Fresh Driveway Renovation/Driveway Entrance Ideas

A curved paver driveway is lined by landscaping shrubs, a driveway fence, and course wood mulch.

Your driveway is one of the first things people notice about your house. It says a lot about your property, sense of style, and curb appeal. Driveways also have a very practical aspect. They need to hold as many vehicles as possible, be easy to drive on, and maybe even provide a recreational surface in some cases.

Driveways don’t have to be boring. There are countless ways to spruce up a concrete or asphalt driveway to make it match your sense of style.

Today, we’ll discuss the wonderful world of driveway renovations and upgrades that really make your driveway pop with a huge “wow” factor. If you are looking for maximizing your driveway’s potential, you’ve come to the right place.

In this post, we’ll go over some driveway ideas to inspire you on your quest for a more perfect driveway.

• Driveway basics — paving, repair, resurfacing, and replacement

• Driveway renovation ideas

• Widening your driveway

• Extending your driveway

• Adding a basketball court

• Creating a circular driveway

• Adding bricks or pavers as accents

• Staining your concrete driveway

• Upgrades for your driveway entrance like 

• Lights

• Driveway gates

• Fences

• Landscaping

Driveway basics 

Before talking about some of the fancier options you might enjoy having for your driveway, let’s hit the basics for a moment.

Driveway installation

Maybe you don’t have a paved driveway and are dealing with the constant aggravation of a dusty, dirty, or muddy area in your lawn that is an eye sore. And on rainy days, you probably dread having to park in a huge puddle and try to avoid getting your shoes completely soaked and nasty. 

In your situation, you just need a new basic driveway installed to make your life a lot easier and your home cleaner.

Driveway repair

Maybe you have an existing paved driveway of asphalt, concrete, or pavers. Unfortunately, over time, driveways tend to develop cracks or potholes and need a bit of TLC to look their best again. It may just be a matter of concrete or asphalt repair if there is limited surface cracking or just a few potholes. 

While you’re at it, you’ll want to sealcoat your driveway, as well, to help increase the lifespan of your pavement by weatherizing it.

Driveway resurfacing

If your driveway has a lot of cracks or many potholes, it often makes sense to resurface the entire thing if the foundation is still intact.

Driveway replacement

When the condition of a driveway gets bad enough, you may need to replace your driveway. Once a driveway has significant damage, the foundation is failing, and/or it reaches a certain age, it’s not worth trying to repair it. Sometimes, the best thing to do is tear it all up and replace it.

Driveway renovation ideas

What if you’d like to do something different? Add on to your existing driveway. Or give it some serious wow factor. Or maybe you’d like to add some upgrades around the driveway to set it off and make it more luxurious.

A before and after of a driveway widening project in the Columbia, SC area by Boots On Enterprises.

Widen the driveway

One of the most popular driveway renovation ideas a lot of our clients ask for is for their driveway to be widened.

When homeowners have multiple cars, it can be tricky if you have a single-width driveway. You have to try to always park in a certain order, or someone has to move cars around before going to work.

With a double or triple-wide driveway, you’ve got more space for everyone to park without blocking anyone in. You don’t necessarily have to widen the entire driveway. You can use a “teardrop” driveway shape where the entrance at the street may be more narrow, but you have multiple areas to park closer to your home.

And you have a glorious space for younger kids to ride tricycles or to have a basketball court.

An aerial view of a driveway extension leading to a detached garage behind this large house.

Driveway extensions

Another driveway remodel many of our clients enjoy is extending their driveway in some way. Some people want to take their driveway past the fence to the backyard to their workshop or shed.

This gives them the ability to drive a pickup truck all the way into the backyard. Or, they can park a motorcycle in the shed in the back and not have to wade through the mud to get to the street.

Another popular option is to add an arc to create a semi-circular driveway through the front yard that goes past the front door. For more inspiration, check out our post about the best driveway shapes.

A single concrete basketball court with black lines surrounded by grass near colorful two-story homes on a sunny day.

Add a half-basketball court to your driveway

If you have a blossoming athlete at home and you have the space, you might want to invest in a specialized half-basketball court as part of your driveway or beside/just beyond your driveway. If you don’t have a naturally flat space, that’s not necessarily a problem. You may be able to bring in dirt and use a retaining wall to create the flat area you need (https://bootsonenterprises.com/boots-on-blog/retaining-wall-ideas).

This can be a completely dedicated space, or you may want to make it available it for guest parking, as well.

