Concrete Driveway

Concrete, the most popular option for residential driveways, is incredibly versatile and can be used to achieve a variety of looks. Stamping and coloring make it possible to use concrete to recreate the look of natural stone, brick or pavers for a fraction of the cost. Custom designs can also be created on a concrete driveway to give your home a unique entrance.

Cost:

The cost of your concrete driveway will vary depending on its size and the decorative options you choose. The more specialized the design, the more expensive the price will be. If you want a decorative look but are on a tight budget consider stamping or coloring only the borders of your driveway. 

• Elaborate designs start at $18/sq ft
• Custom designs are $12-18/sq ft
• Simple designs are about $8-12/sq ft

Pros:

• Used in massive building projects for its strength, concrete is durable and known to keep its form even through natural disasters like earthquakes.
• Concrete is a versatile material that can be stamped and transformed to many different patterns such as: European fan, random interlocking, natural stone, cobblestone and many more.
• Concrete can also be transformed using color. No longer limited to the standard gray color, you can use a variety of chemical stains and concrete dyes to achieve nearly any color you desire.
• Being one consistent slab makes concrete easy to maintain throughout the whole year.
• With the ability to stamp and color concrete you can achieve the same look as natural stone and pavers, while saving a significant amount of money. Concrete is one of the most cost effective paving materials out there.

Cons:

• Although concrete is a very strong durable material, it may crack over time. Cracking can be caused from many different reasons such as; lack of control joints, improper strength poured, rapid drying and excess water. Although your concrete may crack, there are things you can do to prevent and keep your slab from cracking in the future.
• Concrete is an ideal material to use for driveways because of the strength, however, cars can leave oil stains or tire marks. There are many products and methods available to assist you in returning you driveway to its natural state.
• Concrete is more affordable than most paving materials but not the least expensive. Gravel and asphalt cost less than pouring a concrete driveway.
• Pouring a concrete driveway can be challenging, it requires a skilled installer to avoid the problems listed above and get the job done right.

Source: Landscaping Network

Driveway Beautiful

The material you select for your driveway must be attractive and durable. Your driveway will be driven on nearly every day and needs to hold up to tire marks, oil drips and other hazards. Popular driveway paving materials include concrete, pavers, gravel and asphalt.

Pro Tip: Avoid porous materials, such as sandstone, that may soak up leaking fluids resulting in a stain.

A big consideration when paving a driveway is the size. If you have a very long driveway you will need a lot more material to pave it. The cost of a driveway this size can be quite high if selecting expensive materials. This is why you often see large driveways paved with gravel, the most affordable paving material.

Pro Tip: Since driveways are a lot of square footage, it is often not possible to pave them entirely in expensive pavers or cobblestones. Instead, opt for decorative bands, borders or an apron.

You'll also want to think about the surface of the material you select. Do you want something that will allow rain water to filter through and back into the soil? Do you have extreme weather conditions that could affect the safety of driving on your driveway? Do you want a decorative design or a grid of grass? The look you are going for will dictate what materials you should use.

Pro Tip: If you live in a snowy climate, think about what material will be easiest to plow or shovel.

The next 4 weeks will feature blogs on they types of driveway materials that are most popular for a beautiful driveway that is the centerpiece of your home's exterior

Source: Landscaping Network

Home Office Remodel

Describe how you'd like to feel in your home office in a word or two. 

• Productive
• Serene
• Competitive
• Relaxed
• Determined

Add to that with thoughts about your style in relation to that feeling. 

• Homey
• Woodsy
• Preppy
• Outdoor
• Stark
• Country
• Sleek

Allow us to rearrange your furniture, suggest pieces to work with those frameworks, repaint, add shelves or built-ins, and suggest accessories like a throw rug to reach your perfect feeling in your home office.

This is a relatively inexpensive project to make your office your favorite room in your home. After all, you are in there a lot! Here are some design ideas from Houzz:

Kitchen and Dining Room

When considering your remodeling project, think about usable space and the nature of your family's lifestyle.

For instance, do you love to cook, but there are only 2 of you in the home? It may be smarter to open your kitchen up as shown in the photo above, giving you lots of counter space, but encroaching in what was your dining room. Get rid of the dining room table formality if you don't use it or don't need it, and utilize the space in a smarter way by putting in a bar and comfortable stools for every day use.