Are you tired of your driveway being full of stains, holes and ruts? It’s not very welcoming when the first thing you feel coming up to your home is the familiar bumping and rocking of your vehicle on an old driveway, and the first thing you see is unsightly stains and cracks. If you’re looking to replace your driveway, there’s really no stronger material for it than concrete.
What is concrete? Concrete is a material made of sand and gravel mixed together with cement, making it very durable and long-lasting. This makes it a popular choice for driveways, patios, and other high-traffic areas in your outdoor space. Concrete is a versatile material that can take on different colours and shapes with ease, making it an excellent medium to express your design side.
Why should I replace my driveway? If you have cracks in your concrete driveway, they are difficult to fix and once they are filled in, do not usually match the rest of the driveway and will stand out. Fixing your driveway can also
Why concrete? Concrete is a great choice for your driveway for many reasons:
Style Options Concrete is perfect if you’re looking to spruce up any area with a little colour. Pavers such as tile and brick can be expensive, but have a very desirable aesthetic. Luckily, concrete can imitate this look and won’t break the bank! In its original form it’s grey, but it’s easy to stain or tint concrete to any colour you like. You can match your home’s colour scheme or make a pattern and create a focal point right in your front yard. We have many different decorative concrete designs such as stamped concrete and exposed aggregate.
Longevity Concrete is known to be long lasting due to its durability. It doesn’t crack very easily, and even with no maintenance it can last 30-40 years, especially if it’s professionally installed as we recommend.
Environmentally Friendly It’s long lasting, which means less materials used overall, and it’s often a lighter colour which means it reflects light, reducing the amount of heat held in urban areas. While concrete is made of renewable sources to start with, you can also ask to have your pavement be made using waste or recycled byproducts to decrease your ecological footprint even more. Once its life cycle is complete, it can also be recycled, which is great news.
Low Maintenance Because of how hard concrete is, it requires basically no maintenance. It can stain though, so just make sure to pressure wash the surface every few years or so and it’ll look good as new. To make it last longer, we recommend winterizing your concrete driveway so it performs better in cold weather and prevent frost heaves.
Increase home value When buyers are looking at your home, they are looking for certain things like what kind of maintenance is required, and how long will certain elements last. With concrete, they can expect lower maintenance and a longer lasting driveway right away, shining a good light on the rest of your home.
How much will it cost? Generally, concrete is in the middle of the spectrum when it comes to options for your driveway. It’s more expensive than asphalt, but cheaper than pavers. The cost of your concrete driveway will depend on several factors.
Site: the area you want paved may be winding with curved edges, or sloped requiring particular drainage. The shape and grade of your lot will be a factor as not all driveways are the standard flat and rectangular.
Size: the larger the area, the more concrete you will need to fill it. Standard driveways are 2-car width, but depending on the distance from your sidewalk to your front door or garage, there will be a difference in cost.
Thickness: for concrete driveways, the minimum thickness is 4 inches - however, if you anticipate heavier traffic or if you own an RV or another heavy vehicle, it’s a good idea to compensate for that.
Design: with so many options, the world is your oyster in this aspect! You can have a single colour, multiple colours, or a more intricate design. Obviously, more colours or patterns will result in a more expensive bill - a multi-coloured or multi-patterned driveway can be double the cost versus a single-coloured basic driveway.
Maintenance: if your driveway does crack, it will require some restoration work. Driveway patching is common, among other driveway repairs. Your paving contractor will ensure there are crack prevention measures in place, so that costly repairs can be avoided as much as possible.
Because the longevity and quality of your driveway depends on the craftsmanship and expertise of the pavers, driveway paving isn’t an easy DIY job. Make sure to call the residential concrete contractors at Burnaby Concrete to get the most long-lasting driveway!