green space just a little might help you pull a second card into the driveway. Additionally, removing a fence may allow you to park more comfortably on your property with another vehicle.
We toss up the options we have when considering our path forward, and often, ignoring the smaller improvements you can make will result in a real loss of potential. It takes relatively little to plan your most important priorities, but doing so can help you achieve the most realistic outcome as a result.
Large Driveways
Some properties have the privilege of being much larger, and are mostly found in sub-residential areas or in rural environments. These driveways might even enjoy a long drive up to the driveway itself, perhaps coming off of a private lane. This is where you may consider the use of green driveways, where slabs are placed and greenery is undeterred to allow for a natural path that still incorporates the beauty of the green space around.
When you have such space to play with, it’s not uncommon to consider just what you could use this for. A large water feature may offer a circular means for someone to drive onto your property, park, and then exit from a different direction, potentially keeping your flow of traffic well realized. Large driveways can often help your home feel more grand and noble, but it’s what you do with this space that counts in the best possible sense.
Lighting
We can often forget that a driveway is not just pure exterior space, it is part of the context of our home design, even influencing the interior design, because through windows we can see the outside quite regularly, of course. This means that lighting can often provide that beautiful evening glow we may need, deter would-be trespassers, and also allow those coming to your front door to see their way there.
A beautiful arch over your patio steps to the front door could be lit with careful exterior waterproof lantern placements, perhaps using colored lighting such as blues and greens to give this small path an ethereal aesthetic. Of course, you may also wish to install motion-sensitive floodlights that completely illuminate the space should movement be detected. This can help you park more accurately during the pitch-black nights, eviscerate shadows, and again, deter anyone from ‘scoping out’ your house in the interest of trespassing further, which can, unfortunately, be a reality in some neighborhoods.
To summarize, a driveway can have many different design elements or sensibilities present during its curation and construction. What matters is how you incorporate practicality with the potentially current design aesthetic of your household. This is where the challenge lies, but luckily it is also where the fun can be found.
With this advice, you’re sure to hit both nails on the head. Good luck!
