If you’re selling a home, you’re thinking about curb appeal, including painting the house and sprucing up the yard. You’re probably looking at home improvements, too. You should also be looking at ideas for your driveway.
Your driveway is exactly what curb appeal is — it literally meets the curb and is the first thing every visitor lays their eyes on.
To make the best first impression on potential homebuyers, here are some driveway ideas from the experts.
[READ: How to Create an Eco-Friendly Lawn That Won’t Drive Your Neighbors Wild]
Driveway Gate Ideas
A gate would certainly make an impression on your visitors.
There are numerous types of driveway gates to greet visitors to your home, including wrought iron lattice, metal security or rustic country wood.
Whatever you ultimately pick, “it’s an asset when you have a gated driveway,” says Eugene Colberg, principal at Colberg Architecture, an architecture firm in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Colberg says that by the very nature of the gate — and a fence around your home — you claim your outdoor space as part of the house. “A gated driveway and front yard create a distinction between your private outdoor space versus public outdoor space where you can mingle with neighbors,” he says.
This driveway idea can be pricey. The cost of installing an electric driveway gate ranges from $877 to $3,832, or an average of $2,345, not including the automatic gate opener, according to HomeAdvisor.
Driveway Landscaping Ideas
There are many approaches a homeowner can take when it comes to driveway landscaping, from flower beds to hedges to stonework. You could also just mow your lawn more or make sure you do more weeding, if you have a lot of weeds around the edges of your driveway.
“Landscaping around driveways certainly enhances the look of a home,” says Lee Calisti, an architect and a strategic construction advisor at Real Estate Bees in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, which provides technology and other tools for real estate industry professionals.
He cautions homeowners to be careful during the winter if you use snow-melting salts and chemicals, which can do a number on the plants near your driveway. “Don’t burn out your favorite perennials,” he warns.
Gravel Driveway Ideas
Gravel driveways are generally far cheaper than concrete, and some homeowners say they’re easier to maintain. Even better for your bottom line, gravel driveway maintenance can often be a do-it-yourself project; with concrete driveways, you’ll likely need to call in a professional for repairs.
“Gravel appeals to homeowners that are looking for a more traditional, authentic-style driveway,” says Joe Raboine, vice president of design at Oldcastle APG Inc., a building material company in Atlanta.
“While there are a variety of stones available in different colors, shapes and textures, gravel may need to be replaced frequently based on various environmental factors,” he adds. “Gravel is usually affordable, but pricing will vary based on the type of stone selected.”
According to HomeAdvisor, gravel for a driveway may cost anywhere from $1.25 per square foot to $1.80 per square foot. An average 16-by-28 foot driveway is $1,500.
[READ: Why I Hate My Driveway]
Concrete Driveway Ideas
If you’re going with a concrete driveway, there are different options here, too, but Calisti suggests opting for tried-and-true concrete.
“It’s not fancy, but it looks clean, holds up and serves our budget,” he says. According to HomeAdvisor, standard concrete for a driveway will cost you anywhere from $4 to $15 per square foot. Installing a concrete driveway costs $1,800 to $6,000, with an average price of $3,000.
For his own driveway, Calisti and his spouse tried pervious concrete, which is more environmentally friendly and allows rainwater to percolate through spaces in the concrete and into the soil. But they wound up replacing the driveway a couple of times.
For something fancier, stamped concrete “is quite the rage,” Calisti says. With stamped concrete, the driveway looks like it’s made of individual stones or brick. It’s beautiful but costly — generally about twice the cost of poured concrete.
Calisti isn’t a fan of stamped concrete. “The sealers often cause it to be quite slippery, even with the added sand mixture. The added cost to make it compete with one’s neighbors is not worth it,” he says.
Driveway Paving Ideas
Many homeowners love the look of driveway pavers, which are generally made from brick, concrete or cobblestone.
“Paving stone driveways are strong, long-lasting, and look impressive for decades. Because paving stones evenly distribute weight, they’re twice as durable as concrete so they won’t crack or crumble over time,” says Aaron Brundage, director of operations at System Pavers, an outdoor living design center with stores primarily along the West Coast and in Colorado and Texas.
Brundage adds that pavers come in a wide variety of shapes and colors so you can personalize the look of your driveway to complement your home’s architectural style.
“Another bonus to paving stone driveways is they are easy to repair if needed,” Brundage says. “For instance, if you have stubborn oil stains from a leaky car, you can simply replace the stained pavers rather than having an ugly concrete patch or repair mark on your driveway.”
