Help with updating the driveway
Love to hear some ideas on how we might soften the look of our two concrete driveway areas. We’ve just upgraded the facade adding stonework and cladding etc. We’re in a coastal area and our gardens reflect this with lots of palms. The driveway extends to the right as well and goes down to the back, so there is alot of concrete. We do need to keep the brown area as parking. thanks in advance. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated 🙏🏻🙂
Comments (10)
last monthIt looks like you are on a rear block, and you required the extra concrete in front of the left hand side of home for a reversing or extra parking bay. So, what a shame you didn’t install Permeable paving instead of solid concrete. The house sits low and the rain water must flow down all that concrete. You probably don’t want to, but rip up that lighter concrete and replace with permeable paving which a car can park on, and give you an area that is green and soaks up the water runoff. The home is a very nice facade and I wouldn’t change anything. Maybe install more planters around that light coloured concrete.
Elise W thanked dreamer- last monthlast modified: last month
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Comments (1)Painting the driveway would give an instant uplift. This must be done with correct paving paint. A colour similar to your roof may be good. This would be the best option for pricing. Laying a aggregate on top of existing driveway would be a lot more expensive. Levels of driveway would also change. I have never seen this done before. There is also a permeable product that gets laid on top of existing concrete. But this again would be a lot more expense....See MoreSteep Rural Driveway Help
Comments (9)A few points. 1. Although the top of a hill seems like the ideal location you will be buffeted by winds on the peak. Better to site the house about 100m below the crown of the hill. You will still get the views but importantly be sheltered from weather while still being situated out of the cold valley. While wind may not sound too bad, you'll be surprised how much more difficult this will make gardening especially in the environs around yass. The earth there isn't very water absorbent so all your watering is going to run off leaving your garden dry and then the wind will be extra dehydrating and harsh. But siting on the slope, yes you will need to terrace but you wiill also benefit from runoff further up the hill. 2. With a drive that steep you are going to need asphalt. Compacted road base and gravel will just wash away in the first heavy rain. A dirt road will also be suspectible to erosion and minor land slips leaving deep fissures in the shoulder. 3. You are going to need proper runoff mitigration as soon as you cut a path up the hillside you are simultaneously creating a way for water to gain velocity and force from runoff. I would consider gabion reinforcement on the embankments or at the very least plants of either lomandra or vetiver (deep rooted grasses) to slow water down as it traverses the hill side. These grasses will also capture leaves and other debris preventing it from becoming dangerous in a storm. To be honest it will be worth you engaging an engineer to design your drive including run-off management and whatever other reinforcements you may require. If you wait until you have a major storm and your drive becomes unpassable it will be far more inconvenient....See MoreHelp please! With Driveway Ideas
Comments (10)Is that blue line a proposed new footpath ? Probably 95% of all foot traffic is you ( the dwellers ) so that is a lot of work for something that is basically a backwards step -- a bit better for visitors , but its you carrying groceries and sports gear etc , and you'd have to walk further . And having 2 footpaths would be weird ( if that's what you are considering ) -- I guess you could get give way signs and traffic lights installed on it haha ? The actual driveway is wide , theres a parking bay to the right of the double garage , so why take up even more space ? Like oklouise says , you could do a double entrance , come in on the new circular part of the driveway with the boat on , drive back towards the road , try and straighten up before you get back to the street , and then what ? Oh yeah , back back . So you spend $20k and back 4 metres less ? Or you back in from the road and save $20k ? Or you buy or build a little 'dolly trolley' -- 2 or 3 little tyres and a towball mounted on a trolley to make pushing easier ? You can even buy ratchet ones that make it possible to back uphill with no car ( mainly designed for caravans I think , but work on any trailer hitch ) or even an electric motorised version ....See More
last monthChatGPT version. Replace some concrete with permeable paving would be good. Increasing the planting to the left of garage as well.
Elise W thanked Kate- last month
- last month
Hi Kate, thank you for all your help, we have similar ideas 🙂 Yes the pebbles will change to sandstone or travertine stepping stones with either mondo or lighter coloured pebbles, we are also lightening the front deck. Im just trying to find solutions for softening the actual concrete driveway. Like the idea from dreamer above or these photos. would love to know if anyone has done it??
- last month
dreamer