Updated 5/24/22
Concrete or asphalt are the two most common materials used for the best looking driveways. Both are generally cost-effective and long-lasting, but asphalt driveway options are often superior to concrete. If you want to install a new driveway for your home or are considering repaving the existing one, asphalt is your best option. Here’s why.
1. Durability
Asphalt is far more durable and versatile than concrete, making it an excellent alternative for your driveway. Concrete may develop fractures, splinters, and flakiness with time, and dust and debris can become an almost permanent fixture. With asphalt, minimal maintenance is all you need to keep it in excellent condition.
2. Quick Installation
Depending on the project and the working circumstances, installing an asphalt driveway often takes no longer than a couple of days. In comparison, a concrete driveway will require significantly more time to lay and even more time to set and cure. It needs at least a week to cure properly.
3. Weatherproof
Asphalt driveways can withstand nearly all weather conditions, from intense heat to frost and snow. Due to its dark color and insulating qualities, asphalt is less susceptible to weather changes, as it can absorb heat during the summer and even melt snow more quickly in the winter.
These are some reasons why residential asphalt paving is increasingly becoming a popular option among driveway paving styles. For asphalt driveway landscaping ideas, you can find inspiration online. Contact your local asphalt driveway contractors today to get yours installed.
While siding and roofing can be great aesthetic additions and remodels to a home, many people underestimate the effect their driveway can have on the look of their homes. Driveways are always openly visible and one of the first things people see as they drive by a house.
If their are visitors, they will inevitably either walk or park there care in the driveway. If it is in rough shape, upon a closer look, guests may reflect the state of the drive onto their perception of the owner. It’s terribly unfortunate to be judged according to your driveway but it is usually a subconscious bias.
When owners completely neglect their driveways, that is when things turn sour. If installed correctly by concrete driveway contractors and maintained well, whether by the individual owner or by the company, a drive can have a long and useful life span anywhere from 20 years to a whopping 50 years. A well put together drive could even end up outliving many aspects of the actual home.
When working with a contractor, it is important to lay out a plan to ensure you get the right driveway for your needs. The number of cars you expect to be parked at your home is obviously of the biggest concern. A two car driveway calls for a lot of work and planning considering they can span from a width 15 to 18 feet.
Even the angle of the driveway can have a substantial impact on its longevity. It’s important to ensure that a finished driveway has a slope of at least one-quarter of an inch per foot. With cars pulling in and out constantly, a slope can prevent the cars from leaving indents from the tires, especially on hot summer days, leading to sunken driveways.
Next time you pull out of your driveway, take a look and see how it makes you feel.
