Choosing Concrete Driveways in Orlando vs Other Materials

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Choosing the right material for your driveway is a critical decision all homeowners must make. It has to be durable and have good longevity, but should also look attractive and blend in with the rest of the house. Stain resistance and resistance to tire marks are also a plus for choosing the driveway material that’s right for you. Here are the three most popular driveway materials and their respective pros and cons to help you decide which driveway material is best for you:

Concrete

Concrete is an extremely popular choice for driveways. Made up of cement and aggregate stones and other rough materials, concrete is extremely durable and cost-effective but it does have its drawbacks. It is a classic and popular choice for driveways and will suit almost any home. If you’re considering concrete driveways, here are its pros and cons:

Pros

• Concrete is extremely durable. When installed by concrete driveway contractors experts, well taken care of and regularly resealed, a concrete driveway can last for at least 50 years. 
• Concrete driveways hold up well against most extreme weather such as rain and heat, though heat is a bigger problem in Orlando.
• It is a cost-effective choice that offers a good price for the longevity it offers. And not only is it affordable, but it also has a quick installation time that further cuts down the costs of hired labor.
• Though it starts its life as grey, it can be customized to look any way you want it to.

Cons

• Bare concrete does not have the most attractive appearance and can be off-putting. However, this can be remedied by decorative concrete methods like staining and stamping.
• It usually requires a contractor to install a concrete driveway as the mixture is vulnerable to mistakes and can be a delicate process.
• If you want your concrete driveway to last well, you will need to have a regular reseal done to ensure its longevity.

Asphalt

People usually talk about asphalt driveways in relation to concrete driveways because they are similarly popular and comparable in cost and durability, but asphalt has its own distinct characteristics. It is a form of petroleum and can be either found in natural deposits or created as a product. Because of its characteristic as a kind of petroleum, it is more flexible than concrete. If you are considering getting an asphalt driveway, here are its pros and cons:

Pros

• Asphalt driveways can last up to 20 years with regular maintenance.
• Unlike concrete, asphalt driveways last well in the sun and are less likely to form cracks after exposure to sunlight.
• Asphalt is generally cheaper than concrete.

Cons

• Asphalt driveways need regular maintenance and resealing to ensure its longevity.
• Though cheaper than concrete, asphalt is more expensive than gravel, another popular driveway material.

Gravel

Gravel is any loose quantity of small rock fragments and stones. It comes in a number of classes depending on the size of the particles. It’s a popular choice for a lot of rural homes and can last decades with proper maintenance. While many homes that use gravel driveways only use the one driveway, many homes with a larger area size will use a gravel driveway to lead up to their actual driveway which could be made of concrete or asphalt. If you’re considering gravel driveways, here are the pros and cons:

Pros

• Gravel driveways are generally cheaper than most other driveway materials.
• It can last for up 100 years with proper care and maintenance.
• Gravel driveways can be repaired and renewed very easily unlike driveways made of other materials.
• You don’t have to worry about cracks or freeze-thaw cycles as neither will affect gravel driveways.

Cons

• Gravel driveways need near-constant maintenance and replenishment to keep it effective, which can add up in costs.
• It is hard to clean and plow a gravel driveway as it does not have a flat surface that can be cleared and cleaned.

Are You a Slave to Trends?

It's one thing to design a stylish house, but it's another to follow trends too religiously. Your wallet might be suffering unnecessarily.

In this day and age, everything is a commodity. You may think social media is just a fun way to interact with your friends and to share the highlights of your day, but even they turn your attention into a commodity. Brands compete for your attention, and most times, they are succeeding.

You may not be aware of it, but you have become a slave to trends.

Replacement Instead of Repair 

We live in a world that takes pride in “instant” products. Everything is available to you with a few clicks of a button. As long as you know the number to call or you have the app on your phone, you’re set to get whatever you fancy. And this has given rise to the trend of replacing everything that doesn’t work according to your specifications. Sure, it’s better to replace old appliances if they have not been updated in the last decade, but if you just bought them last year and already want to replace them, that’s a problem. It’s the same with smartphones; as companies launch new models, you feel like your functional phone is suddenly incompetent. It’s easy to justify why you want the latest model for these things, but when it comes to garage door repair or window replacement, there’s more to consider than just trends in Provo. Consider the cost of replacing a perfectly good garage door that just needs repairs. Insisting on following trends may be losing you more money in the long run.

Endless Renovations 

Going for renovations for no other reason than to get the latest items is just like replacing your older kitchen or bathroom with a newer one. These parts of the house are commonly used, so it’s understandable that they will show signs of wear and tear, but if your tiles and backsplash are perfectly functional and intact, is there really a need to replace them with the latest trendy color you see in magazines? Especially if you’re looking to sell that property in the future, these trendy parts of the house might look outdated once new trends have surfaced. This means you’ll either have to spend more money to replace them again or you’ll have to sell the house for a lower price. This isn’t a concern if you had gone with an evergreen but also stylish design and maintained it properly.

A Digital Life

It does sound cool if you can live in a smart home. You don’t have to worry about setting the thermostat because it’s done for you automatically. Forgot to lock the doors? Do so in an app that you have with you even if you’re out of the house. Convenient, right? However, these are not foolproof and are not exempt from human error. Your life may be automated, but each decision is still controlled by your actions, whether pre-programmed or triggered remotely. There’s also the added vulnerability that comes in the form of hacking. As technology gets smarter, so do hackers. The more reliant you are on online systems to keep the house secure, the more prone you are to hacking attempts.

How much of your life is defined by your personal preferences? How much is defined by trends? If you want to be happy with your life without spending money unnecessarily, don’t be a slave to trends.