As a homeowner who understands that your home is an investment, you want to make informed decisions about your improvements. You are willing to spend more on a feature only if it gives you a bigger bang for your buck in the long run. If you are redoing your driveway or installing a patio, you need to look at the pros and cons of brick driveway pavers and concrete.
Installation Cost Comparison
Both concrete and brick pavers can be pricy depending on the layout of your yard, the expertise of the person installing it, and the number of extra features you request. For a more accurate estimate on how much your project will cost, contact us for a free quote.
Concrete: Average concrete installation costs vary from $4-$10 per square foot. However, choosing stained or stamped concrete will easily double that figure.
Pavers: Installation costs for brick driveway pavers start at $15 per square foot. Requesting fancy patterns or pricier materials will drive the cost up even more.
Curb Appeal Comparison
According to the National Association of Realtors, curb appeal accounts for almost half of all home sales. One of the keys to seeing a great return on your outdoor renovation is staying true to the style of your house. Buyers are looking for a house in your neighborhood because they are attracted to a particular style. Maintaining a coherent style in your outdoor space will bring you a solid return on investment.
Concrete: A concrete driveway is the perfect match for a contemporary or industrial house. The smooth, hard concrete will work well with the clean lines and hard surfaces of this design. Concrete can also work well with mid-century and art deco architecture.
Pavers: A brick driveway is the perfect match for colonial, hacienda, and craftsman style houses. The classic, sophisticated design pairs well with these traditional houses. Certain colors and designs can also work well with mid-century and art deco houses. If you are not sure what style best describes your house, drive around your neighborhood and pay attention to the houses that have the best curb appeal. If their brick driveway harmonizes perfectly with the design of their house, it will probably work for your house as well.
Maintenance and Repair Comparison
Both concrete and driveway pavers require different kinds of maintenance, so you must choose the lesser evil for your lifestyle.
Concrete: Concrete requires very little maintenance other than occasional washing and optional sealing. The real nightmare when it comes to concrete is repairing cracks. Concrete is bound to crack sooner or later. If the ground beneath it settles at all, it will crack. If the outdoor temperature drops too low, it will crack. When your concrete driveway or patio cracks, you must either tear the whole thing out and completely replace it (which is quite expensive), or you can try to patch the cracks. Unfortunately, it is practically impossible to perfectly match the original color, so the patched spots typically end up looking worse than the cracks.
Pavers: Weeds that poke up in between the driveway pavers are a real nuisance. However, certain materials can be laid down before the brick pavers are installed to prevent this problem. Since brick driveway pavers are a series of individual bricks as opposed to a solid slab, they are less prone to cracking as the earth shifts. And if one of the brick pavers does get damaged, it is easily removed and replaced while leaving the rest of the driveway or patio intact.
Durability Comparison
If you are going to redo your driveway or patio, you want something that will look beautiful for years to come.
Concrete: While a concrete driveway could last up to 50 years in theory, it rarely looks good for that long. If your driveway is less than level or you live somewhere with cold winters, it could crack in just a few years. When it cracks, the only way to get it to look nice and new again is to replace it.
Pavers: A brick driveway is designed to last. It holds up to high traffic and harsh weather conditions and can easily be patched to look like new. A well-installed paver driveway should look like new for a minimum of 25 years.
Conclusion:To my way of thinking. If you are looking for a fast readily available driveway then concrete is most likely your best choice. If however you have a few extra dollars and are looking for that magical curb appeal then I would go with brick pavers to make those folks slow down and stop at your impressive home.
