The most popular driveways

When John and Lynda Helenek renovated their 10-year-old Lake Grove Colonial almost a year ago, the last thing on their minds was their driveway.

There was a minor safety issue with the paving-stone pathway from the driveway to the front door. But that was just an afterthought. The impetus for remodeling was to create more bedroom space for the Heleneks' two young daughters.

"We knew we had to redo the walkway to the front door because it was a safety hazard," John Helenek says. "The paving stones had sunk to where it was almost a one-foot drop from the front porch."

Once the Heleneks' paving contractor, Dynamic Concrete of Centereach, inspected the walkway, the decision was made to virtually redesign the entire front yard.

"I think it turned out great," says John, 45, an accountant. "It was a collaboration, of sorts, with the contractor, but it really gives the front entrance a fresh look."

The Heleneks' $15,000 remodeled driveway combines asphalt, also called blacktop - Long Island's most common residential paving material - paving stones and a circular stone inlay. (See photo at far right.) The design does more than offer parking space. It's the home's greeting card - a warm, folksy welcome for all visitors and passersby.

"Originally, John wanted the entire driveway, walkway and apron to be constructed of paving stones," Matt Carone, owner of Dynamic Concrete, says. "But I thought it would look a lot better if we used different materials to break it up a bit."

While Carone's simple design fits the home and blends with the neighborhood, combining different elements to achieve such a result often is tricky. Setauket landscape architect Michael Opisso warns that using too many materials can overemphasize the driveway, making it more of a focal point than necessary. A driveway should be mostly functional and less a design feature, he says.

"When done well, a driveway design will have a seamless transition from the driveway to the walkway to the front door," Opisso says. The driveway, he says, should blend with the landscape. "Let the materials be secondary. The driveway should direct visitors to the more important areas of the home, like the entrance."

The Heleneks believe they've done just that. The circular inlay, front-door walkway and driveway border, all constructed from the same earth-tone paving stones, send visitors toward the home's entrance and frame the driveway's primary material, blacktop. There's also a new curb of a rose-tinted belgian block, which is commonly used (at about $10 a linear foot) to border or frame driveways. Overall, there's a hint of individual distinction.

John Helenek says he got lucky, because Carone was easy to work with and affable. The different paving materials used in the driveway blend as easily as their personalities. But for every driveway like the Heleneks' there are dozens that serve simply as drab, uninviting parking spaces.

From a design standpoint, the Heleneks are proof that input from an experienced contractor or landscape architect can mean a more pleasing driveway.

The accompanying information on the most common driveway materials can help homeowners decide what fits their needs. From budget concerns to matters of durability, here's where your driveway begins.

Remember, however, that price per square foot can vary, depending on excavation obstacles such as trees, shrubs and old driveways.

And one more thing: Most driveway surfaces will stand up to the elements longer when they're installed over a properly prepared base and get a little maintenance.

ASPHALT

Price: About $2 to $3 a square foot for installations up to 1,000 square feet. The rate for larger surfaces can be slightly less.

What it's made from: A mixture of sand, stone and liquid asphalt components. The surface material is compacted to a thickness of about 1 1/2 inches and covers a crushed aggregate base, or foundation, of four to six inches. Larger contractors often recycle the old driveway on site in a special crushing machine and use it in the new base.

Pros: An inexpensive, durable surface with a 15- to 20-year life span. Asphalt, commonly called "blacktop," is among the most popular driveway surfaces on Long Island. One reason is its flexibility. "Because it's more flexible than concrete, it's good in this climate's freeze-thaw cycles," says Dennis Kellerman, co-owner of Pioneer Asphalt Paving in Kings Park. "It doesn't crack as easily as concrete."

Cons: Porous, sensitive to heat. Surfaces can almost melt under the hot summer sun. A bicycle kickstand, for example, will penetrate the surface. If a driveway does not have defined borders - landscape timbers or Belgian stone - deterioration at the edges can occur.

Maintenance: Blacktop requires sealing, but most homeowners have the wrong idea, says Kellerman. "Seal it as needed and not every year or two," he says. "When the surface is dry and some of the white stone is showing, then seal it. If it is sealed too often, the sealer builds up and the surface gets sticky." Kellerman advises sealing every three to five years instead of every year or every other year.

Pro's tip: Patch cracks and other openings immediately. Patching compounds and sealers are available at building supply outlets and home centers. Left unattended, cracks will cause surfaces to crumble quickly, Kellerman says.

NATURAL STONE

Price: Between $1.85 and $3 a square foot.

