The following contribution is from another author.
Let’s be honest, we’re obsessed with interior design. It’s not just the amazingly wide range of styles that we can choose from, but also the modern way we can change our home. With new technologies like Alexa, bluetooth thermometers and fingerprint door locks, there’s no excuse for why your home doesn’t allow you to live in the future. However, we should also be more obsessed with the exterior of our home. It’s not just about curb appeal and looking the best house in the neighborhood. We have to make sure we’re also implementing modern day standards when it comes to practicality and style. For a long time, both exterior and interior design has been about style, but now it’s more so about technology, materials, practicality and longevity in design. Therefore it’s your job to see to it, your driveway and surroundings are a joy to interact with. The cold, drab and dull garages and driveways of the previous decades has to pass us by and we must take our homes into the future.
A contemporary stone driveway
By far, the best kind of modern driveway is the high quality fitted stone variant. Contemporary stone such as polished sandstone. Although sandstone is a common stone, it’s one of the best to manipulate and style. Polished sandstone is incredibly smooth, allowing rainwater to flow freely on the surface. Of course this means that the water can be channelled and in the design of the driveway, you can direct rainwater away from areas you don’t want it to be. For example, standing pools of water near your entrance is not great for your car, as aquaplaning can occur as you enter and leave. Inevitably, this will send you car out of control. Therefore if you can direct the water you can avoid standing puddles and get the water into the drainage zone.
Limestone is also great for driveways as it can be in a smooth pebble form or pale slabs which are very resistant to rainwater and weed growth. However limestone is also very smooth and can be a little dangerous when wet so you don’t want it too polished.
The big booming door
For the exterior of your home you’ll want an excellent garage door. It’s the big booming door which lifts by itself and allows your car to go in and out of the property smoothly. However it also protects whatever is inside, be it a car, a lawnmower, a plethora of tools or even the air conditioning unit. This is why doors that are not only stylish, but strong are required in a modern home. Unlike metal and wooden doors, a fiberglass Precision Garage Door is able to withstand dents and is also termite-resistant. However the styling is very classic as it looks purely like a large wooden varnished garage door. And yet, it’s lighter than any other material you can buy. Fiberglass is not just flexible, but it is very heat absorbing so it will keep your home from losing energy as well. Since it is lightweight, it’s not as stressful to lift and that means less wear and tear on the lift motor mechanism and chain.
Center of the show
There used to be a time when front gardens and driveways with centerpieces were just for the rich. Now, the times have changed and circular brick driveways are able to be constructed for almost any home. The centerpiece can be exquisitely luxurious with a tamed bush of vegetation surrounding a water fountain. A three-tiered water fountain is something you should consider as the cycle of water is controlled much better than any other option. The water drips down over the etch of each receding piece. This also allows birds to fly in and take a drink, making the driveway nature-friendly. Some of the designs you might want to go for are harp playing angels made out of marble stone. Limestone bathing ladies are also a very popular choice. Perhaps you’re more into the ancients, and so a greek god such as Poseidon with his three pronged spear is something you may want to have. However white sand concrete, mixed with marble can also be erected for a cheaper price.
Show you the way
You might be returning home one day late a night. You and the family went off to have dinner at a restaurant and now when you’re at the front gate, you can no longer see your way forward. This is why you need some kind of light show that guides you home. Pillar lights sticking a foot off the ground are a good way to light up the pathway in front of you. These post lights will be using LEDs with a yellow hue filter so the light isn’t so sharp along the driveway. Pale lights are not as recommended as sunset gold colored lights are as the latter won’t be too strong for the pitch black. You also won’t disturb your neighbors with this kind of shade.
However lights that are fixed in the ground and shining straight up are sublime choices for garden pathways. If you have a driveway with a small pathway, such as leading you up to the garage, you can use square ground lights. Again, these are LEDs as they are much more reliable, smaller and can be brighter if you wish than any conventional bulb. They are also much better suited to outdoor conditions. Fit these along your pathway, giving your driveway with a layer of opulence and style but at the same time being practical.
For any modern driveway, a strong but lightweight garage door is necessary. You should never be in danger of being hurt by your garage door, so wood and metal are old news. Fiberglass is definitely the way to go as it can still look like a traditional wooden door. And yet you should also look at fitting polished sandstone as the paving for your driveway. Incredibly resistant to rainwater, limestone is also another option you can have for a sleek flat driveway.