A cobblestone round driveway with circular landscaping in the center in front of an English-style luxury brick home.

Create a circular driveway

Maybe you’d like to add a circular driveway to your existing driveway. Or scrap your original driveway altogether and create a glamorous circular or semi-circular driveway.

There is something completely luxurious about a sweeping circle or half-circle driveway. And it makes it so easy for guests to park when you entertain. The best part? No backing up into a busy street. You always have room to turn around and head out of the driveway facing forward which is much safer.

Brand new brick detail was just added to a long concrete driveway with a Boots On Enterprises truck at the end on the road.

Upgrade the appearance of your driveway

If the footprint of your driveway is working well for you, but you just want to jazz it up a bit, you may like the thought of one of these driveway transformation options:

Brick or paver accents

Accent pavers or bricks can be added to a driveway during construction, renovation, or at other times. With the driveway above, we cut out sections of the concrete so we could lay the new brick accents to turn a run-of-the-mill driveway into something spectacular.

Concrete stain

Another fantastic option that lots of our customers love is concrete stain. We can seal/stain your concrete at the same time which will protect it from the weather and also add character and color to your plain concrete driveway.

Concrete stain is permanent, doesn’t flake, doesn’t fade, and comes in a large variety of colors and styles.

Sealcoating

While you can opt for concrete driveway seal coating that is clear and rather unnoticeable, you can also choose seal coats that have a “wet look” or other effects to boost your driveway’s glamor a bit.

Seashell aggregate concrete is often used near the beach. But you can use it anywhere.

Seashell aggregate concrete

Also known as coastal concrete or tabby concrete, seashells can be mixed with lime, sand, ash, and other ingredients to create a stunningly gorgeous concrete that features the natural glory of seashells. It’s used most often near the coast, making use of seashell waste, which makes it quite environmentally friendly. 

This might be a good option if you are replacing your driveway or resurfacing it. Especially if you live in an area close to the sea where shells are plentiful.

Stamped concrete is coated with a slurry to make it dark and shiny.

Stamped concrete

If you are really longing for a paver driveway but you don’t have the budget for tearing up your concrete driveway and completely replacing it, there is another option that is almost as good.

We can stamp your concrete driveway to look like bricks or pavers and then stain it. This will give your driveway a very high-end look without breaking the bank.

Textured concrete

If you are starting from scratch, replacing, or resurfacing a concrete driveway, why not add a fun, new texture to give it some extra pizzazz?

Consider rock salt-pitted concrete, broom finish, swirl finish, trowel finish, or other unique textured finish to make your driveway look unique.

Wood driveway gates automatically open and close in front of a modern brick home with a paver driveway.

While you’re renovating your driveway, don’t forget to add the extra touches that will make your property even more beautiful, functional, and inviting like the following services.

Driveway upgrades

• Gates

• Fencing

• Landscaping

• Lighting

Let’s take a look at each of these and how they can add a whole lot more functionality and appeal to your home.

Driveway gates

Should you consider having a driveway gate installed at your home? Not every home can have one. But for some homeowners, it is quite a luxurious feature.

What is a driveway gate?

A driveway gate is a gate that covers the width of your driveway and is usually about 5-6 feet tall. It can open for cars and people to come in and out. But it can also shut to prevent unwanted people or animals from entering and to keep children and pets in the yard.

There are several great reasons to have a front gate at the entrance of your driveway.

7 benefits of driveway gates:

• Security for your family and property.

• Increased property value.

• Protection for pets and children to keep them from wandering.

• Add beauty.

• Greater privacy (to complete a privacy fence/wall).

• Privacy fences/gates can block some noise.

• Potentially lower homeowner’s insurance rates.

Today’s gates can be automated so that you can open and close the gate with the press of a button in your car or on your phone.

Most driveway gates swing to open but you can also buy gates that slide open if you don’t have a lot of space.

Driveway gate ideas

Some of our favorite driveway fence gate ideas include:

Aluminum gates

Aluminum is lightweight and less expensive than iron or steel. There are also a lot of customizable features and designs you can do with it.

Wood driveway gates

Wooden driveway gates add all kinds of warmth, personality, and privacy and can provide a modern look or a more traditional appearance. They can be stained, painted, or left natural.

Wrought iron gates

Iron driveway gates can bring a spirit of Southern charm with a Charlestonian flair that are perfect if you’d like to have some visibility into the yard.

Vinyl gates

Vinyl driveway gates are low-maintenance and beautiful, a lovely complement to a vinyl fence. 

