Indecisive Materials for Driveway, Suggestions please?

12 years ago

Hi,

It's me again; more suggestions needed!!! :-)

We have this 350 ft long driveway. Originally we thought about pouring concrete for it, without a doubt!!! I like any natural settings and scenes, yet like things to look ordered and manicured, when human beings build something around or to them. However, having a concrete driveway would totally destroy the lovely look and feel of this pseudo-statepark trail as our driveway.

{{gwi:49787}}
This picture taken from the mid point of the driveway and canopied by pine trees on both sides. The builder who owned this lot cut down the pine trees 2/3 of the drive way from the street. What a shame! we will plants some suckers back to the sides of the driveway to create the same look of the this photo.

However, it would take years before the 2/3 driveway at the front would look like this. Now, the front 2/3 driveway is full of WEEDS. If we don't concrete over it, we would have to fight with them until we die (how many decades more we can live?) We really LOVE this statepark trail look and are not sure if we want to concrete the driveway or not!

I don't like the "country look" of gravel driveway. Plus, my husband is riding motorcycle a big time; he cannot ride his bike on gravel surface. Since the pine trees (in the picture) shades the driveway pretty well, not much weeds grown there (if the driveway is all the way like this, then we are worried free and happy with the statepark trail. He can ride his bike without any problem with when all the pine straws are falling). However, the front 2/3 and the end 1/4 are full of weeds, we have to do something to make the driveway work. Of course now you don't see too many weeds on the driveway, due to its being covered a heavy layer of hay.

One thing to consider though is that we will have to build a concrete surface anyway at least right before the garage. If we don't concrete all the way from the street to the garage, wouldn't it look choppy and abrupt.

Please shed your light with me. What would you do in this case, while trying to maintain the statepark trail look for the driveway?

Thanks

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

deviant-deziner
12 years ago
Asphalt . It's benign and inexpensive. It wears well, is totally functional and will not call attention to itself
novascapes
12 years ago
A thick layer of gravel topped with decomposed granite holds up well and looks fine in a natural setting. Pot holes are easy to fix. Soil movement from clays beneath will not be an issue. Round-up and pre emergent take care of most weed problems. Just make sure that the drive way is not used for a drainage path.
You may want to drive around observing the different materials used in your area to see how they hold up over time. The type of soil it will be placed on will have a lot to do with how different materials will hold up.
Wither you choose concrete, asphalt, gravel, or decompost granite, etc. It will only be as good as the base beneath it.
Related Discussions
Suggestions on Hardscape & Plant Material
Q
Comments (6)
This strikes me as a situation where less is more. This is a small house, small yard, and it has no topography that provides a clear reason for adding hardscape. The house is cute and well-finished, and it fills the lot nicely and "connects" to the ground so to speak. There is no excess of open space to fill. I see no reason for adding a bunch of planting. You don't say you're a plant collector; you don't tell us that privacy is an issue, or blocking traffic noise, or anything like that, except for maybe protecting the grass from the mailman's incursions. Or, perhaps, you want some shade. And you've mentioned the parking. We had an esoteric thread here last week about form and function, and this is an interesting pragmatic case study: you're trying to make decisions in the absence of significant functions. So I would begin by considering the functions that you do have; the ones that you do value. Maybe that would lead you to make a branch on the pathway to accommodate cross-property traffic. Maybe you'd plant a shade tree, either out on your hellstrip if you have one, or in the left front corner of your lawn. Maybe you'd take out most of the foundation planting. To be honest, bulbs and other plants with a significant ugly season just don't work as landscaping plants for me in any case. The next place you might look is to emphasizing the good features of the property. I'd be inclined to echo the curve of the walkway with something somewhere - a planting bed beside it, a boxwood hedge, a bed along the driveway, or a course of bricks alongside (that could maybe merge to the postie walkway). You've actually done a nice merge with the shape of your front bed as it meets the walk. The porch is another good feature; I like the idea of containers or some other feature there. It's a nice commodious space even if it is dark compared to the yard itself. And of course attention to the porch makes it obvious why a tree shouldn't be planted on the right; you want to avoid darkening the porch in any way.
...See More
Stuck in indecision land for exterior paint - pls vote!
Q
Comments (14)
Another fan of the white for the house too, but I do sort of like the idea of the limewash for the brick fireplace and serving bench for your patio. I like the aqua colors you appear to be using as accents there and think there just needs to be more of that no matter which way you go. It looks great with the black furniture. For the front, are you planning to paint the brick around the foundation? If so, could you go with a soft grey there to bring in the grey you want? And maybe grey shutters. As with many homes, the builder didn't give you much room for foundation planting, so if you are re-landscaping, have you figured in expanding your beds or just re-planting in the existing beds? I too like the white roses with the white house, so if you keep anything, I'd vote for keeping those and replacing everything else. It appears you are in California, and it sounds like you may already have some specific landscape plans. I'd definitely suggest something slim and columnar next to the garage and replace the shrubs below the garage windows with something lower growing and with more foliage.
...See More
Suggestions for landscaped area adjacent to driveway
Q
Comments (14)
Thanks again everyone. Littlebug I understand if you did not want to read the full post, but I did take the time to explain, in detail, what was planted on the other side. There also is a photo posted that shows the mulch on the other side of the driveway, continuing around the corner to the front of the yard. I understand the plants are difficult to see against the newly placed dark mulch in the photo, but I did take the time to explain what was there. I am not sure how this post and question or this thread became unwelcoming, but it does feel that way within this forum. I do appreciate each person taking the time to reply. I have made the decision about what will go there and no longer need recommmendations. Thank you for your time.
...See More
I really need help. Frozen with indecision.
Q
Comments (101)
hcbm, that's EXACTLY what I've been wondering--and I'm pretty sure I started this thread talking about it: what would happen if our house burned down? What would I miss? What would I not even care about? I need a group of people like you to keep reminding me: if you lost this item, would you really care? In nearly all cases the answer would be No. My husband and I are both very indecisive (you should hear us when he gets a few days off trying to figure out where to go and what to do--until we often give up and stay home), but he at least agrees with me that with most of this stuff in various Rubbermaid containers, we wouldn't even notice if someone else threw it out. But when we start to look, we get immediately bogged down with memories and attachments to each little item. For some good accomplishments since I started--as Kathy Yata mentions above, in the past several months: 1. Got my husband to allow me to unload several bankers boxes of educational materials to a group that really appreciated it. 2. Both of us have reduced our clothes greatly: mine almost by half. 3. I have a bag full of expired medications that I will take next time they have one of those "turn in your old meds" days. 4. Several bags of decorative and household items to Salvation Army. 5. This week many bags of winter clothes, blankets, food to a local charity. 6. Went through all our instruction manuals and was able to dump a lot. Got a entire file drawer down to less than half of a file box. 7. Did the same with greeting cards: putting them in order by category and throwing out dorky ones I've had since the 80s. Threw out a lot I knew I would never give anyone. (But my sister just sent me a really cheesy Christmas one that she got free from a charity--now I wish I had kept one to send back to her. While I'm on a tangent: my other sister sent me the ugliest one for my birthday writing "I didn't pay for this." She wanted me know that she hadn't sent a donation to the charity she got it from. Nice.) 8. Have gone paperless as much as possible this year. Throw out most catalogs without looking. 9. There is a military chaplain stationed in Japan who told me he would love to have a load of religious DVDs and CDs we have. (We used to lead studies but have retired from that.) So that's the next load of stuff to get out of the house. 10. This was in the Spring, but I nearly emptied out our attic except for things like suitcases and the Christmas tree. Maybe just a few boxes of pretty things from my mom and wedding presents that I have trouble parting with but they don't worry me. I hope some day to have a way to display them. Kathy, thanks for suggesting this: I feel pretty good about myself even though I'm still looking at a box or 3 full of miscellaneous stuff. The above proves to me that I CAN do it!
...See More
Yardviser
12 years ago
"...having a concrete driveway would totally destroy the lovely look and feel of this pseudo-statepark trail as our driveway." I disagree with this premise on two counts. As I view the photo (taken midway along the drive) I think some of it looks lovely. The foreground clearing looks nice. The forest and the distant opening looks nice. But it looks uninviting for passage by any vehicle other than a farm tractor. I would fear for my car's paint driving through those weeds and close brush. It looks only inviting for a pedestrian who is wearing jeans, not shorts.

