How to Design Your Own Driveway Ideas With White Cement

Draw the basic shape of the driveway. Sketch a driveway to come in from the street side and curve around the back of the house, for example. Decide if special touches, such as a brick border or small brick wall will improve the look of the space. Create a circular drive around the front part of a house, and make it look elegant by installing a garden or landscaped space nearby. Plan to invest in small evergreen trees or durable shrubbery that will look good year-round.

Look through home design books to get more ideas. Review ways other homeowners have constructed concrete driveways. Consider building a driveway in large poured sections, much like independent slabs of stone, with ground cover planted between sections. Sketch various ways to enter the driveway or garage, just to make sure the pattern to be constructed is the best route.

Factor in artistic landscaping that is more extensive in some cases. Build a patio made of brick off to one side of a concrete driveway, for example. Install lattice covering over the patio space to soften the look of the area. Draw shrubbery and flowers along the borders of a concrete driveway. Consider constructing a brick mailbox at the curbside with plantings around it. Add brick seams to the concrete driveway every 10 feet to tie in with the mailbox.

Remember to reinforce concrete sections. Use roll-type metal gridwork to actually construct sections of the driveway. Build the driveway pavement at least six inches deep to prevent cracking. Plan to pour the concrete in good weather, if possible, to allow it to dry thoroughly overnight. Finish each section with a semi-rough texture to keep the driveway from being too slick in rain or snowy weather.

Use stones in part of the concrete driveway surface, if the budget will allow. Install flat stones or white pebbles in the surface. Do this in one or two sections near the street. Utilize river rocks to add ambiance to the concrete, if the house is a cottage style structure. Build a wall of river rocks to harmonize with the driveway surface.