Driveway Material Selection - 2 car drive

[DickP]

Hi,

I am looking to renew the driveway at my house. There is space for two cars side by side with direct access off the highway via a full driveway wide dropped kerb / vehicle crossing footpath.

Driveway area is approximately 30 m2.

The driveway will need full base build up.

On occasion I use trolley jacks (e.g. changing car wheels, minor maintenance and servicing etc) and also use a motorbike.

The house is in a rainy part of the North West of England.

Please can I have suggestions on finishing material and appearance style/pattern etc.?

Thanks!

[Haltamer]

Based on my experience, I’d be an advocate of plain (rough textured) concrete.

Any ornamentation can be saved for the areas where cars aren’t going; Some small planter areas, or decorative paving towards the edges of the drive.

I’ve only got a single drive at home which is textured concrete, and certainly it isn’t the most aesthetically delightful, but you don’t see it when the car is parked (Most of the time you’re there to see it anyway).

In terms of practicality, it’s unmatched:-
A bit of spilled oil? Oh well
Trolley jacks? Roll at your leisure; no sinking or cracking to worry about.
Very wet? Textured surface is very non slip.
Ice, frost? Tends not to form across the surface thanks to the texturing, just small patches in the ruts.

By comparison, the tiled / brickwork-style drives I’ve encountered usually ice or moss quite badly, and the cost of getting them laid makes people rather precious about any spillage or cracking from jacks.

[ukwill]

We had a fair size block driveway installed 11yrs ago. If I had to choose again I'd probably go for a resin bound permeable driveway.

The block requires a fair bit more maintenance and I think I prefer the look of resin bound.

Typically I jetwash it annually and de-weed, then resand. I suppose it was fun the first few times (cleaning things with a jetwasher can be quite cathartic).

I think regardless of the choice, it's all in the prep.