As a homeowner, you may be faced with home maintenance and upkeep issues that are unfamiliar to you. After all, unless you work in the home improvement or construction field, you’ve never been educated on windows, siding, driveways and the like. Today, we want to go through your options when it comes to redoing your driveway. Whether you bought a fixer upper home or find that your old driveway is falling apart, we can help you choose what construction material to go with for your new driveway.
Concrete Driveway
Concrete is a fairly obvious choice for redoing your driveway. So we’ll go over this option first.
Stability
Concrete is a solid and strong building material and remains this way even through the hot summer months and cold Michigan winters. It also resists deformation from the weight of vehicles. Even the edges of concrete driveways are less likely to breakdown or deteriorate.
Comfort
You may not think about comfort when you think of driveways, but have you ever gone across black asphalt barefoot in the summer heat? Ouch. Concrete comes in lighter colors that will stay cool when you walk to your car barefoot looking for your phone.
Weather-Resistance
Rough weather can cause pot holes and other damage to driveways. However, with concrete, this type of damage is rare. The most you’ll worry about is cracking, just like any other surface.
Cost
Concrete driveways tend to cost 40-60% more than blacktops, but they do have a longer lifespan. So while the initial investment may be steep, it will cost about the same or less in the long run.
Asphalt Driveway
Asphalt driveways are less popular than concrete buy they do have their benefits as well.
Cost
Asphalt driveways tend to be 40-60% cheaper than concrete driveways. As stated earlier, the price can be just as much as concrete in the long run as asphalt doesn’t hold up as well.
Flexibility
Asphalt driveways retain some flexibility, making them less easily damaged by sudden impacts. This flexibility also helps reduce cracking from temperature changes.
Heat Retention
The dark color of asphalt means that it retains the sun’s rays in the summer making it hot in the summer. However, this comes in handy in the winter when the sun is shining as it will still warm the asphalt and keep it free of snow and ice.
Cheap Repairs
If your asphalt driveway becomes damaged, it’s an inexpensive and easy repair. Cracks in asphalt can usually be repaired by the homeowner with products from the local hardware store.
Gravel Driveway
Finally, gravel driveways are also an option and usually found in homes surrounded by woods.
Low Maintenance
Gravel driveways require little maintenance. The surface has to be regarded from time to time and weeds need to be picked, but for the most part you can just fill in low spots with additional gravel and call it a day.
Long Lasting
If maintained, gravel driveways can last up to 100 years as gravel doesn’t crack or sink like asphalt and concrete.
Cheap
Gravel driveways are one of the least expensive driveways. Even high end gravel driveways are fairly cheap. There are more options out their for driveways, these are just the three most common. There are many factors to consider when choosing your driveway like the overall appearance and how much value it will add to your home.
A Concrete Company You Can Trust
If you are looking to have a concrete driveway installed or replaced at your home, go with a concrete company you can trust. Martino Home Improvements has three generations of experience in the concrete industry serving the Southeastern Michigan area. Give us a call today for a free quote!
