construction of a driveway

Constructing or Expanding a Beautiful, Useful Driveway

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Do you live in a busy street? Do you always struggle for parking every day? Well, you can still convert your front garden into a driveway and obliterate the hassles. Here are some handy paving tips to help you turn your garden into a productive parking spot.

How Much Space Do You Need in Your New Driveway?

If you’re living in an expensive urban area, you can boost your home’s resale value by turning your front lawn or garden into an off-street parking spot. You might not want to set the entire backyard into a parking spot so that’s why you should consider the amount of space you need. You also need to find the area; perhaps you have fixed items in the way that cannot quickly be moved such as a pond or water wall. Also, consider the space that you have to play with. For instance, what’s the size of the garden? How many cars do you and your partner have? With a proper estimation, you can always make your life much easier especially if your street is overcrowded or if you need a parking permit to park your car.

Is There Planning Permission Required?

In most cases, you need planning permission to do any renovation in your home. Well, the good news is that you don’t need to replace or create a new driveway with a planning permission. The key here is proper drainage because if you’re using a porous material such as permeable asphalt, gravel or permeable block paving, there’s no need to get a planning permission.

Note that, you also don’t need the permission if the parking spot has been constructed in such a way as to drain a lawn or border accordingly. Keep in mind that if you’re covering more than 5 square meters with the impermeable material, then the rainwater won’t drain into the permeable area, you will need planning permission. The rules apply to the land between the street and the front walls of your home.

Check The Development Permissions

The rules mentioned above are only applicable to houses with permitted development rights. Therefore, if you’re living in a mansion or flat without any permitted development rights, you need to get the right planning permissions for any off-street parking. The same applies if your PD rights have been removed with the article 4 direction which commonly happens in conservation areas.

Consider Paving

Is your front yard wholly or partially paved? You might think it is ideal to make it a parking spot. Note that, unless the paving was designed for parking purposes only, it might not have enough hardcore thus making it unsuitable for withstanding the weight of a car. It might seem like a good idea to extend your off-street parking, but you’re wrong.

It’s often difficult to match the existing paving material especially if it’s been in place for a long time and has undergone a lot of wear and tear. Additionally, it might not have been appropriately constructed initially, so it’s always good to start afresh.

Consider Dropped Curbs

Just as you’re considering a driveway for your home, you also need a somewhat dropped curb to make it easier to get in and out of your car. You need a planning permission for your dropped curb, and the local council does the work, so you need to pay something extra for it.

For a dropped curb, you need planning permission, and the local council is responsible for doing the work, something you have to pay for eventually. Note that, the pavement needs to be altered such as different angling or strengthening.

There are instances where you might be denied the planning permission if the front garden is too small or if the house is constructed on a road bend. So it’s always a good idea to consult the local council early enough.

How to Design a Beautiful Driveway for Your Home

During the design and construction phase, careful consideration should be given to the landscaping that surrounds a home.

Too often, people focus solely on the building itself, neglecting to take into account the surrounding yard and garden. This includes the driveway.

From the street, a driveway takes up a lot of visual space on your property. It is one of the first things that people see when they pull up to your home. Adding a drive to your home, so you have off street parking also will lower insurance costs. That is why it is so important to make sure that your driveway is beautifully designed and that it complements the exterior of your home.

The best time to come up with a design for your driveway is when you are actually planning the construction of your home. That way, you can be sure to budget enough money to create the ideal driveway for your property. Here are some factors that you should consider:

*How big does the driveway need to be? Your driveway should be appropriately scaled for both the size of your house and the number of cars that it needs to accommodate. If you regularly have company over, be sure to create additional space for parking.

* Think about the size of the driveway in comparison to the size of your front yard. Typically, it is good to have a balance between the two. However, you can prioritize your yard or your driveway in your overall landscape design, depending on your personal preferences.

* What shape do you want the driveway to be? Do you want to go with a traditional rectangular driveway or would you prefer something more elegant like a curved driveway?

* Does the driveway complement the exterior of your home? Ideally, the style of the driveway will be a good fit with the architectural style of your house so that your home has a cohesive look. Does your home have a fountain or a piece of art? Then you need to ensure it works with the home.

* How easy is the driveway to care for? Make sure that you take upkeep and maintenance into account when deciding what types of materials to use in the construction of your driveway. It should be easy to clean and durable enough to handle the elements.

* How will you help your driveway blend with your yard? For instance, many people find it beneficial to put a border on the edge of their driveway using brick pavers to help it blend more smoothly with the surrounding yard. Another option is to put flower beds on either side of the driveway.

* What type of material do you want to use? Driveway materials can range from simple materials like gravel all the way up to intricately stamped concrete, depending on your preferences and the overall look and feel that you are going for.

* How wide does your driveway need to be? Avoid making your driveway so narrow that your car doors hit surrounding objects when you try to open them. You should also leave plenty of space for pulling into and out of your driveway.

* What are your long-term needs? Don’t forget to plan ahead when creating your driveway design. For instance, if you have children who will be driving in a few years, you may need to create space for additional vehicles.

Reach Out To Us Today For Assistance With Your Driveway

It is important to ask yourself all of the questions listed in the previous section when you are coming up with a design for your driveway. It can be beneficial to have professional help and guidance throughout the process. Consider reaching out to us today to talk to our experts about creating a beautiful driveway for your home.

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Dan Kirksey
Dan Kirksey

Dan is an asphalt paving contractor and has been helping business owners and homeowners with their asphalt and concrete projects throughout Maryland for over a decade.

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