When Pavers Meet Concrete: A Total Driveway Transformation

The inspiration for this driveway update came about because this homeowner was tired of dealing with gravel. As you can see, this driveway is long and for years he’s been out here blowing gravel, trying to maintain it. Every time he did this, gravel would end up going into the woods... These homeowners decided it was time for a change!

Before we started talking, they knew they were interested in using pavers for their new driveway material. They headed over to our local paver supplier, Yorktown Materials, and started looking at all of their options. We then had an initial phone call about this project and I had to break the news that if they decided to do this long driveway in all pavers, they were looking at over a six-figure job, not including any additional features they might want to add. 

I knew we could find a better solution, one that would get them the beautiful, low-maintenance driveway they were looking for while also making the best use of their money!

The idea we came up with was to incorporate concrete into this driveway and then use the pavers to add interest where it mattered. Pavers generally cost $25 to $35 per square foot, compared to concrete which generally costs anywhere from $8, maybe up to $12 per square foot. By incorporating concrete into the middle section of this long drive, we were able to save these homeowners some money while still keeping the elevated look and feeling that the pavers provided. ​

We knew we would get the best bang for our buck with these pavers by featuring them at the entrance and the end of the driveway. To make a strong first impression, we installed this paver apron using the Techo-Bloc Villagio paver right as you turn off the asphalt road. This apron is VDOT-approved, reinforced with concrete and 57 gravel underneath it, and it really sets this space apart which is exactly what we were going for. 

We then switched over to concrete for the middle portion of the driveway. We ended up doing about 2,300 square feet of this driveway in concrete, saving these homeowners thousands of dollars. They were then able to take some of the money and use it to add more character to the space right in front of their home. ​

As you come down the length of their driveway, it opens up to a multi-tiered paver that looks absolutely stunning. We used the Techo-Bloc Eva pavers to make up this main drive area, but we also used more of the Villagio pavers to help set apart the space that leads up to their front door. Ordinarily, including this many different textures could look too busy, but in this case, it flows really well and just makes the whole space come together.

Now as you come down this long driveway and enter the space, your eye is pulled right to that front door. We added some interesting architectural elements like the stairs which are long and extended at the bottom and then get shorter as you go up, really drawing you into this home. We also added some curved walls, one upper and one lower, that give a lot of character to the space. 

There was one issue that we ran into as we worked on this design, and that was the water that kept pooling up right where the new upper wall was going to be. We were working in such a tight space between the elevation of the garage, the steps, and the slope of the exterior yard, so we weren’t able to get that perfect fall of one inch for every ten feet, which would prevent the water from pooling up.  Instead, we ended up having the concrete and the pavers slope ever so slightly towards the driveway, and we made all of those Villagio pavers permeable, allowing rain to pass through. Now with the Villagio pavers and Nitro Sand grout, you don’t see any puddling on top of the pavers even after a hard rain! 

When all was said and done, this job came in under six figures while still creating a unique look and feel for this space - not even the rain can stop these homeowners from enjoying their beautiful new driveway!