Types of Driveway
Ideally, it is recommended that you enlist the help of a professional for installing a drive way but this does not mean that you need to relinquish all responsibility for how the drive way turns out. Whatprice can help you with this, take a look at our easy to fill in form which provides you with drive laying quotes from up to 5 professionals.
If you have professionals working on your property, you need to be on top of tings to ensure that everything is going as planned. The first the thing that you need to do is hire an able contractor; try to get as many references as you can from friends, neighbours and family. Once you have chosen two or three establishments, look for any reviews about them online. However you need to understand that doing your homework on the different materials that can be used for a driveway is crucial so that the contractor does not take you for a ride and you can get a driveway that suits your requirements.
The paving materials used for driveways can be segregated into two categories: aggregate surface and solid surface which is the smooth, seamless driveway.
Aggregate surface materials include crushed stone and gravel while the most popular drive way materials are asphalt and concrete from the solid surface category. On the other hand driveway paves have the characteristics of both aggregate as well as solid surface. Although pavers are small individual pieces that are laid together to form a whole; there are different types of paves available in the market and some can give an almost seamless finish that will save a you a lot of work when snow blowing the drive way. Tar and chip are also used as paving material; however; they do not provide the smooth finish that you can get from asphalt, so snow blowing will be a task on this surface.
Some other drive way paving materials include:
Cobblestone: You can get drive way pavers in a variety of sizes and shapes from small rectangular blocks to large hexagonal pavers and even cobblestone. If you have not been able to stop marveling over the paved streets in Europe than this might be the perfect choice for you. Even though you can use concrete and asphalt to mimic the look, it is not the real thing. Paved driveways work well when coupled with a old world landscaping. Cobblestones and other drive way pavers are very durable and easy to maintain. Even if one piece comes off loose or breaks, it's fairly easy to repair or replace it. Also, unlike asphalt or concrete, you can replace individual units and will not have to incur the cost of replacing the entire drive way.
This option is suitable for areas that do not receive snow fall because it can be nothing short of tedious to clear snow from cobblestone. Another factor that may hold you back is the price; cobblestones are among the most expensive drive way pavers in the market today.
Asphalt Driveways : A lot can be done with concrete drive ways, you can color them and even stamp them to enhance their look; however, did you know that you could do the same with asphalt as well?
If you receive heavy snowfall in your area and sub zero temperatures through out winter, you may want to consider two vital factors when choosing the drive way materials; ease of snow removal and the ability to with stand frost heaves without cracking. Both concrete and asphalt are good for snow removal but asphalt with its flexibility is sturdier and can perform better than concrete drive ways. Also, in case of damage, you can relayer asphalt paving without spending a lot; however with concrete, you will need to replace it.
Both concrete and asphalt paving has to be resealed often so maintenance is a slight problem with these materials.
Concrete Driveways: This is a more suitable paving material in areas where winters are not particularly harsh; one of the primary advantages of choosing concrete as the paving material is that you can greatly enhance the look of your drive way through coloring and pattern stamping; however; the look of concrete gets marred easily with stains which cannot be avoided when rubber tires meet hot concrete. One of the appearance problems that is encountered with concrete is that it is lighter than asphalt which means that stains including those made by oil are very conspicuous.
Concrete is significantly more expensive than asphalt paving and maintenance can be an issue because it cannot be relayerd in case of damage.
Tar and chip: These materials when combined together look very attractive; also they are cheaper than asphalt paving and require very little maintenance. The rough surface is ideal for traction but it may be a pain if you live in an area that frequently experiences snow covered drive ways.
The surface is created by piping hot tar on a bed of gravel and stone chips are thrown on top while the tar is still simmering hot; the chips adhere to the hit tar. People like to use chips of various colors in their drive way accentuate the look. Once the stone chips are laid, a steam roller is used to press them together. One of the primary concerns that people have when using these material is the unavailability of contractors who can undertake such work so installation can be a big problem.
Crushed Gravel Drive: One of the primary reasons for crushed gravel being paving material of choice for drive ways is its extremely affordable price particularly in rural areas crushed gravel is used often to pave drive ways. Maintenance is inexpensive and easy but you may need to frequently replace as ruts form when gravel is lost. However, they require very little actual repair. There is no need to seal or clean them. Snow removal can be difficult because the surface is uneven but you will not have to worry about cracks.
If snow removal is the primary concern for you when choosing a drive way paving materials, then you need to understand that you can install a snow melting system which will eliminate the need to manual work ; however, to install this system you will need to use asphalt or concrete for paving the drive way.