You can definitely get a great return on your investment. At a minimum, increasing the value of your property will cover the cost of the driveway. The amount of added value may fluctuate. A report from Virgin Money suggests that creating a new driveway is one of the best home improvements you can make.
They say that a new and attractive entry can add between 5% and 10% to the value of your home. According to Jamie Owen, an Ohio appraiser and host of the Home Value Stories podcast, neighborhood context matters a lot when weighing the value of a paved driveway. According to the Planning Portal, you will not need planning permission if a new or replacement entrance of any size uses a permeable (or porous) surface that allows water to drain, such as gravel, permeable concrete blocks, pavement or porous asphalt, or if rainwater is directed to a lawn or edge to drain naturally. In the Uniform Residential Assessment Report that is used for most appraisals, there is a box where the appraiser will mark if a home has a driveway and specify the type of input material used.
Lucas explains that unpaved entrances in urban or suburban areas will attract negative attention because they are out of place, difficult to maintain and dangerous. Oil spills and grease stains will not appear and if the entrance starts to look worn, you can reseal it. The value that an asphalt driveway adds to your home can come from the exterior appeal it brings and the number of buyers it attracts to your open house event. However, potential buyers can simply stop by your open house, if your driveway is cracked, uneven and stained.
As a disadvantage, if you live in a warm climate, an asphalt driveway can become sticky or sticky when it softens during the summer heat. Printed concrete entrances are also sometimes referred to as printed concrete or patterned concrete entrances. Turf paver driveways allow grass to grow through the grids and at the same time allow vehicles to be driven or parked on them. Asphalt is a lower cost driveway that provides a smooth surface that is good not only for vehicles, but also for pedestrians and pedestrians buggies.
The drawbacks of gravel driveways are that they are prone to spreading and sinking, particularly with the use of heavy duty vehicles. If the area to be covered is more than five square meters, a planning permit will be required to place traditional and impermeable entrances that do not allow water to flow into a permeable area. Asphalt driveways can last 20-25 years if properly installed and maintained, a big investment. By increasing exterior appeal as an added benefit, a newly paved driveway makes your home more marketable in an instant.
With the exception of homeowners who live in very remote and rural areas where gravel roads are the norm, very few people who decide to pave their driveway will regret making this investment.
