Beautiful driveway designs to welcome you home
Installing a new driveway or replacing an existing driveway is a big job. Your driveway is one of the first things people see when coming to your home, and it gets a lot of use on a day-to-day basis. Look through some driveway design ideas to find the best fit for you.
When planning your driveway design, think about your budget, the cost to pave a driveway, and the amount of use it is exposed to regularly. Here are some creative driveway ideas that you will be excited to come home to every day.
A gravel driveway is a cost-effective and low-maintenance option. Gravel is composed of loose rock fragments that can come in different stones and colors. Besides affordability, gravel is a popular choice because it is easily replaced, promotes good drainage, and works well with almost any style of home.
Loose materials can scatter, so if you are not in a rural setting, you may need to add a barrier to catch any stray pieces. Choose gray gravel then line it with red mulch and lush garden beds to elevate the curb appeal.
An asphalt driveway provides a classic look and is a tried-and-true option in a wide variety of regions. Asphalt performs well in harsh weather and is easy to repair if it gets damaged, making this one of the best driveway materials. When applied, asphalt has more give than concrete and is less likely to crack. Offset the dark asphalt with greenery and plants for a contrasting border.
Recycled asphalt, also called millings, is another excellent driveway material. It can be a cost-effective alternative to other materials such as paver or concrete. Aside from the relatively lower asphalt driveway cost, if you’re looking for a way to incorporate sustainability into your driveway design, recycled asphalt millings offer a great way to put that into practice. The great thing about recycled asphalt or reclaimed asphalt is that it looks like new asphalt once it’s installed.
Using clay bricks for your driveway makes an elegant statement. Brick provides a visually appealing and long-lasting surface but can be more prone to fading, so seal it every few years to preserve the color. While not the most cost-effective option, a red brick driveway brings warmth into your yard and works particularly well with an off-white exterior and lush greenery in the front.
The herringbone pattern derives its name from piecing together rectangles to resemble the bones of a herring fish. You can create a herringbone pattern using different driveway materials and colors, such as paving stone, brick, or concrete. Use gray driveway paving stones in a herringbone configuration to amplify the aesthetic of modern and transitional-style homes.
Tar and chip, also referred to as chipseal, combines hot liquid asphalt with stone to create a textured, driveable surface. While it is commonly used for roads and parking lots, tar and chip is a great type of driveway material as well. Compared to asphalt or concrete, the cost of a tar and chip driveway is a budget-friendly alternative that still provides durability and good traction. Use this type of material for longer driveways, then add trees and lighting along the edge to create a clear, illuminated border.
Ribbon driveways are created by paving two vertical lines and leaving an unpaved median between them. They resemble two parallel ribbons and can use various materials to create the track’s surface, such as gravel, concrete, or asphalt. Ribbon driveways are often found in rural settings and work well for long or curved driveways, following the natural contours of the property. Because less surface area is being paved, ribbon driveways are inevitably less costly than fully paved driveways.
Cobblestone has historically been used for walkways, patios, and driveways alike. It is made from natural stones and can be laid in various patterns when installed in your driveway. This type of stone complements older Cape Cods, Tudors, or colonial-style homes.
The cost of a cobblestone driveway is higher than many other materials, but it does come with a few benefits. In addition to being highly durable, it also creates a desirable “old world” charm that is hard to replicate, potentially increasing your resale value. Continue the cobblestones up from your driveway to your walkway in a circular pattern for a stately look.
If you can’t afford an entire driveway made from cobblestone, consider installing a cobblestone driveway apron instead—which is the sloped area between your driveway and the road. A driveway apron is a perfect place for a decorative accent, especially if an entirely new driveway isn’t in your budget.
Pavers are made from concrete or cement and, like cobblestone or brick, are placed in an interlocking pattern. When making the pattern, combine dark and light brown using varying sized square shapes to add dimension to the driveway. Paving stones are durable and easy to replace if damaged, making them a great option if you experience frequent weather fluctuations.
With their unique design style, they’re also a good idea for driveway aprons. If you’re exploring different driveway apron ideas, this is a great one to consider.
But, if you have drainage issues or have pooling water at the end of the driveway, permeable paving stones may be a better choice—both for your driveway and an apron. This material is porous and allows water to be absorbed under the surface.
When it comes to the difference between regular paver bricks and permeable pavers, the latter is designed to allow water to filter through to the base material below the bricks. However, there’s no difference when it comes to the look and function as a driveway. Permeable pavers are another eco-friendly option that minimizes your driveway’s impact on the water cycle by letting rain and snow recharge the groundwater rather than shedding it into the sewer system.
A concrete driveway is a popular choice for homeowners because of its long life span and durability. A concrete driveway costs more than asphalt and gravel but is less expensive than brick or cobblestone. Unlike asphalt, concrete has various color options to match your home’s style. Use large concrete slabs for a smooth surface to drive and play on and choose a natural earth tone to match almost any exterior color scheme.