To further your example of a state park... all big parks use asphalt (sometimes concrete) roads and, in my opinion, their look is not in the least offensive. (Those solutions are driven by cost and practicality) In fact, it's not the presence of objects right in your face, but the CLEARING AWAY of nearby objects (that the road and it's cultivated--usually mowed--edge creates) and the removal of brush and low-hanging limbs, that makes a space look inviting for the passage of people and vehicles.

Personally, I think the choice of material of the drive isn't as critical as the clearing of objects and the creation of space. If your drive was of aggregate it could be pretty. If it was asphalt or concrete (including "stamped" and/or colored) it could be pretty. If it was of brick, it could be extra pretty. What man creates for himself will not look like what beavers or raccoons create. Their needs are different. Somewhere along the line, practicality will play a part so the solution needs to work as well as it looks.

My illustration is not to show or suggest a material. It's only to show that creating a little space alongside and above a passage way makes it look more inviting for passage.

{{gwi:49789}}
bonsai_audge
12 years ago
One of the desired characteristics of a wooded lot is the sense that humans don't dominate the setting. Another whole lot of the appeal of natural settings is that you're not whisked along a clear, predetermined path. Having to be mindful of the surrounding brush as you're making your way through is another way of slowing you down - in a good way.

A material they used in Brooklyn Bridge Park is your regular asphalt - but with a layer of loose aggregate compacted into the top, finished surface (perhaps quite literally, steamrolled).

It feels like a stabilized granular pathway - there are a few loose pieces here and there (not sure if that would pose an issue to the motorcycle enthusiast), but it is as solid as a regular asphalt walk.

Here is a shot of an edge condition, where you can see more of the asphalt showing through:

{{gwi:49791}}

And another view, down a pathway:

{{gwi:49793}}

- Audric
drtygrl
12 years ago
I agree with Audric, asphalt with aggregate would be the best solution. It is very stable, has a very nice natural look, and it doesn't become messy. The unfortunate part is that it is probably the most expensive alternative because the process has so many steps.

If the price of that is too much, I would either go with asphalt or a compacted base material. In my region we call it bluestone, but its a mix of gravel and stone dust that compacts to a very hard surface similar to what you would use as a base material for a walkway or patio. Not sure what they call it in other parts of the country, because "bluestone" has another meaning.
chueh
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you all.

Yardiviser, I see what you meant by clearing away nearby objects vs different materials used for the driveway.

All of you have given us great helps. Thanks
tibs
12 years ago
What about chip and seal? Maybe that is a localized term, but it is not as expensive as asphalt because the cash-strapped townships use it. Similar to the asphalt with aggregate pressed it it, but it is an emulsion than gravel is spread on it. Use to be tar in the old days.

Indecisive Materials for Driveway, Suggestions please?

Comments (7)

deviant-deziner

novascapes

Related Discussions

Yardviser

bonsai_audge

drtygrl

chueh
Original Author

tibs

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Indecisive Materials for Driveway, Suggestions please?

Comments (7)

deviant-deziner

novascapes

Related Discussions

Yardviser

bonsai_audge

drtygrl

chuehOriginal Author

tibs

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

chueh
Original Author