Driveway Standards and Design Tips from Scott Cohen

By Scott Cohen, The Green Scene

Driveways make a prominent statement in the front of your home. Often the first thing you see as you approach a house, the driveway makes a big first impression, good or bad. In this article, Scott Cohen, HGTV's favorite Garden Artisan, discusses industry standards for driveway sizing, his designs and pet peeves for residential concrete driveways.

Driveway Sizing Standards
Guidelines to design and build residential driveways

Driveway Walk-About Space
Tips for improving driveway space to accommodate car doors, guests, and more

Driveway Planning and Installation
Tips for planning for utilities, sprinklers, and approaches

Driving up the price of your home
Curb appeal is a major factor when it comes to real estate values. The right driveway design just might improve the overall value of your home. Upgrading an existing concrete driveway can be as simple as saw cutting in a decorative pattern with a masonry skill saw blade, and applying decorative concrete stains. If you are still nursing a cracked and tired asphalt driveway, consider upgrading the look of your home with a stamped concrete or interlocking paver driveway. It is surprising how much nicer a home can look with a driveway facelift.

Before: This photo shows the plain, uninteresting
look of a regular concrete driveway.