Supermarket Car Parks: Breaking Up Massive Driveways
Got a massive front drive? If you just pour one giant square of tarmac, it looks like the local Tesco. Here is how we design luxury driveways, not car parks.
The Tesco Effect
Having a massive driveway is great. You can fit four cars on it and turn around easily.
But there is a trap. If you hire a cheap contractor to pave 150 square metres of front garden, they will just frame the edges and pour one giant, flat square of tarmac or plain resin.
It completely ruins the front of the house. It looks commercial. It looks like a supermarket car park. You have a luxury home, but the entrance looks like an industrial estate.
Design vs. Coverage
Most contractors just want to cover the mud. They don't do design.
We don't do that. A large driveway needs actual architecture. It needs to complement the house, not drown it in a sea of grey.
Breaking the Space
You have to break up massive expanses of hardscaping.
We do this using sweeping block borders and contrasting granite setts. Instead of one huge flat pour, we use charcoal or silver blocks to create natural sweeping pathways that guide the eye straight to the front door. We use different textures to define the actual parking zones from the walking zones.
Softening the Hardscape
You cannot have that much stone or resin without bringing some life back into it.
We integrate sweeping lawns, curved planting beds, and split-level landscaping right into the middle of the drive. It breaks the line of sight. It turns a massive slab of parking back into a proper, high-end residential entrance.
Build an Entrance
Don't just pave over your kerb appeal for the sake of easy parking.
Design the space. Break it up. Make the front of your house look like an estate, not a commercial car park.
Stop by the office at 78 Alma Rd, Bournemouth BH9 1AN, UK, or call 07835 390845.
