Houston Driveways
There are many types of Houston driveways.
In terms of residential landscapes, a driveway, by definition, is a special hardscape that connects the street to the interior of the property. A driveway can either function as a motor court parking area itself, or it can lead to a designated parking area in the front, to the side, or even in some cases, partly behind the home.
Without the assistance of a professional landscape designer, the typical Houston driveway tends to be little more than a plane concrete slab. People drive in and out of it every day without giving them so much as a single conscious thought. Also, in some subdivisions that feature very similar home architecture, driveway design can often be the most generic feature of everyone’s front yard.
This is particularly true in neighborhoods with smaller lots and homes close to the front of the lot. You basically have little more than a plain concrete slab leading to the side of the home or a small garage.
However, just because your drive was built this way does not mean it has to stay this way. Exterior Worlds can construct an entirely new hardscape that is every bit as decorative as it is functional. The key to successfully doing so lies in our analysis and understanding your home’s architecture. This will provide the thematic impetus of a new design that will mirror the aesthetic qualities of your home and compliment surrounding landscape elements.
Houston driveways contribute both function and form to front yard landscaping. On a practical level, they give you a means to safely park your car off the street. Not everyone, however, uses the driveway itself for parking. Many people prefer to house their vehicles beneath protective structures like garages and carports. Still others prefer to have a motor court parking area for residents only and leave the driveway proper open to family, neighbors, and friends.
In such instances, we can build very ornamental hardscapes that run like pathways from the street into the interior of your property. Such pathways can wind in many directions once inside your property line. They can be circular, linear, or serpentine in form.
This freedom of design allows Houston driveways to be highly individualized to the home. Much of this customization can be accomplished simply through the right choice of materials. Common examples include decorative concrete, decorative brick, flagstone, cobblestone, asphalt, and decomposed granite.
Choices are based on what works best for the home and the particular style of landscape developed throughout the property at large. For example, a cobblestone or brick driveway goes very well with a traditional or colonial home. A decorative concrete driveway can contribute much to a contemporary or modern landscape. Black asphalt can lend a sense of the majestic to a custom home built with a blend of architectural motifs.
The best Houston driveways feature a blend of hardscape and softscape designs. Varying hardscape surface and structure is one way to make your driveway stand out. Walls in various places are often used to create this effect. They can enhance the form without affecting its function, and they can even be built in such a way as to create additional safety and security for parking.
A wall can run parallel to the surface and prevent vehicles from swerving into the grass. Or, it can be built across the entrance to support a remote-controlled access gate or a decorative arch.
It is also strongly recommended regardless of where you live in Houston, driveway design should always integrate softscape into its structure to some degree. Forms such as small gardens, tree islands, shrubs, and flowers can both support and improve the physical geometry of the hardscape. For example, if a small property has a drive that is too short and straight and leaves little room for new construction design, any number of garden styles based on curves and radius can generate a sense of organic expanse beyond the sterile boundaries of strict linearity.