The paved driveway offers a nice, firm surface to operate a vehicle on. Being free of dirt and debris, it makes it much easier to maintain a clean vehicle than a dirt or gravel driveway. There are, however, pros and cons to a paved driveway. Initial cost as well as re-coating and repair of cracks are just a couple of the cons to this style of driveway.
Gravel, crushed stone, cement and brick are a few of the different materials used in creating a driveway. Many people consider the paved driveway to be the ultimate in driveway choices, and every year, many lesser driveways are converted to pavement by their owners. Sadly, many of these new driveways prove to be more work than the owners ever considered.
Unlike a cement driveway, a paved driveway requires resurfacing occasionally. Many factors determine the frequency of the resurfacing. Temperature or climate, the amount of sun the driveway is exposed to as well as the amount of traffic the driveway sees are some of the biggest determining factors. Other factors are the material under the driveway. A poorly prepared base surface will result in dips and cracks in the paved surface, which will often require yearly maintenance.
The cost of resurfacing the paved driveway is perhaps the biggest con in having a paved surface leading to the garage. Along with the cost is the added distraction of not being able to use the driveway for several days following the resurfacing. For many, the benefits outweigh the costs, and the pavement offers the utmost in service.
Besides being flat and smooth, the paved driveway offers a clear and clean entrance to a home. Families with children enjoy the safety of a hard surface to play on. Jump rope and hop scotch are best played on the firm surface. Basketball and skate boarding are also more easily played on the pavement. Aside from children's activities, a paved driveway offers a more easily used surface during rainy and snowy seasons than a typical gravel driveway.
In the winter, a blacktop driveway will absorb the heat from the sun to melt ice and snow, leaving a driveway that is easy to walk on and free of slick spots. Rain is readily repelled from a pavement driveway, allowing homeowners to avoid the muddy mess that can form from a continued rain on a soft-surface driveway. Perhaps the biggest appeal to this type of driveway is the added visual enhancement it provides to the property. Property values also often profit from the blacktop driveway surface.