What is a Ribbon Driveway
What is a ribbon driveway? Ribbon driveways, are often considered one of the most aesthetically pleasing out of all entryway designs. Due to this they are often referred to as “Hollywood Driveways.” What a ribbon driveway consists of is two parallel hard surfaced tracks, separated by a section of soft surface. The hard surface can be any form of paved material or stoned, while the soft surface tends to be grass or sand. The standard dimensions of ribbons driveways have hard tracks being a couple feet wide to allow car tires to travel, with the soft surface being a few feet wide. These dimensions typically fit all forms of residential vehicle, while larger vehicles might need their own accommodations.
Pros of a Ribbon Driveway
A ribbon driveway has many pros that other styles of driveway. One of the most obvious pros can be realized after first glance at a ribbon driveway. At first glance you will immediate notice the far less amount of paving materials needed to finish the driveway. The less paving materials used the less the installation will cost. On average, from start to finish the installation process for ribbon driveways costs far less than tradition ones. Due to the less material used, it is also easier and cheaper to have your hard tracks curve and contour to your driveway anyway you see necessary.
Ribbon driveways are also offer far more landscaping and customization options as compared to traditional driveways. Not only is there a section in the middle of grass, sand, or other soft material that can be landscaped, the material used for the hard surface is customizable too. One could have cobblestone, brick, concrete, and many more materials used for the hard tracks. In the middle there is opportunity to have ground cover vegetation, grass of your choice, or a nicely detailed soft sand.
Cons of a Ribbon Driveway
All cons stemming from ribbon driveway are related to the practical use of it. One of the hardest things about this style of driveway is the ability it takes to accurate drive and keep all four tires on the hard tracks. This task becomes increasingly difficult when going in reverse as opposed to forward. Due to the likelihood of driving off the hard tracks, it is likely the soft surface between them or other parts of your property will get damaged from the weigh of the car. When tires slip off the hard tracks, it can easily sink into front lawns or grass strips.
Related to this another con is the required maintenance it takes to keep your ribbon driveway look as good as it could. The soft strip in the middle will need constant maintenance and regular clean ups. If it is a grass strip, mowing could be hard. Other materials may spread and cover the hard strips, leading to a disheveled look. Maintenance becomes even more important if the car tires find their way onto these soft surfaces.
Environmental Impact of Ribbon Driveways
A ribbon driveway is one of if not the more environmentally friendly driveway model there is. Typically when homeowners are looking for “green” solutions on their home, a ribbon driveway is one of the first and easiest solutions to implement. The main reason this driveway is seen as a high eco-friendly choice is the ability of the surface to absorb water and other forms of perception. This high level of absorption creates less runoff which may contain harmful driveway wastes, or create problems for local sewer systems.
As mentioned, ribbon driveways require far less materials to create its hard surface. Due to the smaller amount of surface area needed, there is less of a need to consume more materials. This means that less materials need to be mined or created for the installation process.
