Your driveway is not only a practical thing, but it also speaks a lot about you and your home. Deciding on the paving material for your driveway may not be as simple as it seems. There are several options out there and one might be drawn to choose the least expensive one, just because, at first glance, choosing a paving material might not seem that important.
However, we don’t exactly agree with it. If driveways didn’t matter, you’d just drive over naked ground and be pleased with it. On that note, we’ve decided to look into the matter a little bit more and what we found out is that concrete is arguably your best option out there. Why is that? Well, let’s find out together, shall we?
Table of Contents
1. Durability
img source: tpcconstructioninc.com
First things first – it doesn’t get any stronger than concrete. There is a solid reason why concrete is used very often in construction and that reason is none other than the pure strength of the material. Naturally, because of this property, you’ll have to deal with slightly greater initial costs, but trust us, it all pays out in the end.
Many popular paving materials, like asphalt, for instance, are somewhat prone to damage and deterioration. On the other hand, concrete is pretty sturdy and durable. It’s not hard to see why that is very important. The worst foes of the driveways across the globe are none other than potholes. They’re annoying to look at and they could damage your vehicle.
Luckily, unlike with asphalt, worrying about potholes with concrete driveways is not something you’ll do. Actually, concrete is one of the rare materials that get better and harder as time progresses. It’s true – the older the concrete is, the more structurally sounds it becomes. When installed correctly, you can expect yours to last a long, long time without any signs of deterioration. That ultimately means you can say goodbye to potholes and cracks.
With the material being so strong and durable, you can feel free to park heavy vehicles or other machinery without any worries. It will withstand it all and you won’t have to fix it every couple of years.
2. Eco-Friendliness
img source: cementpros.ca
One of the biggest issues of today is climate change and we’re collectively trying to make things better. If you didn’t know, a carbon footprint is something that we must pay most attention to and if you did – we’re sure you’re doing your best to help. On that note, concrete is a very eco-friendly material. It is as green as it gets. The carbon emissions associated with the production of concrete are minimal and more importantly, a lot lower than those of asphalt or other materials.
Of course, concrete isn’t biodegradable, but, it is highly recyclable. It’s not hard to make and it’s even easier to recycle. There are a lot of old buildings, roads or even driveways from which you could use old concrete and re-use it. So, if being eco-friendly is one of your concerns – look no further.
3. Customization
img source: smartguy.com
Who’s to say that you have to have a plain, old, grey driveway? No one – exactly. Driveways should match the aesthetic of your property and luckily for you – concrete is highly customizable. You can do wonders when it comes to color, texture, pattern, etc. There are numerous ways for you to stain this material and achieve any look you want.
As you can probably guess – many people do just that. According to concretepavingoahu.com, one of the most common themes people choose is the old brick-road appearance. Of course, you can do whatever you like and please and you could just go with the traditional grey driveway if that’s your style. However, it doesn’t hurt to know that if you wanted it to be purple with yellow accents – you could.
4. Low Maintenance
img source: washh.com
What many don’t realize is, same as any other part of your home, your driveways need some annual maintenance, too. Of course, we’re talking a lot less maintenance than say, concrete pool – but you still have to do something. When it comes to concrete driveways the maintenance cost and effort are minimal. In most cases, it all comes down to just washing the dirt off every now and then and possibly washing some oil stains with detergent. Not a lot more than that is needed in most cases.
Other than that, there aren’t a lot of things you could do. You could coat it if you wanted to, but that would only make it easier to get rid of those annoying oils stains, but, let’s be honest – is it really a driveway if there’s no oil stain from where your car usually sits? It’s the little things. All jokes aside, other than washing it every now and then – you don’t have to do anything.
5. Good Value For Money
img source: s-nbcnews.com
Even though this is one of the most expensive paving options out there, a concrete driveway is actually a great deal in the long term. Sure, the initial costs are a bit higher as we’ve previously said. However, a well-built concrete driveway is almost guaranteed to last over 70 years without any major renovating work. When you compare that to the asphalt, which you do have to re-do every few years, unless you enjoy avoiding potholes every time you park your car – the initial cost seems more than reasonable.
Additionally, a quality driveway is always appreciated if one day you wish to sell your house. Granted, it won’t bump up the price of the property, but if a potential buyer notices that they don’t have to re-do the driveway, they may be more open to purchasing a property.
All in all, it’s not that hard to see why this is arguably the greatest paving material you can use. It’s very durable, it will last you pretty much your whole life, you won’t have to spend a lot on the maintenance and if you wanted to – you could have it look any way you want. Finally, in all honesty, we couldn’t find a flaw with it even if we wanted to.