The best type of driveway gate for you depends on your budget, sense of style, and how much privacy/security you desire to achieve. You’ll also want to choose a gate that matches or complements your existing fence or the new fence you want to install.

What is the cheapest driveway gate?

The cheapest driveway gates would generally be chain-link metal gates if you are very budget conscious. Then vinyl or wood would be in the middle range for costs. And wrought iron gates, especially custom-designed ones, would be the most pricey.

A large countryside home with gray siding and multiple gables and a wood driveway fence lining the entire driveway.

Driveway fences

Driveway fencing is a fantastic way to define your property line if it is beside your driveway. Or the fencing can be used to separate your yard from the driveway to keep your children and/or pets safe so that they don’t run out into the driveway.

Some of our favorite driveway fence ideas include a:

Wood driveway fence

Wood fences come in a huge variety of designs and add a powerful pop of warmth, texture, and class to any yard.

Brick driveway fence

Brick is the most expensive type of fencing. But it can look stunning, especially when combined with a wood or wrought iron gate.

Vinyl driveway fence

Vinyl fencing is always a great option. It’s low-maintenance, easy to clean, lightweight, and provides the beauty and security you need for your home.

A luxurious brick paver driveway with landscaping insert filled with landscaping stone, 4 small green bushes, and 3 modern-looking silver cylindrical driveway lights.

Driveway landscaping

If you want to up the wow factor for your yard, consider lining your driveway with professionally-installed landscaping to take your lawn from boring to dramatic and memorable.

Some of our favorite driveway landscaping ideas

We recommend lining your driveway with landscaping beds using mulch, landscaping shrubbery, native plants, and flowers for maximum impact. You can also add landscaping rocks and even a landscape wall if you like.

If you have a curved driveway or circular driveway, why not create a featured landscaping area on the interior side of the curve or circle to accentuate the beauty of the shape of your driveway?

Cylindrical driveway lighting in a landscaped area between the driveway and the grass provides illumination and beauty all night.

Driveway lights

Driveway lights provide many benefits for your property at night. First of all, they improve safety by illuminating the walking area so people can see where they are going and avoid tripping. In fact, you’ll likely want to continue the driveway lighting along your sidewalks, patio, and outdoor steps for safety reasons.

These lights also help drivers stay on the driveway and avoid running into your grass or landscaping. And they improve your home’s security since thieves tend to prefer dark, unlit homes where it looks like no one is home and no neighbors will see what they are doing.

But driveway lighting also adds so much to your “lightscape” and to the aesthetics of your home when it’s dark outside. They improve your home’s value and curb appeal greatly. And they make your yard more enjoyable for your family and guests.

LED bulbs are bright and use the least amount of energy. They also turn on with full brightness immediately, improving visibility and security for your home. So we highly recommend using them for whatever type of lighting you choose to use.

Some of our favorite driveway lighting ideas include:

Accent lights - driveway fence lighting

If you have a driveway fence, especially a privacy fence that is solid, you can have little spotlights set up on the ground that illuminate the fence every so often as an indirect way to provide lighting for your driveway.

Another option is to have LED tape lighting installed along the top and bottom of the fence to light up the fence without allowing the rope light to be seen.

Or, opt for post cap lights on the top of each post of your fence for a glamorous look.

Hardscape lights

Outdoor well lights can be added in your soil or patio that barely show above the surface of the ground and shine straight up. Other hardscape lighting can be added to fencing, decking, patios, steps, and more.

Landscaping wall lighting

If you have a landscaping wall or retaining wall along your driveway, that’s a great place to install sconces or downward-pointing lights to shine on the wall and then onto the driveway.

Lantern lights

Lights that look like lanterns are very popular and look charming lining your driveway. They add a whimsical touch.

Solar driveway lights

Solar driveway lighting is also available. These units have solar panels on the top of the light fixtures. So you don’t have to worry about additional energy costs at all or wiring. The solar lights absorb solar energy during the day and then reward you with beautiful light throughout the evening hours.

An intricate stone driveway gate with lanterns and cobblestone driveway surrounded by trees at sunset.

Ready for a big driveway renovation in Columbia, SC? We can help.

At Boots On Enterprises, we can tackle any commercial or residential driveway renovation project you may desire. We also handle landscaping, hardscaping, lighting, tree services, and drainage solutions.

Contact us today for a FREE estimate.

Phone: 803-521-4978

Email: bootsonenterprises@gmail.com 

Next-day and same-week services are available.