When you have a family home, your driveway is often one of the most important, and often used areas of the exterior area of any home. Whether you use your driveway to park your cars, install a basketball hoop for your children to play, use it as part of your garden or other landscaping projects – driveways get a lot of use. Plus, its one of the most visible areas of your home, and something your neighbors and passersby will be seeing every single day – so its important to not only make sure its functional but it is also aesthetically pleasing.

our driveway is a dominating facet of your home’s curb appeal, but few homeowners take the opportunity to spruce it up. There are countless materials you can utilize for your driveway, but its important to know what is the right materials to use for your home and what you want to do for your specific driveway. According to the team at Realty Improvements, just as any other piece of the home remodeling world, there are a lot of important pieces of information you should try to educate yourself on. To make sure you put together the best driveway possible for you and to make sure it goes with the other aspects of your home, here are some important tips to follow.

• Create a Proper Plan & A Budget
  As we have mentioned with most aspects of home renovations, creating a proper plan and budget are absolutely vital. Measure out the space, identify prices for materials, and how much it will cost based on the total square footage. Decide on the type of driveway, do you want it to be circular, a straight line leading directly to your garage, should it connect to your backyard, and more.
• What is the Best Material for Driveway?
  There’s gravel, decomposed granite, and classic concrete, and many more materials to pick from, but which one best fits your home? Before finding the answer, we need to take a step back. When it comes to remodeling projects in general, there are a few recurring factors you’ll need to consider, including:
  • Your (Specific) Design Goals
  • The Family Budget
  • Required Materials and Labor Resources
  • Current Landscaping and Equipment

  Of course, your budget and design goals should always be the first factors taken into account. You can style your driveway with gorgeous brick pavers, but you’ll need to consider maintenance and replacement costs. Pavers also require professional installation, so you’ll need to hire an expert.

• Picking Material on a Budget
  As we mentioned, the budget is important – as is the materials you decide to use on the driveway. If you’re aiming for a low-budget, you-it-yourself job, concrete and gravel are generally your best options. You can easily enhance the edging around your driveway with stone or shrubs. Just make sure your driveway is graded away from the house! For homeowners looking for something beyond traditional concrete, a decomposed granite driveway offers quite a few design options and colors for you to play with. You can have fun creating your own perfect style.
• Lighting Up Your Driveway
  Lighting is one of the newest and smartest ideas that individuals have been using to improve the aesthetic, as well as the brightness and visibility of your own driveway. Plus, it’s probably one of the easiest remodeling ideas for your driveway. The type of lighting you choose should illuminate your property, highlighting your garden and the rest of your home’s exterior. Consider installing lights lower to the ground along your driveway using pathway lights. This way, you’ll promote safety while boosting your home’s curb appeal.
• Add Some Color
  It might seem odd to a lot of people, but adding color to your driveway is quite an interesting idea, and can add quite a bit to your aesthetic. Colored concrete driveways are a unique way to brighten up any home while enhancing the appeal of your garden. While you can choose any color for your driveway, it’s best to find a color that matches the aesthetic and style of your home. Keep in mind that the type of color you choose will have an effect on your driveway’s ability to reflect or absorb heat. Lighter colors reflect heat while darker colors absorb it. Give your driveway a new lease on life with a creative renovation. Let these four ideas inspire you as you consider ideas for remodeling your driveway.
• Install an Irrigation System
  As you renovate your driveway, consider a remodeling idea that will benefit your garden. Your landscape and lawn will benefit from extra hydration, especially during the hottest months of the year. While you can rely on rain and watering by hose, an irrigation system is more effective in keeping your landscape watered. With the help of a professional, you can install an irrigation system. The process starts with using residential drilling to create irrigation wells for your sprinkler system. In addition to keeping your lawn hydrated, you’ll cut back on weeding, prevent erosion, and save money on your water bill.

For more information on your driveway remodeling project, and home renovations overall, be sure to contact Realty Improvement today.