Hardscape Driveway Design Ideas
The term "hardscape" broadly refers to a yard's or landscape's permanent outdoor features or structures, usually masonry, such as patios, walkways, driveways and retaining walls. Applied to driveways, hardscaping projects might include decorative and structural work on the driveway's surface or among the areas adjacent to the driveway. Therefore, aside from a driveway's functional purpose as a comfortable roadway, a hardscaping project addresses the driveway's aesthetic and symbolic function as a gateway or a welcoming, attractive entry. An overview of driveway hardscaping options prepares you to design an exterior space that suits both your budget and your landscape. Does this Spark an idea?
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Driveway Materials and Designs
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Although even loose gravel is technically a hardscape driveway material, most homeowners think of solid surface materials for driveway construction. The most common solid materials for driveway construction are poured concrete, asphalt and pavers. Although relatively expensive and difficult to install, concrete and asphalt surfaces are arguably the most durable and stable driveway materials. The term "paver" refers to a variety of block-like building units, most notably brick and pre-cast concrete. Manufactured in a variety of shapes and colors, pavers are intrinsically decorative. However, homeowners may choose to combine any or all of the common driveway materials to create patterns or transition between separate parts of the driveway. Common material combinations include strips of brick or pavers among a poured concrete driveway or a field of concrete material surrounded by a perimeter of pavers.
Combining Driveway Hardscape with Landscape
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While the term "driveway" brings to mind a homogeneous block of hard material, paved surfaces may be combined with landscape materials to create visual interest, encourage drainage and reduce materials costs. To combine hardscape with landscape, many builders split the driveway surface into two tracks, leaving the center strip of the driveway as bare dirt. Filled with soil and ground cover or sod, the driveway's center strip becomes a green belt that runs the length of the driveway. Along with reducing the amount of hardscape materials and labor, a properly constructed green belt reduces puddling, particularly when a French drain rests beneath the greenbelt's grass or ground cover. Alternatively, specially designed pavers, called grass or grid pavers, form a diamond or checkerboard pattern wherein solid concrete or plastic pavers alternate with grass.
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Framing the Entry
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A driveway's street entry provides the designer an opportunity to add several aesthetic and practical hardscaping features. A gate is the most common driveway entry hardscape feature. Decorative gates might consist of intricate ironwork or solid wood for privacy. However, if a gate is unnecessary or impractical, designers can visually frame the entry with a set of decorative posts, an overhead arbor structure or lamps.
Lighting
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In addition to masonry work, hardscaping includes outdoor lighting. Particularly important for long driveways, outdoor lighting serves the important practical function of guiding nighttime drivers on their path. In addition to lamps at a driveway's entry, designers often place lights along the length of the driveway's perimeter. Outdoor lights are either hardwired (low voltage) or solar-powered. Solar-powered outdoor lights might draw electricity from a remote panel or from small solar cells mounted to the tops of the light fixtures.
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References
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