How Modern Driveway Pavers Can Add Elegance to Your Home in Harrisburg, PA
It may not be thought of as the most exciting part of your landscape, but the driveway is one of the most important parts. The driveway takes up a considerably large area and it deserves the same design attention as the rest of the spaces surrounding the home. Asphalt driveways don’t do much for the aesthetics of a home, and though it can be chic, poured concrete has a relatively short lifespan. Between looking great and being a functional element, here’s how modern driveway pavers can add elegance to your home in Harrisburg, PA.
Long-Lasting Durability
Everyone has seen the poured concrete or asphalt driveway with long, ugly cracks that grow wider every year. This is because these solid-surface driveways don’t stand up well to the freeze-thaw cycle: as the ground beneath them moves, solid-surface driveways will also move, and eventually crack.
Driveway pavers, on the other hand, make up a durable web of individual pieces that can take the pressures of ice expanding and contracting. You can even replace broken pavers individually without having to replace the entire surface. As a whole, a paver driveway will remain intact for many years.
Adding a snowmelt system beneath the pavers will also extend their lifespan, as they won’t be damaged by snow plows or harsh deicing chemicals. Even in the deepest gloom of winter, your paver driveway will offer a warm welcome.
Stunning Visuals and Creative Expression
Most of all, a paver driveway is a thing of beauty. Driveway pavers come in a wide range of design styles, from traditional to modern and anywhere in between. Whether you’re looking to honor the steely grays or the warm earth tones of the local geology, pavers can create a stunning driveway rich in character.
The classic herringbone pattern is a favorite among homeowners who want a traditional brick driveway. This incredibly strong pattern also happens to be visually stunning, especially if lighter jointing compound is used. For added richness, you could use two or three different brick colors laid randomly - this is a great solution if you want the surface to have more character than a single-color driveway.
If you want to mimic the random look of natural stone, you can choose textured pavers that are inspired by natural flagstone. You can also mix and match various color combinations within the same paver style. You can also use various laying patterns and add intricate designs to completely customize your driveway. A driveway that’s this beautiful is going to enhance the outdoor living space and the look of the home, increasing property value and the welcoming feeling for your guests.
An Elegant Eco-Friendly Solution: Permeable Pavers
A solid surface driveway may be a threat to your landscape depending on the slope of the landscape and the driveway. Since it’s such a large landscape feature, a huge amount of water falls on this surface; and it has to go somewhere, rather than dispersing into the soil as it would on soil. This will cause the areas immediately downhill from the driveway to become oversaturated with water, causing standing surface water, mud, and even debris flowing over the driveway.
When a driveway is built using a permeable paver system, rain and snow melt will safely disperse into the soil below the driveway through slightly larger joints and a special substrate. This will prevent soil oversaturation, drowning of plants, collection of water, and flooding.