DRIVEWAY TIME

Pavers are the elite-level solution for driveway upgrades, coming in a dazzling variety of materials, shapes, colors, and sizes. The design possibilities are limited only by imagination and, of course, budget.  Some of the clay, brick, and natural stone pavers can drive costs well north of $50 per square foot. Permeable pavers are appreciated by eco-conscious homeowners, as these allow rainwater to soak through into the ground, irrigate the lawn, and ease the burden on municipal sewer systems. Paver installations are generally not as long-lived as gravel or concrete but have the nice feature of modularity. Cracked pieces can usually be replaced individually. 

As with other home improvements, ROI is in part a function of the scale and cost of a driveway project in relation to the overall value of the house. That said, it’s hard to put a dollar value on outstanding curb appeal that makes a home stand out and draw more prospects with higher offers and faster sales. If your driveway is feeling too small, if it’s looking worse for wear, or just doesn’t please you, an upgrade is worth looking into.

Having decided to redo a floor, the question of when to do it needs to be addressed. Decisions about materials should be made with a good understanding of traffic and use patterns, so if it’s a house you’re new to, there’s value in gaining some living experience there before going ahead. If it’s part of an overall remodeling project it matters when, in the workflow, the floors are done. In general, it’s good practice to schedule floor remodeling as late in the interior remodeling project as possible. A notable exception sometimes arises in rooms with fixed installations like kitchen cabinets. Floor first, or cabinets first? There are pros and cons to each approach, and that decision is in the homeowner’s domain. What are not properly in the homeowner’s domain are the professional skills and experience that guide a project like this through the minefields that so often bring DIY efforts down with totally avoidable mistakes. Your floor is something you see and touch every day. Like the old saying, our floors are the very rocks upon which we walk. Best practice is to get the pros involved from the design stage and through to waste disposal and completion. That’s the decision from which all the others flow.