When building a house, we tend to put a lot of effort into ensuring that every corner of the house is comfortable, pleasing to look at, and made with material that is trendy and long lasting. Just as the internal décor and design are of utmost importance, as a homeowner, you cannot overlook the exterior elements of your house. Not only does it directly impact the market value of your house but it also has a significant impact on how you feel about your home as soon as you enter the main gate.
The attractiveness of the external end of your house is based on how well the front courtyard has been landscaped, a major element of which is the driveway. Currently, top architects in Lahore are building beautiful driveways using different durable materials that offer a wide range of designs and architectural capabilities. To help you get a better overview, a list of the top five driveway building materials used in Pakistan is shared below:
Tuff Tile Driveways
Tuff tiles, also commonly known as ‘pavers’ are the top choice of architects for building driveways. These tiles are usually made up of a simple mixture of clay but as compared to the clay bricks that are used for the walls of the house, these tiles are a lot harder and offer a flat smooth surface. The tuff tiles are UV resistant in nature, making them extremely durable and not prone to fading or discoloration due to excessive exposure to direct sunlight or high temperatures during summers. These clay-made pavers are typically cool, making them an excellent choice to be used in Pakistan, as the country experiences stretched spells of severe dry summer.
Tuff tiles are available in a wide range of shapes and sizes, making them highly adaptable to various customer requirements. Pavers are very light on the budget, easy to install, and require low maintenance. Furthermore, when placed in the driveways, they significantly add to the aesthetic appeal and give a modern touch to the house. If you want long-lasting classical material then opting for tuff tiles is a smart move.
Brick Driveways
Brick is one of the most classic choices of materials used to build driveways with a timeless curb appeal. The main material used to make bricks is clay with sand, concrete, lime, and fly ash, used as additional constituents. There are several reasons why bricks have been widely used in building driveways across houses in Pakistan. One main reason is the cost-effective and extremely long-lasting nature of brick-made driveways. Initially, the installation prices might be a little higher but the low maintenance requirement of the material makes it all feasible. Secondly, since bricks are mainly made-up clay, they tend to be very durable in all weather conditions.
Although Pakistan is a country where hot summers are predominant, one cannot ignore the heavy monsoon season. Therefore, opting for a material that will remain cool in summers and survive through spells of rainfall without undergoing any wear and tear, can be a game-changer choice. Also, if there is any need for the bricks to be replaced, the greatest edge of having brick driveways is that individual bricks can be easily replaced without redoing the whole driveway. Bricks offer a wide range of beautiful rich tones of red, rust, and grey, along with varied patterns that make the whole driveway look elegant and extremely symmetrical.
Reinforced Grass Driveways
Green architecture is a top trend of this decade. People want to involve natural substances inside their homes and around them as well. Be it using natural materials in the building, like bamboo and recycled steel to opting for an architectural design that cuts down energy usage, green innovation is everywhere. Driveways of the modern houses are no exception from this revolution. Top architects in Lahore are actively using reinforced grass to build driveways that sync with the accelerating customer requirement.
Grass driveways use the technology of ‘geo-grid’ material to build many grass blocks, which are placed on numerous layers of gravel and sand. Such driveways provide a solid surface with traction for vehicles to park and are very soothing for people to walk upon. These driveways are environment-friendly and add a serene feel to the exterior of the house, making it look calmer and regal at the same time. The biggest advantage of having reinforced grass driveways in Pakistan is that they are natural and porous pavers. These attributes help water to seep into their roots and stay there, making the whole driveway cool, even in blazing hot climatic conditions. Reinforced grass driveways can be quite durable, but, it is important to remember that it is grass, so some areas that are driven over regularly may become flattened and require proper gardening support. So, if you support green architecture and have the love for gardening, you will surely enjoy the vibe of these natural green driveways that make you feel renewed as soon as you hit back home.
Porcelain Driveways
When designing a stylish and high-quality driveway, porcelain is the top choice of architects in Lahore. The clean-lined structure and the everlasting elegance of a porcelain driveway are unmatched. These driveways offer an authentic, contemporary look to the exterior of the house because of the popular large slab-based designs. Quality and durability are vital for any driveway and porcelain has both of these qualities. These large slabs on the driveways, last a lot longer than other surfaces thanks to porcelain’s solid state, which has been specially designed to withstand pressure.
These smooth-surfaced hard tiles are an excellent choice to be used in Pakistan because they offer weather resistance. While other materials suffer damage at a certain end because of the severe weather conditions, porcelain sails through all of those. If you are a minimalist and want a monochrome, simple yet classy-looking, slip-resistant paver, then porcelain is the right choice for you.
Resin-bound Driveways
Resin is a very hyped-up trend used in the architectural design of houses all around the world nowadays. Ranging from being used for floorings to furniture and countertops, the use of resin is extensive and versatile. However, resin-bound driveways have been on the market for a while now. The resin-bound surfacing solution that is used in building driveways, results from mixing resin and aggregates together in a forced action mixer. This creates a mixture that can be trowelled onto a surface to provide a smooth, glossy, flat finish. This system of resin bonding is also known as ‘stone carpeting’ when used in flooring. It offers a seamless finish to the surface of the driveway with a decorative surface that showcases decorative bound gravel underneath it, making it look attractive and modern.
The biggest benefit of such driveways is that they offer a hard durable surface for parking, which is extremely slip-resistant because of its naturally permeable nature. As per style and design, resin-bound driveways come in a range of colors and designs that can suit the individual requirement of the clients including the tone of gold, harvest yellow, deep red, green, and blue with specks of silver and blue, etc. Resin-bound driveways are light on the budget, easy to install, and very durable as well. If you like modern trends and want your house to reflect a touch of the latest trends that are long-lasting, then try resin-bound driveways.
The tips listed above can make the thought process of choosing the most suitable driveway material easier for you. Be it the trendy resin-bound paver or the old classic brick one, the driveway should be designed and built in a manner that it allows smooth movement of the vehicles, with maximum ground strength. So, whenever you want to redo your driveway or build a new one, make sure you have proper insight about the choice of materials available and the advantages of their use.