Ideas for a Concrete Driveway

A concrete driveway offers so many choices in terms of shape and size, colour and texture that you might struggle to settle on a final design. To help you work out what you want, consider the following concrete driveway ideas.

Shapes and Sizes

Rather than laying down a straight driveway, you could get creative with different shapes if your property allows. For instance, you could build a curved driveway that arches across your front door, so you never have to reverse. Even on a relatively small front yard, you can create such an arch to drive in at one end and out the other. Make sure the drive is wide enough for cars to park along the curve if people visit.

Of course, you can also design a grand version of a roundabout on a large property — in the centre of which you could assemble a beautiful fountain, paving, and plants.

Another possibility is to build an extra-wide driveway—one with paving that can hold the cars plus leave a free area for a barbecue or for playing basketball, for example. This way, you can increase the outdoor entertainment areas of your home. For security, build an attractive privacy fence and a secure gate to keep children and pets safe in the yard.  After all, there's no reason to waste your front garden, especially if you have a compact backyard.

Colours and Textures

Regardless of the shape or size of your driveway, you can decorate it with various colours and textures. Contractors can make coloured concrete by blending pigments into the cement mix or shaking colour hardeners on top of the concrete. As well as more uniform tones, these techniques can generate multi-tones and patterns that you might see in natural stone, especially when combined with moulding stamps that create texture.

Thus, you can pick different paving looks for your driveway that imitate a range of more expensive materials. You could lay faux travertine pavers or red brickwork. Other beautiful natural stones to emulate include slate or bluestone. Because the colours and textures are added, you can create virtually any look to harmonise the paving with your architecture and landscape.

Combine With Grass

For a unique look, concrete services could combine your driveway with grass. For instance, they could leave a band down the middle of the drive, within which you can grow the lawn. Alternatively, you could create specific shapes in the concrete — triangles or squares — and fill those with grass. You'll create exciting patterns and give your driveway a personalised look.

Contact a local concrete service to get more ideas.