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How to make a great first impression with your driveway

By Naomi Foxall โ€ข Leave a Comment

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The humble driveway. It’s an often overlooked part of your reno or overall sale package when putting your house on the market but that really shouldn’t be the case.ย The driveway is often the main entrance to the home and one of the first noticed features given it takes up a large portion of your front yard, the first thing most people will see and as first impressions count, the driveway can also add value to the home.

How to make a great first impression with your drivewayImage source: Bricks, Blocks, Pavers Online

How to make a great first impression with your driveway

Survey respondents in the 2017 Adbri Masonry Great Australian Backyard Survey,voted the driveway third as the outdoor project that delivers the most value to the home. โ€œThe driveway has an incredibly large footprint at the front of your home so it is important to get it right in order to make a strong impression and add value to the home,โ€ explains Jason Hodges, landscaping expert and Adbri Masonry brand ambassador.

Make a great first impression

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. This rings especially true when it comes to your home, its saleability and appeal to potential buyers. โ€œHomeowners should never underestimate the value in street appeal because buyers never do,โ€ says Hodges. โ€œWhen considering outdoor projects, people always ask, โ€˜where do I start?โ€™ I think a great place is at the beginning, that is, the front yard. Minor improvements can make a massive difference to the way people view your place. In many homes, the dominant feature out the front is the driveway. It takes up a lot of surface area and serves an important function, but too often itโ€™s overlooked.โ€ โ€œDriveways are also a great place to stand out from the crowd. Today, every second house looks the same, but yours doesnโ€™t have to. With some creativity, you can leave the โ€˜Jonesesโ€™ in your rear view mirror by creating a paved driveway that uses colours, patterns and different paver sizes to build a stunning starting point for your home.โ€

Go green with permeable paving

More than just a paver, permeable pavements are the visible starting point to a simple, environmentally effective, water saving system beneath the surface. When a permeable pavement system is installed, the series of drainage holes in the pavement surface allow water to filtrate through the surface layers, minimising stormwater run off, downstream flooding and pollution problems, with the added benefit of reducing the need for costly underground retention systems. As driveways are traditionally, large impervious surfaces that water cannot penetrate, driveway oils and pollution tends to run directly from the driveway into stormwater. Permeable driveways can change that! โ€œPermeable paving is an essential choice if your driveway runs down to your house. In major downpours it allows the water to infiltrate through the pavement surface and be redistributed to the water table underground, versus the alternative which could see the water rushing down the slope of the driveway, filling the drain too quickly and flooding your garage, thereโ€™s also environmental advantages for other driveway projectsโ€ explains Hodges. Expert Tip: Some councils will credit permeable pavements as a percentage of the soft landscape area on your parcel of land.

Simple Maintenance

The great benefits of using pavers is the low maintenance involved as pavers expand and contract within the seasons and are less likely to crack like some other pavement types. Regular preventative maintenance includes sealing sweeping, paving gap sand filling, water blasting and general upkeep, which will help to extend the lifespan of your driveway. If your driveway does start to show some lineal cracking, you can easily repair it inexpensively by simply lifting and replacing the damaged pavers when laid on a flexible base.

For more information, visit www.adbrimasonry.com.au

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May 23, 2017

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Me and @fantasticfurniture go WAY back! When I fir Me and @fantasticfurniture go WAY back! When I first came to Australia in my 20s, it's where I headed to buy everything I needed for my first apartment at an incredible price! And I've loved watching the range get more and more impressive over the years as my knowledge of furniture has increased. I had no idea how extensive their Aussie Made sofa range was though. I'd love you to check out the options via link in bio as I think you'll be impressed! I think we have a renewed appreciation for Aussie Made and supporting local manufacturing and jobs and this is a great success story. We love a bit of high low decorating, and turns out Fantastic Furniture is a great place to find your family lounge, a special accent chair, an extra ottoman for occasional seating and so much more. 

#fantasticfurniture #aussiemade #australianfurniture #FindyourFantastic #FantasticFamily #affordablehomewares #affordablefurniture #custommadesofa #custommadelounges #australianhomes #interiorsblog #interiorsaccount #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsdaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome
Please don't show my boys this room or they'll wan Please don't show my boys this room or they'll want one like it!

How gorgeous is this Brisbane kids' bedroom?! 

@brittwhitestudio worked closely with the boys (aged 7 and 9) to understand their needs with a bespoke bunk bed solution crafted by BRC Cabinets, featuring ample storage as well as an under-stair hidey-hole, a useful reading nook for books and a built-in charger for electronics. Local craftsmen Emmettโ€™s Ropes designed and hand-tied the ropework on the top bunk and the supporting pillar beneath.

Head over to the blog via link in bio to see and read more!

#bunkroom #bunkbed #bunkbedsforkids #bunkbeds #bespokebunkbeds #custommadebunkbeds #sharedbedroom #sharedbedroomforkids #boysroominspo #boysroomdecor #junglebedroom #kidsroomstyle #kidsroomstyling #childrensrooms #theinteriorsaddict #interiorsblog #interiorsaccount #interiorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #brittwhitestudio #highriseliving #apartmentlifestyle #penthouses #apartmentlivingwithkids #newsteadbrisbane 

Pix by @joebrosnan.photo
Comment your fave: 1, 2 or 3? Just 3 of the kitch Comment your fave: 1, 2 or 3?

