One of the low-maintenance parts of your property’s exterior is your driveway. This, however, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give your driveway some attention from time to time.
Driveway repaving is an excellent and cost-effective way of fixing cracks, weather damage, and touching up the appearance of your driveway. It is the ideal renovation project for extending the lifespan of your driveway and giving the exterior of your property a facelift.
However, driveway repaving can become a challenge if you’re looking to achieve more sustainability with your property. But not to worry, there are several options for you to repave your driveway without contributing to your carbon footprint. Below are some eco-friendly driveway materials that are great for repaving and boosting kerb appeal.
Natural Stone Pavers
Natural stone pavers can add a touch of character to your driveway. Compared to cement pavers that make use of interlocking edges to create a driveway, stone pavers require no production as stones from quarries are mostly used. Since there is no production involved, these materials don’t add any CO2 to the atmosphere. The space between each stone paver also allows water to pass through easily, so it is great for drainage. Combine different colours and veining of this all-natural material and watch your kerb appeal get elevated.
Crushed Concrete
Concrete in itself isn’t naturally occurring, and its production adds CO2 to the atmosphere. However, you can still maintain sustainability by recycling leftover concrete from demolition sites. You can get concrete materials that don’t serve a purpose anymore from pavements, sidewalks, and building foundations, crush them and reuse them for your driveway.
An advantage of crushed concrete is that it creates a driveway that is quite identical to traditional concrete but without any of its environmental downsides. The small holes between the crushed concrete will encourage water filtration and prevent runoff which is good for retaining the nutrients of the surrounding soil.
Tarmac
There are a lot of reasons to choose tarmac surfacing for your driveway. First, tarmac is one of the cheapest types of driveway surfacing. Its installation is also easy and quick as tarmac is quick drying.
In addition to being long-lasting (it can last up to 15 years with minimal maintenance), this material is highly durable and weather resistant, surviving anything from ice and hail to storms. In terms of recycling, tarmac is even better than concrete as it can be reused over and over again without a single piece being lost.
Compared to other materials, tarmac surfacing doesn’t run into waterways, and its construction can help with the preservation of natural resources. The smooth finish it leaves also creates good skid resistance, which reduces the accumulation of snow. When installed with block paving perimeters, tarmac leaves a very sophisticated appearance.
Porous Concrete
If you want your driveway to have a traditional appearance without any of the carbon footprints, porous concrete is the option for you. Porous (permeable) concrete is a great choice for preventing water runoff. In terms of production-related pollution, this material cuts a few corners, and less material is needed to fill up your driveway’s surface.
Porous Asphalt
One of the most common and long-lasting forms of driveway pollution is water runoff and materials like porous asphalt can help you prevent it. Porous asphalt allows rainwater to seep directly into the ground underneath your driveway at a much faster rate than traditional asphalt. This encourages a healthy and natural water cycle.
Compared to standard asphalt, which has only about 3% void space for water runoff, porous asphalt has up to 16% void space, which means that with a single purchase of the material, you will help the environment 5 times more.
Sandstone Bricks
This naturally occurring material is another great option for personalising your driveway. Sandstone is the material obtained when sand gets cemented into grainy layers by weather events. The resulting stone-like substance is what is then cut out and honed into bricks.
Sandstone brick is quite porous and customisable. Their durability is also great, as when installed right, the driveway holds out just as well as concrete or traditional brick.
Hempcrete Bricks
The creation of this material is a recent breakthrough for the construction industry. Hempcrete bricks offer a lot of eco-friendly advantages such as; being very light to transport, hemp absorbing atmospheric CO2 even after brick formation, durability, and weather resistance. Hempcrete bricks can be expensive, but the investment is definitely worth it as it is an all-natural way to repave your driveway.
Conclusion
Driveway repaving is a quick and cost-effective way of extending the life of your driveway and boosting the kerb for your property. There are several eco-friendly driveway materials that you can use to repave your driveway sustainably. Carefully consider the options above to see which one best suits your property and budget.
