Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Do I want a brick driveway?

Hi there,

I have an old "strip" driveway. It has two concrete strips that run from the apron to the garage and a little bit of brick work on each side up near the garage. This winter, the grass around the strips got pretty muddy since it was hard to stay on the narrow strips in several inches of snow. Furthermore, I'd like to widen the driveway to allow a couple of cars to park on the side while still providing access to the single-car garage.

So, my first thought was to pave between and next to the strips with bricks. I scrapped this idea because I figured it would be too much work to work around the strips. Plus, they've got some cracks, so it's probably not worth saving them.

I have a brick house and a 65-year-old yard with established trees and gardens. I'd like the driveway to match the look of the place. I also want it to be fairly environmentally conscious, but I'm not yet willing to deal with the idiosyncrasies of gravel.

Finally, you'll probably want to know about the dimensions before offering any advice. My current driveway is about 63' long. It starts off with an apron and then a municipal sidewalk. After that it slopes up about 2' over a distance of about 15'. From there to the garage, it's level. If I widen the driveway, I'd keep the single-width apron and have the driveway taper down to that width. The double-width would just be for guest parking, so I wouldn't mind having an angle for them to navigate, since it won't be part of my daily routine.

Ok, that's a lot of random info. Now, would the experts out there say that brick is a good option here? Will the brick do ok on the slope? Should I regrade the driveway to spread the 2' rise over the entire 63'. The soil is largely clay, if that helps.

I'd like to do this myself, but I don't think I would be happy with the results. All the truckloads of sand, gravel, and bricks...all the tamping, watering, and leveling. I'd probably just drive myself crazy and then blow a gasket when all the bricks shift in a year. How much (rough ballpark) should I expect to pay for someone to do this for me (material and labor)? 10K? 5? 20? I know various options will affect the price. An embedded heater would be cool :) How much do those run? I could install the wiring myself.

Thanks for any advice! Sorry for the length.

[update] I realized that I have a photo of the current driveway that I can post. It's not great, but it might help you visualize. The bushes in the forground, and maybe some of the ones on the left will be transplanted to produce more space.

Driveway Photo (http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1r4d4/03Snow1/03Snow1-Driveway.jpg)

Hi,

There are several topics mixed in your question, I will try to answer some of them.

As Architect, I can say that a brick driveway will be in the style of your home, and you will get a full integration. Of course, you need to study carefully colors and sizes to get a perfect balance

As Builder, I am not an enthusiast of bricks' driveway (of course, others may have other points of view). I prefer brick pavers.

It is hard to say how much you will be charged (you didn't tell us your state / province). Anyway, on the bottom - right of this page you will find an add "Get Matched with PreScreened Local Contractors", if you enter your zip, it will help you to find a contractor near you.

Based in your description, there are 2 other points to consider before a decision: drainage and levels

The main question (if you want a brick driveway) will be your decision, based in all these points plus $$$, design etc.

Hope this helps,

Thanks Patricia,

I'm in the DC area, so prices will be a bit higher than most parts of the country (except maybe than the Bay Area or Long Island).

I did use ServiceMagic yesterday to submit a request, but no one has contacted me yet (I had people beating down my door when I looked for a cleaning service). That site doesn't list any driveway brick masons, either. They just have concrete driveway pavers and brick patio/walkway builders. I submitted my request to the brick patio/walkway area.

As far as drainage, it generally slopes toward the street. The level stretches could be graded slightly to ensure that water doesn't flow toward the house anywhere. There would be grass on either side to soak up some of the run-off, as well. One reason I like brick is that it could absorb some water and pass it through to the ground better than concrete or asphalt. Are there other aspects of drainage that I'm missing?

What do I need to consider in terms of levels?

Thanks again!

Hi,

Well, regarding the contractors, I can't help, because I live in Canada. Perhaps one of our members will contact you or give you a clue about the prices

Levels and drainage: don't forget that bricks or brick pavers have a thickness and asphalt has other. So, you need to consider the level of the garage floor vs the level of your driveway + the slope.
As you pointed, the bricks will drain lots of water to the ground, so you will need to install a drain system or to be sure that the ground can drain it properly. My suggestion: consider drainage.

Let us know if you need more help