Just 3 of the kitchens in the @duluxaus Colour Awards 2023 shortlist which will give you some serious inspiration!

Loads more gorgeous residential rooms to see on the blog this morning via link in bio.

Projects by @studio__bright @kaiko_design and Georgie Shepherd Interior Design. Pix by @arorygardiner @fiona_susanto and @christophermorrisphoto 

#duluxcolour #duluxpaint #duluxaus #duluxcolourawards #duluxcolourawards2023 #moodykitchen #allwhitekitchen #designerkitchen #sagekitchen #boldkitchen #colourfulkitchen #colouredkitchen #theinteriorsaddict #interiorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #interiorsblog #interiorsaccount
We're a bit obsessed with Cara Standen's balcony m We're a bit obsessed with Cara Standen's balcony makeover using @kmartaus stone tiles!

Nineties townhouse in Lennox Head or villa in Greece? You decide! All up it cost $2000 including all materials and she did the work herself.

Read all about it via link in bio now.

Love your work @twin_palms_lennox

#kmartaustralia #kmartdiy #kmarthack #kmarthome #modernmediterranean #balconymakeover #balconyideas #diybalcony #budgetdiy #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome
Wallpaper in every single room! What do you recko Wallpaper in every single room!

What do you reckon? You'd think it would be overkill but it isn't because so many of the designs are subtle yet still impactful.

Head over to the blog to see how @grafico_walls transformed this blank canvas Melbourne townhouse with their products, which you've probably seen on The Block over the years. And read how Damian Corney has grown this Melbourne business with wife Adele and a growing team. There's also a look inside the very cool Motley Hotel which has used a whopping 4km of their wallpaper throughout!

You can also watch a video tour with Bec Douros as the house featured on Open Homes Australia over the weekend.

Via link in bio now.

#wallpapergoals #wallpaperdesign #australianwallart #australianwallpaper #wallmurals #wallpapermural #wallpapermurals #wallpapereddoor #digitalwallpaper #digitallyprintedwallpaper #customwallpaper #wallpaperaesthetic #wallpapertrends #wallpaperaustralia #grafico #graficowallcoverings #melbournebusiness #melbournesmallbusiness #openhomesaustralia #theblock #becdouros
Kids and fluffy chickens. Does it get any cuter?! Kids and fluffy chickens. Does it get any cuter?! 

Braved the rain second morning in a row to feed the animals at @edenfarmescape because life's too short to worry about a bit of mud and drizzle!

Feeling relaxed ๐Ÿฅฐ
Did you see this cracking little transformation on Did you see this cracking little transformation on @sellinghousesaus last night?

We have all the finer details on the blog today via link in bio. Particularly love the kitchen refresh using the existing blue cupboards which really weren't doing anything for me before ๐Ÿ˜‚

#sellinghouses #sellinghousesaustralia #beforeandafterkitchen #beforeandafterrenovation #beforeandafterlivingroom #renoshow #realreno #interiorsblog #interiorsaccount #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #bluekitchen #budgetkitchenmakeover #budgetdiy #budgetmakeover
How's this for a compact back yard TRANSFORMATION? How's this for a compact back yard TRANSFORMATION?!

Our friends at @mintdesignau have done it again!

Homeowner Briony Marsh says: Itโ€™s totally changed our home lifestyle now we can sit outside on the lounge in the sun or shade, be in the pool, spa, sauna or cooking pizzas and hanging out with friends. It sounds cliched but it really feels like we are on holiday at home!โ€

Head over to the blog to see the finer details, including a sauna and a seriously good looking copper pizza oven. There's a lot packed into this space!

#backyards #smallpools #smallpool #homesauna #pizzaovens #outdoorpizzaoven #landscapedesigner #mintdesign #holidayathome #resortstylehomes #landscapeartist #backyard #exteriorinspiration #exteriormakeover #exteriordesigns #pergoladesign #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome
Swipe for before & afters of today's real reno. L Swipe for before & afters of today's real reno.

Located inside a 1912 sandstone villa in Adelaideโ€™s Kensington, this bathroom makeover combines classic and contemporary elements that complement the homeโ€™s original, period features. 

Designed by the homeโ€™s owner @designby_Tahirih, who is a property stylist too, the renovation came sooner than expected after water ingress made the makeover of their only bathroom an urgent necessity!

The whole project cost an impressive $20k, project managed herself.

Read all about it via link in bio now.

#realrenovations #realhomes #realreno #heartyourhome #renoaddict #freestandingbath #classicbathroom #classiccontemporary #classiccontemporaryinteriors #theinteriorsaddict  #interiorsaddict #jenbishop #homestaging #laundrymakeover #bathroomrenovations #bathroomremodels
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About Naomi Foxall

Naomi Foxall is a freelance writer, content and social media manager, living on the NSW South Coast.

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