Sometimes one driveway isn’t enough. Maybe you’ve just purchased a new vehicle for yourself or one of your loved ones, or maybe you’ve just bought a new toy that you want to park outside.
Instead of having to park your extra vehicle in the yard, on the side of the road, or somewhere else not fit for parking, why not just add some space to your driveway? Adding a parking pad to a driveway is incredibly easy and affordable, especially if you choose a certain type of paving.
However, there are many options for adding a parking pad to your driveway, so in case you’re interested, let’s inspect them all and look at which paving option is easiest to add.
Material Options for a Driveway Expansion
There are a wide variety of materials you could use to expand your driveway and add an additional parking space. Depending on what your driveway is made out of, there’s a good chance you’ll want to simply use the same material for your extension. Gravel, pavers, and concrete are the three most common paving materials for driveway expansions, so let’s go over the pros and cons of each.
Concrete is one of the most expensive materials for adding parking space driveway additions. Not only is the material itself more expensive than, say, gravel. The labor associated with concrete installations is far more expensive because the work is harder and it takes much longer to complete.
Assuming you won’t be performing the installation yourself, concrete will cost you anywhere from $8 – $18 per square foot to install. Using decorative colors and/or finishes will put you on the higher end of the price scale. The installation will take anywhere from 1-3 days.
Pavers are another option for a driveway expansion. There are many different types of pavers and the price and installation time can vary greatly. Natural stone pavers like cobblestone, for instance, can cost you as high as $75 per square foot for installation. Pavers can be expensive, but they are highly durable and stylish as well.
Brick pavers, on the other hand, are not as durable, but they cost less. They will cost anywhere from $10 – $17 to install, but need to be resealed periodically. Interlocking concrete pavers and most other types of concrete pavers will cost about $7 – $20 to install, depending on the intricacy of the design.
Gravel is by far the cheapest way to add a parking pad to driveway design plans. Loose gravel costs next to nothing and needs only be spread evenly over the desired parking area. Of course, loose gravel has many drawbacks as well.
It easily spreads, creating bare spots which can lead to ruts and mud holes. It also gets ground into fine dust over time, dirtying your vehicles faster. Loose gravel doesn’t have the best traction, which can be a problem if you have a sloped driveway.
The Best Material to Add a Parking Pad
If you want to know what the best option is for adding a parking pad to your driveway, the answer is permeable pavement. TRUEGRID permeable pavers, for example, look just as clean and beautiful as any other paving material.
They utilize gravel-stabilization grids to provide a level, sturdy surface with plenty of traction for even the steepest of driveways. They can be installed in any soil or climate and wont heave or crack like other options. TRUEGRID PRO LITE and TRUEGRID PRO PLUS are both excellent options if you’re concerned about flooding, since they’re 100% permeable.
The installation process is quick and involves excavating the new parking space to a depth of about 6 to 8 inches, deeper if more drainage and stormwater storage is needed. Next, a piece of cloth is laid at the bottom of the excavation to keep subgrade and gravel seperation and block weed growth from below. Then, the area is filled with gravel and compacted.
Afterward, the empty pavers are snapped together in place over the gravel pit, and more gravel is poured into the top. Once the surface gravel has been compacted into the empty paver cells, the installation is complete. The entire process takes less than a day in most cases.
There’s also TRUEGRID ROOT for those who just want to stabilize a grass area for parking without any excavation or gravel. These pavers can be simply pressed into the grass for increased stabilization and traction, preventing your grass from being torn up by vehicle traffic. Your grass will grow up through them, making the pavers nearly invisible.
TRUEGRID Pavers Outperform Other Driveway Parking Pad Materials
If you want a new parking pad done right, you can’t go wrong with TRUEGRID permeable plastic pavers. They are durable enough to last 60 years with almost zero maintenance, eco-friendly, quick to install, cost-effective, and stylish.
If you want a brand new parking pad added to your driveway that’s going to stand the test of time, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a pavement professional at TRUEGRID today.