What it's made from: The surface is either 3/8-inch bluestone or burgundy gravel. The base combines layers of recycled aggregate, street tar and blacktop to eliminate depressions.

Pros: "It gives the front yard a country feel and has a more natural look," says Ed Innella of Jack Valle Associates Landscaping in Glen Head. Natural stone is commonly used on driveways of larger properties or where the building is set back from a paved main road.

Cons: High maintenance. Adding stone and regrading is commonly done each year at a cost of $200 to $300. Plowing or blowing snow from natural stone driveways can be difficult.

Pro's tip: The old way to install called for a base of crushed gravel and a coating of street tar. Today, using a thin layer of asphalt provides a more stable foundation.

"The layer of asphalt prevents depressions and dips," Innella says.

PAVING STONES

Price: From $12 to $16 a square foot, depending on excavation and prep work.

What it's made from: A concrete product that comes in thousands of colors and shapes. Because the stones are made from high-density concrete and have natural expansion joints built into the design, they resist cracking and crumbling from freeze-thaw cycles.

Pros: Design possibilities and flair. "It's not as high end in the field as it used to be," says Steve Lorenz of Werner Schmitz Masonry in Patchogue, "but it's still popular." Colors range from a newer wave of earth tones to reds, blues and grays. Lorenz says the earth-tone colors give larger surface areas, such as driveways and patios, a more natural presence. Walkways, patios and driveways can last up to 50 years.

Cons: Stones can sink if not installed on a properly built base. On driveways, Lorenz prefers installing pavers over a concrete base. That way, the stones are stable and resist sinking. "When you drive a large car over the same spot day after day, year after year, you need a good base," Lorenz says. Other foundations include a sub-base of crushed gravel and a setting layer of sand or crushed bluestone.

Maintenance: Sealers will help the stones maintain color and repel stains, especially oil drips and tire marks. An occasional power wash is not out of the question.

Pro's tip: Circle kits and inlays break the monotony of many patterns, Lorenz says. Ask your contractor about using a half-circle or circle to add flair, especially on a larger driveway. Most kits add $200 to $300 to the installation price.

DECORATIVE OR STAMPED CONCRETE

Price: From $8.50 to $12 a square foot.

What it's made from: Identical to regular concrete - perhaps a little denser at 4,000 psi - but it includes a pattern that is stamped into the surface before it dries.

Pros: Endless design possibilities. It can be colored with powdered additives and stamped to look like wood, stone or brick.

Cons: Like regular concrete, it can crack and fade. Cracks often are obscured by the surface design. Labor intensive; patterns must be stamped before the surface dries, so contractors often use a larger crew.

Maintenance: Sealing and power washing, much like regular concrete.

Pro's tip: While decorative concrete can be used over an existing concrete surface, it's not always practical. "Several inches can be scraped from the old surface ... [which is] then power washed to create a base for a new, decorative layer," says Joe Sidaras of Sidaras Concrete in Mastic. But most of the time, the existing concrete is in such bad shape that scraping is not a viable alternative. "When the old concrete is badly broken up," Sidaris says, "it's just not worth scraping."

CONCRETE

Price: From $4.74 to $5.50 a square foot.

What it's made from: Concrete is a mixture of portland cement, water, crushed stone (coarse aggregate) and sand (fine aggregate) poured to a thickness of four inches in driveways.

Pros: Durable. Concrete driveways can last up to five times longer than asphalt.

Cons: Cracking. No matter how good the contractor or how precise the mixture, concrete will crack over time. In climates like the Northeast, changes in temperature and humidity cause concrete to expand and contract, almost with the seasons. Expansion, contraction and the absorption of moisture over time are the major causes of cracking. Expansion joints and saw cuts placed in the concrete don't prevent cracking; they only minimize the chances of cracking.

Maintenance: Virtually maintenance free. Some sealers (applied shortly after the concrete cures for about a $1 a square foot) will repel stains, like oil drips from automobiles. Can be power-washed occasionally.

Pro's tip: Years ago, concrete was poured over a wire grid (often reinforced with steel bars) to increase structural strength. Today, a fiberglass mesh additive is used instead of the wire grid, says Joe Sidaras of Sidaras Concrete in Mastic. Sidaras, who has been pouring residential concrete foundations and slabs for commercial buildings for more than 20 years, also says that most residential concrete is mixed at 3,500 psi (pounds per square inch), which is how the material is rated for compressive strength. Roads can be about 4,000 psi; high-rise buildings, up to 19,000 psi.

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