Raboine says one advantage of pavers is their durability. “They can last between 60 to 80 years,” Raboine says.
Driveway pavers cost an average of $10 to $60 per square foot, with a wide variation of cost between different styles, according to home improvement and information network Angi.
[What Are the Best Driveway Materials?]
Driveway Entrance Ideas
Greenery at the driveway entrance is a popular choice. If your gate is at the end of your driveway, opt for “low-maintenance plantings,” Calisti says. Trimming around a gate can get tricky.
“Privacy and safety are other concerns to manage. High plants certainly give the privacy most desire, but it also allows unwanted visitors to hide in some instances,” Calisti says.
If you’re looking for privacy, Calisti suggests evergreens.
Whether you have a gate or not, you’ll probably want plants around your driveway that are fairly easy to maintain. Choosing perennials means you won’t have to recreate a new driveway entrance garden every year. Popular perennials that can work well for driveways include ornamental grass, daylilies and hostas.
Driveway Edging Ideas
Driveway edging is the edge or border of your driveway. You can have a driveway without driveway edging, but edging can make your driveway look more attractive. It can also be practical since driveway edging can protect a driveway from chipping and cracking.
“Depending on how your driveway aligns with your home, you may be able to add landscaping and edging along the sides,” Raboine says. “Edging creates a barrier but also gives the overall design and style a bit more flair.”
The look of your driveway edging depends on your tastes. You may want to edge your driveway with brick or stone pavers, for example, or opt for concrete, gravel or stones.
Driveway Border Ideas
A driveway border sounds like just another way to describe driveway edging, but there are some subtle differences. Driveway edging, once it’s added, becomes part of the driveway. Meanwhile, a driveway border is next to the driveway and the driveway edging.
Some homes have driveways with a true border, like a small stone wall. Other borders consist of flower beds or some type of landscaping. If you work landscaping into your driveway border, you have all sorts of options, from shrubbery to flowering and grass-like ornamental perennials.
But think about maintenance. The driveway border with landscaping may look fantastic at first, but how will it look in a year or two or more?
As trees grow, roots could invade the driveway or untrimmed branches could scratch cars. Flower beds need weeding, so even in a few weeks or months, you may start thinking that you’ve created another part of your home that needs a lot of TLC. If you’re a set-it-and-forget-it type of homeowner, you’ll probably prefer a stone wall — or simply grass.
Driveway Lighting Ideas
Lighting a driveway can make your home look even more attractive at night — and it can also improve safety.
There are many options for this driveway idea, from flood lights to solar lights, LED lights and spotlights.
Whatever you choose, “you want to be respectful to neighbors and want to follow guidelines from any homeowners associations or local code requirements,” Colberg says.
“Driveway lighting will depend on the layout and size of the driveway, but generally we would want to keep the lighting source low,” he says. “It also depends on how you’re going to use the space next to the driveway. If you have any other lighting requirements other than passive recreation, you probably want to consider overhead lighting. Other than that, lighting should generally be low to the ground.”
Low-Cost Driveway Ideas
You may want to fix up your driveway but feel like the money’s just not there to go big. That doesn’t mean you can’t try to make your driveway look like it has more curb appeal. Here are a few budget-friendly ideas:
— Power wash your driveway. If you have a power washer, often also called a pressure washer, it could be the most efficient way to get rid of dirt, grime and whatever else is caked on your driveway. Expect to spend between $100 and $500 to pressure wash a driveway, according to Angi. If you hire a local pressure washing company, expect to pay between $60 and $125 per hour. It may take just one to two hours to finish the job, but it could take longer if your driveway is very large or in poor condition.
— Replace your mailbox. If your mailbox is next to the driveway, that’s something that everybody will notice. If yours has seen some wear and tear, a new mailbox might divert attention away from driveway and make it instantly appear more pleasant.
— Repaint the numbers on your curb. It’s a cheap little fix that could quickly improve your driveway’s appeal.
— Paint your driveway. This idea is trending with social media DIYers and can give your old driveway a sleek new look. It’s time-consuming, but not difficult. You’ll want to power wash or clean your driveway first. It may take 24 to 48 hours to dry, so find somewhere to park your car overnight. After everything’s dry, assess your driveway: Could it benefit from another coat?
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10 Driveway Ideas to Maximize Curb Appeal originally appeared on usnews.com
