As the weather turns colder and frost begins to layer on your yard, car and driveway each morning, we all know where there is frost, ice and snow are soon to follow. The bane of many a homeowner, winter’s little gift of ice and snow blocks up driveway access and hinders vehicle mobility. But technology provides an answer to this backache-waiting-to-happen with some really interesting options that fit just about any budget.
Permeable Driveways and Walkways
Ice forms when water or snow pools on your driveway and freezes in the cold air, right? Well, what if your driveway and walkway allowed the excess moisture created by the melting snow and ice to seep through into the ground, decreasing the chance for ice to form on your walking surfaces? An asphalt or poured concrete driveway does not allow for such water absorption. EP Henry’s extensive and beautiful line of permeable pavers do:
- allow melting ice and rainwater to filter and return to the ground. No need to use harsh chemicals on your pavers to melt ice.
- permit water absorption into the soil, which reduces stormwater runoff, flooding and erosion.
- lessen the impact and stress on existing local storm sewer systems through reduced peak discharges.
If your driveway is in need of a redo, then permeable pavers present an affordable and practical answer to the bain of snow shoveling while ramping up your home’s curb appeal exponentially.
Heat Things Up
If you want extra ice-melting protection for your driveway, there is a really cool – well warm actually – alternative to keeping your driveway free of ice. Snow melting systems like those found at warmlyyours.com come in heated cables or mat options with controllers and accessories to heat the area on and around your driveway from the comfort of your own home. They can be placed under your driveway surface before pavers are laid and run on your home’s electric system. Imagine a snow and ice-free paved driveway, no matter how bitter the weather outside. While these systems are fairly pricey, and do require a complete rebuild of your driveway to implement, balancing the cost against never having to raise a snow shovel again may just make sense for some homeowners.
No More Car-Jockeying
The whole dance of shoveling the driveway is to make space for cars in the driveway or to free those stuck in the snow from their prisons. But what if you didn’t have to worry about shoveling both sides, because you had another space readily available for your second car? If money is no object, then you can install a subterranean parking lift that takes one of your cars down an elevator so the second car can be parked on top. Your parking space is doubled and there’s no need to dig out both sides of the driveway. Expensive? Absolutely. But still a super cool answer to the driveway-digging dilemma.
There’s an answer that will reduce or end your need to dig out your driveway this winter, you just need to weigh out the cost of potential back injuries, slip and falls that you’ll endure against what today’s tech has to offer and let that drive your answer. Here’s to a drier driveway this season!