Picking a material for your driveway

Your driveway is an essential part of your house. An important thing to remember about driveways is that they aren't just a piece of ground you can treat however you want. Therefore, it's very important that you choose a material that you know you can handle and that you know will go well with the rest of your property. To choose an appropriate material for your driveway, you should know a little bit about the different types available.

Asphalt

This is one of the most common types of material when it comes to driveways. It's rather cheap and is easy to maintain. Asphalt laying and bitumen spraying need to be carried out by professional road contractors like Catwest Road Services, but you can usually perform repairs yourself. The most common damages are cracks and holes created by unnecessary force or just wear. Asphalt is a rather soft material, so you have to be careful how you park your car and make sure no oil or fluids are leaking, as this will be abrasive to the asphalt and cause it to break easier.

Concrete

Concrete is also one of the most common materials for building driveways. It's more expensive than asphalt, but is also more durable. You don't have to be as careful with a concrete driveway as you do with an asphalt one. However, concrete comes with additional maintenance costs, as you will have to seal it and protect it from the cold to prevent it from breaking. Concrete might be less prone to break than an asphalt driveway, but when it does, the repairs are more comprehensive. Concrete cracks and other issues need to be fixed by a professional road contractor and can become quite costly if the damage is large.

Gravel

This is the cheapest driveway option available and is also very easy to maintain. The only thing you need to think about in terms of maintenance is that you'll need to use a rake to spread the gravel out every once in a while. Gravel can, however, be quite problematic for your lawn and garden in general, as the rocks tend to spread out from the driveway itself. You might therefore have to go and pick rocks off your lawn every now and again. It's also a problematic material if you live in an area where you'll need to deal with heavy snowfall or rain; as the gravel doesn't stick together, it might spread out when there is a lot of water or when you're shovelling snow.