Top 14 Pros and Cons of Paver Driveways

Paver driveways add a unique touch to the landscape of your home.

They encompass many different materials like bricks, stones, and concrete that create an architecturally beautiful pattern for an impressive driveway that plain concrete and asphalt cannot.

A well-constructed driveway gives an outstanding first impression to those whom it welcomes and leads to your home.

It can even add value to your home as it stands out among others, making it more sought after for prospective buyers if you’re considering selling your home in the future.

The Benefits of Paver Driveways

1. Unique Customized Driveway Designs

Pavers are created with different materials, designs, textures, shapes, and colors.

You can install a customized design for your driveway with your unique style that will blend into the architecture of your overall landscape and your home.

Small pavers in different shapes can be perfect for the curves and slopes of your driveway.

Any paver material can be shaped and cut for an attractive and luxurious finish leading to extensions in patios and even the steps into your home.

Paving stones like tough granite or flagstone have a natural beauty with a lot of character that can add to your property’s curb appeal.

Brick pavers can be laid in patterns like Herringbone, Running Bond, and Random.

They create a luxurious entrance and add to the support and strength on your driveway surface.

You can choose from different shapes and colors of brick pavers for driveway borders to make your driveway look wider, create depth, and add unmatched curb appeal.

Concrete pavers on the other hand are sturdier and you can go all out with the design.

Related: Is an Asphalt Driveway Better than Concrete?

2. No Curing Period

When pavers are installed in your driveway, they can be driven over as soon as they are finished when the edging strips have hardened.

As opposed to concrete and asphalt that need at least 3 full days before allowing traffic.

3. Less Slippery, Better Safety

Most driveway pavers are made of materials that are less slippery making them a good option for sloped driveways and areas of your driveway that are prone to ice or frost.

The roughed-up surfaces of the brick, concrete, and stone pavers provide greater traction in wet and icy conditions providing a safer surface for both vehicular and foot traffic.

4. DIY Installment

Many homeowners enjoy the satisfying effort in completing a paved driveway.

Unlike poured concrete and asphalt, constructing a driveway with pavers does not need specialized equipment. It will require elbow grease to dig out the foundation, and then adding the pavers to a layer of sharp sand.

5. Unlikely to Crack

Driveway pavers are typically laid in smaller sizes, hence paved driveways are unlikely to crack because the load is spread evenly across the surface.

6. Durable

Pavers made of paving stones are capable of lasting up to a century when laid properly. They can handle the weight of vehicles without cracking or being damaged.

A properly installed paver driveway is about three times as strong as a concrete driveway.

7. Less Costly in Repairing

Paver driveway cost isn’t an issue. Cracked and damaged pavers on your driveway can easily be repaired by replacing the damaged piece. You don’t need to replace the whole driveway.

Repairing requires far less work and money because you simply replace the damaged piece without disturbing the rest of your driveway.

And you don’t have to pay a professional to do it because replacing a paver is so easy to DIY.

Even if you encounter problems with the surface underneath a paver driveway, you can pull the pavers in the affected area, fix the problem underneath, and re-install the pavers without much trouble.

8. Can be Sealed to be Stain-free

You can simply apply a paver sealer to prevent stains that can come from oil leaks, spills, or rubber. If stained, merely wash your driveway pavers with water to remove the marks.

Sealing will also maintain the aesthetic appeal of your driveway pavers, helping maintain the brightness of their color.

The Downsides of Paver Driveways

1. Expensive

The process of installing pavers is costly. The manpower involved and the length of time to complete a paved driveway project add to the expenses.

Installing paving stones, for example, is labor-intensive, so you will have to shell out a hefty amount of money for this paver material.

Driveways made with pavers usually cost between $12 and $15 per square foot. This price can still go higher depending on the paver material. A standard concrete driveway costs about $5 per square foot.

2. Not Permeable

Some paver materials are not permeable which means that water stays on the surface and seeps into the spaces between the pavers. When this happens and the seeped water freezes, it expands and moves the stones. This movement will affect the ground beneath and may lead to erosion. For this reason, paver driveways are not always favorable to the freeze and thaw cycle.

3. Harbours Dirt and Snow

Because paved driveway surfaces are not smooth and even, clearing and shoveling snow during the winter season is almost impossible. Cracks and spaces between pavers harbor all kinds of dirt making it difficult to clear leaves and other debris as well.

4. Longer Time to Install

Each of the pavers will have to be laid individually. This task can be daunting with smaller-sized pavers like bricks and smaller stones.

5. Additional Drainage Needed

The natural material of paved driveways is not porous enough to absorb water. You are likely to need to install additional drainage. For impermeable materials on driveways, you are expected to have added drainage, especially if your driveway is over 5 meters.

6. Regular Maintenance

Brick pavers require regular maintenance. They must be pressure-washed twice a year and resealed after each washing to prevent flaking or peeling.

Weeds can also grow between the individual pavers if you use regular sand between the pavers. The key to resisting the growth of weeds and helping to stop burrowing insects from making nests under your paving stones is to use polymeric sand.

When you apply polymeric sand properly, it will set into a rock hard surface in between your paver joints that will inhibit weed, moss, and algae growth for 3-5 years.

Pave Your Way Home with Driveway Pavers

There is quite a return of investment of a few thousand dollars when you choose to use pavers for your driveway.

Installing a paved driveway is more expensive upfront compared to other driveway materials but it can be more cost-effective in the long run because of the durability of most pavers and the increased value of our home for the marked quality and aesthetics of a paved driveway. In the end, it’s your choice!

For more driveway paver ideas, hit us up at Big Easy Landscaping by calling 504-608-5550.