When you get your driveway paved, you’re not only adding a little convenience to your life, but also potentially improving the aesthetic of your home as well as boosting its value. In order to make sure it gets done right the first time, it’s important to use the correct guidelines and materials, and to avoid the setbacks that can be caused by the following five common blunders.
1. Thinking Short-Term
Driveway installation is the sort of chore you want to avoid repeating in the near future, so it’s important to think carefully about your desired outcome. It can be easy to make choices that are purely cost-based, but it may be that a cheaper option right now won’t hold value or appeal for you down the road. Cheap is not always best. Likewise, choosing a driveway that takes the least amount of time to install frequently means sacrificing certain functional and aesthetic aspects that you may find yourself unhappy without at a later date.
2. Not Allowing Enough Space
This is a part of design where it may benefit you to seek some input from a professional. The last thing you want is to end up with a driveway that looks great, but doesn’t allow for convenient maneuvering and parking. It’s important to provide enough space for functionality without compromising on the look you want to achieve.
3. Allowing Too Much Space
A little extra space for parking can be nice, but too much will leave the impression of something being not quite right. Although too much is almost certainly better than too little, having too large of a driveway can create a visually unbalanced setting. Having some additional landscaping instead of extra pavement can really help maintain that balance. Again, planning the size of your driveway can be made much easier with a bit of expert advice.
4. Improper Sealing
A proper sealing job will protect your paved driveway from destabilizing due to weather damage for up to three years. Although a good rule of thumb is to apply a sealer about six months following installation, applying too soon or too late will negatively impact your driveway’s strength and durability. You also will want to apply a sealant that is designed to be compatible with the material your driveway is made of, and remember to reapply every one to three years.
Overall, installing a paved driveway can be a simple undertaking, whether you decide to contract it out, or take the DIY route. If you treat the process as an investment, and work hard to avoid the common mistakes mentioned, you will likely find that paving your driveway proves a very rewarding experience.
