driveway design - re-designing driveway shape - ideas

by Gail
(Candia NH)

Here's a question for a driveway design and ideas...a re-design of an existing drive.

Is this a good idea or will it look odd? We'd like to reclaim the paved area in front of our house for lawn. We're going to end our fairly long drive at the dotted white line. There's room to park 2 cars side by side. We have additional parking spaces and a 2 car garage toward the street.

There's a culvert crossing the driveway that's going to be replaced just on the far side of the dotted line and we'll plant over that too.

We're planning on a walkway going from the left side where the drive ends to the side door (about 30 feet to the wall) and another splitting off the first to the front.

Are we overlooking anything and do you have any thoughts on how we make everything come together? I'm worried it will look like odd.

ANSWER
Please take a look at the following pages on my site about driveways.

Cobblestone Driveway

Driveway Designs

I think if you want to end the driveway there it would be ok. However, I also think there should be a strong connection between the end of the driveway and the walkway to the front door. I'm not sure of your budget, but if you outlined the end of the drive with brick or bluestone and then had the walkway material the same hardscape material, this would look nice. The outline could be across the end and along the sides for about 20 feet...almost to give the feel of a courtyard. You are ending the driveway in a place that it normally does not end, so I
would create a design where it is very connected to the house.

Another idea would be (and again, not sure of your budget) to still eliminate a lot of the asphalt but lead the driveway up to the front door area. It would be an actual courtyard made of brick, pavers or cobblestone. This could be located right up at the steps, or it could be further away with a walkway leading to the steps.