If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional concrete slabs, consider a stamped concrete driveway, which adds texture and dimension to the surface. While stamped concrete has a higher upfront cost, this method adds curb appeal to your home and boosts resale value.
Exposed aggregate concrete offers an attractive alternative to other pavement materials. In terms of cost, it lands between more cost-effective options like gravel, asphalt, and standard broom-finished concrete on one hand and more costly finishes like stamped concrete and pavers on the other.
Exposed aggregate concrete can be poured a couple different ways: one with the decorative aggregate mixed into the concrete itself and the surface is washed away to expose the aggregate, or a decorative aggregate is added to the surface after the concrete is poured. An integrally mixed aggregate is recommended for durability. Aggregate added to the surface can pop off, especially if you live in an area where you need to shovel or plow snow from your driveway.
If you like the look of more intricate materials, like pavers or cobblestone, but don’t want to use them for your entire driveway, consider using them for just one of the many parts of a driveway instead—like incorporating them as a border.
Use asphalt for your main driveway, then install pavers around the perimeter. Line the pavers with flower beds and shrubs to add intricacy and sophistication to your front yard. This is also an effective way to separate a driveway extension that may not be a perfect match for your existing driveway material.
A natural and attractive driveway option, Indian sandstone is ideal for dry climates. Although the material can be durable, its porosity allows it to absorb more water than other materials such as pavers or concrete. In areas that experience a freeze-thaw cycle, the sandstone may break down more quickly.
While material and style are major factors in determining the type of driveway for your home, also take driveway shapes into consideration to find the best layout for your property. For example, if you have a straight driveway that is uphill, you would want to choose a more durable material that provides more traction.
A straight driveway provides the most direct route to your home and is often the easiest to plow or shovel. However, if you have multiple cars or frequent visitors, you may need to reconfigure the cars in your straight driveway so that they don’t block others who need to leave.
An L-shaped driveway can be configured in several different ways relative to your home, but its ultimate utility typically allows for more parking for a vehicle, a boat, a camper, or an area to keep trash cans. As seen in this photo, the L-shaped driveway can provide a paved lane to the backyard for lawnmowers, delivering firewood, or any other reason you might have for driving equipment to and from the backyard.
A roundabout driveway, also known as a circular driveway, works well for homes that have a significant amount of property from the street. This driveway shape is beneficial because you can have multiple cars parked in your driveway and you don’t need to back your car out into traffic when leaving your home.
U-shaped driveways, also referred to as horseshoe driveways, are paved in a semi-circle shape. Like roundabouts, this shape requires an ample front yard and provides ample parking space. It also allows you to pull your car in and out of the driveway without needing to do a three-point turn or reverse down the driveway when you leave.
A turnaround can be added to the driveway to allow you to back your car in so that you are facing the road when you leave your home. Turnarounds can be paved in different styles depending on the layout of your property.
A hammerhead turnaround is shaped like a “T,” allowing you to park one or multiple vehicles in the additional section. This shape is ideal if you live on a busy street or have a long driveway that would be difficult to back all the way down.
A Y-shaped turnaround paves one section toward the garage and another toward the entryway of your home. This allows you to back your car into a separate section so that you can easily drive your car toward the road as needed. This is also a beneficial setup if you don’t have enough driveway space for all of your cars because you won’t need to pull one of your cars all the way out of the driveway to let another one in.
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As you can see, the S-shaped driveway is perfect for a setting back off the road that meanders through the landscape or even the woods in front of the house. It’s a useful arrangement if you’ve got some trees you’d rather not remove from your property that happen to be right where a straight drive would go. While laying out the wandering way, consider what kinds of delivery trucks you may have using the driveway in the future, as curves that are too sharp may cause issues if you have trees close to either side of the drive. Otherwise, have fun snaking your way from the road to the garage.
Who you hire to install your driveway depends on what type of driveway you want. For example, to install a concrete or asphalt driveway, hire a driveway paving contractor. This pro will have the right machinery, tools, and experience to tackle most traditional driveway styles and installations.
But if you want a unique design or material, you should hire a specialty team like a paver installation company. While the overall finished product may seem similar, the actual process and materials needed to get the job done are very different—so you want to make sure the company you work with is skilled in the job.
It’s this added expertise and skill that makes the cost to install a paver driveway cost nearly double that of a traditional asphalt driveway. Cobblestone, brick, and turf driveways also require specialty installation.
Josh Maday contributed to this piece.
The most low-maintenance driveway solution is probably a stone paver, as you can replace small areas if they get damaged. But they’re pretty expensive compared to other options, like concrete or asphalt. These are two other durable materials, although they do require frequent resealing to extend their lifetime.
In general, a new driveway will add similar value despite its material. For that reason, your best investment is one of the more affordable and durable materials like concrete or asphalt. In some cases, more unique materials and intricate designs like cobblestone could provide a bit more value for resale, but it’s hard to say how much and if it will be worth it to your bottom line.
