Paver Driveways
Your driveway is a lot more than the place where you pull your vehicle into your home. It’s more than the thing you have to shovel every winter or pressure wash every spring. And it can be so much more than one long, gray, boring slab. Your driveway is the entry to your home, and the choices you make for its design can have a big impact on your home’s curb appeal. With the right driveway design, you can transform the look of your home, making it seem more sophisticated and beautiful. You can increase your home’s value, and make a better impression on guests and neighbors.
While there are many options for enhancing your driveway design, including stamped and stained concrete, one of the best options is a paver driveway. Pavers offer a number of benefits, and they give you more options for design. They also create an elegant look that is unparalleled with any other driveway design option. The results you will get with a paver driveway are unparalleled.
The designers at Triad Associates have been installing paver driveways for Haverhill-area residents and businesses for several decades, and they are ready to help you elevate your property. They have the expertise and the design talent to create a gorgeous driveway that best enhances your property while also ensuring long-lasting results.
Benefits of Paver Driveways
The biggest benefit of choosing a paver driveway is, of course, the gorgeous look that it offers. You can get stunning results that will turn heads and make your entire property seem more sophisticated. That’s quite an achievement with just the selection of the right pavers.
However, there are many other benefits to paver driveways that you should also consider. To start, paver driveways are better for the environment. Because the pavers have a space between them, these driveways allow for greater absorption of rainwater and runoff, which reduces erosion and minimizes the reduction of nutrients in the surrounding soil. The water absorbs into the driveway instead. Having a paver driveway can also reduce your stormwater fees because it increases the permeable area on your property.
Paver driveways also require less maintenance than traditional concrete or asphalt driveways. With the improved drainage around the driveway, you won’t have to worry as much about shifts in the land that can create bulges that crack the concrete or asphalt. If a paver is displaced, it and the surrounding stones can be easily removed so that the land can be releveled, and the stones can be put back in place. If a paver is chipped or broken, it can be easily removed and replaced. No special tools or equipment will be required to maintain a paver driveway, and it won’t need sealing or other special treatment. It is easy and inexpensive to maintain.
Finally, paver driveways offer great flexibility in design. A variety of stones can be used, giving you options for different combinations of colors, textures, sizes, and shapes. With a little creativity, you can create a design that you wouldn’t be able to replicate with any other material.
Installation of Paver Driveways
Installing a concrete driveway requires a level of skill that is intimidating for many homeowners. Creating the forms, hiring a concrete truck, and managing all that concrete seems like too much, and most property owners won’t try to take that on their own. However, installing a paver driveway seems more manageable for some, given that it requires placing blocks in a pattern within the prescribed area. However, proper installation of a paver driveway for long-lasting results is much more complicated than it seems, and it requires the precision and expertise of professionals.
The hardscaping experts at Triad Associates begin the paver driveway installation process with a thorough assessment of the landscape. Our designers look for things like the grade of the land, what kind of slope is present, what drainage issues are present, and what drainage or erosion issues might develop with the addition of the pavers. Grading work may need to be performed.
The area for the paver driveway will need to be dug out, and the land will need to be properly prepared. A bed of sand, gravel, or other aggregate will be laid over the ground to create a proper drainage area for the pavers. This is an extremely important step. If this is performed incorrectly, drainage issues will develop with time, and the pavers will shift or become unlevel. Not only will such problems affect the performance of the driveway, but it will negatively impact the design, negating all the curb appeal benefits that the driveway originally offered.
Proper placement and framing of pavers is also essential to ensure long-lasting results. The right framing and spacing will keep the pavers in place, maintaining the integrity of the design and ensuring the consistent functionality of the driveway.
Our designers have the expertise to properly assess the property and to implement the right plan for your paver driveway to ensure long-term, beautiful results. We are committed to excellent results in every job we do, no matter how big or small.
Design Options for Paver Driveways
The most exciting part of the paver driveway process is determining the design for it. With so many different types of pavers available, you have a lot of wonderful options for your design. We’ll work closely with you to help you understand the options and how each would look in your space.
A classic option for the paver driveway is the basic grid, with square or rectangular blocks laid in a geometrical pattern. The uniformity makes an elegant impact. However, you can also create a border in a contrasting stone, or even create sections of the driveway with the border stones.
A cobblestone pattern is another popular option for a paver driveway. More rustic pavers are chosen and placed in an alternating pattern, making the driveway look like the pathway in an English garden or the road through a quaint village. This kind of design creates a warm and inviting entryway for your home. You can enhance it with the selection of landscaping and other hardscape elements.
More modern designs can be achieved with larger pavers, placed in a grid pattern. More artistic designs can be achieved with smaller pavers, placed in a mosaic pattern. Experiment with different colors, sizes, and shapes to determine the looks you can achieve.
Consider using pavers in a decorative pattern within the driveway. You can create shapes, borders, and more by placing different colored pavers or different sized pavers within the larger pattern. You can even place a monogram or a crest for a statement piece.
Our designers will help you explore these and other options to determine what will look best in your place. We use material samples in conjunction with sketches and 3D software design modeling to help you visualize the options. You’ll be able to “see” the design on your property before it is ever installed, so you can feel confident in your selections. Our designers can also offer you expert guidance on what will look best in your space and on your budget.
Maintenance of Paver Driveways
One of the benefits of paver driveways is that they don’t require much maintenance. If the driveway is installed properly, you shouldn’t expect to have many repairs or adjustments over time. The pavers should remain in place, providing reliable functionality. Changes may occur if you have excessive traffic or there are changes to your property, such as erosion that leads to changes in drainage or grading.
Primary maintenance for your paver driveway will mostly involve management of weeds. Aggregate will be placed between the pavers, which will reduce the incidence of weeds. However, over time, the aggregate can wear away, and more dirt can get between the pavers, providing fertile ground for weeds. You will need to spray to keep the weeds out.
Other maintenance will include keeping the pavers clean. Typically, you won’t need to do more than blow leaves and dirt off the pavers, but occasionally, you may need to wash with a mild detergent and water. In rare cases, and over long periods of time, you may need to pressure wash built-up stains. Pavers that cannot be cleaned can be easily replaced.
Hire the Experts at Triad Associates to Install Your Paver Driveway
Are you ready to get rid of your drab, concrete driveway? Do you want to create a gorgeous entryway for your home or business? Call the experts at Triad Associates to start designing your new paver driveway. Our hardscaping professionals are committed to getting exceptional results for every driveway, and they will ensure that you get a beautiful new hardscape that will give you decades of beauty and performance. We’ll work closely with you through every step of the process so that you get the gorgeous results you want. Call us today to schedule a consultation and begin your site evaluation. You could have the new paver driveway that you want this year!
