Parking Area....need to add one!

[pklein09]

Our children are slowly getting their drivers licenses . Two of them have their license, a third has her permit, and the fourth one isn't far behind. We are lucky to have two cars that the kids can use in addition to the cars DH and I drive. Our cars are garaged, but the kids' cars are outside on the side yard. We have a long, paved drive, but if they park there, we can't get out of the garage. We're on 2 acres, so dedicating part of the yard next to the drive for a parking area can easily be done.

However....what type of parking area? Do I just pay the $$$ and have an area paved? We do need to fix cracks in our driveway, so we theoretically can bring someone in to do both. Or do we put a gravel area in, lined by railroad ties? We're in NJ, so the area would need to be shoveled when it snows. For the past year, the cars have been lined up on the grass, and one area is already dead. It really doesn't bother me because the car covers it when it's parked there.

Any suggestions or insights? Is there something I didn't consider? Money is a concern because we will have 2 kids in college next year (one local and one in MN).

TIA!!!

 

[Marionnette]

Our children are slowly getting their drivers licenses . Two of them have their license, a third has her permit, and the fourth one isn't far behind. We are lucky to have two cars that the kids can use in addition to the cars DH and I drive. Our cars are garaged, but the kids' cars are outside on the side yard. We have a long, paved drive, but if they park there, we can't get out of the garage. We're on 2 acres, so dedicating part of the yard next to the drive for a parking area can easily be done.

However....what type of parking area? Do I just pay the $$$ and have an area paved? We do need to fix cracks in our driveway, so we theoretically can bring someone in to do both. Or do we put a gravel area in, lined by railroad ties? We're in NJ, so the area would need to be shoveled when it snows. For the past year, the cars have been lined up on the grass, and one area is already dead. It really doesn't bother me because the car covers it when it's parked there.

Any suggestions or insights? Is there something I didn't consider? Money is a concern because we will have 2 kids in college next year (one local and one in MN).

TIA!!!

If it needs to be snow-plowed or shoveled, then get it paved over. We extended our driveway when the kids started driving and it was the best thing we ever did. Like you are planning, we did it when we also had repairs done to the existing driveway. The cost was not as much as I had expected and not needing to jockey cars around was worth every penny.

 

[Judique]

Our children are slowly getting their drivers licenses . Two of them have their license, a third has her permit, and the fourth one isn't far behind. We are lucky to have two cars that the kids can use in addition to the cars DH and I drive. Our cars are garaged, but the kids' cars are outside on the side yard. We have a long, paved drive, but if they park there, we can't get out of the garage. We're on 2 acres, so dedicating part of the yard next to the drive for a parking area can easily be done.

However....what type of parking area? Do I just pay the $$$ and have an area paved? We do need to fix cracks in our driveway, so we theoretically can bring someone in to do both. Or do we put a gravel area in, lined by railroad ties? We're in NJ, so the area would need to be shoveled when it snows. For the past year, the cars have been lined up on the grass, and one area is already dead. It really doesn't bother me because the car covers it when it's parked there.

Any suggestions or insights? Is there something I didn't consider? Money is a concern because we will have 2 kids in college next year (one local and one in MN).

TIA!!!

Our driveway has been too crowded for some time so we just doubled it and it's really made a difference. It was expensive as we have concrete, but I think it looks great and adds value.

 

[MillauFr]

I wouldn't bother to get it paved. It is just something the next homeowner would have to remove. Plus the days of people owning their own cars is coming to an end in the next 10 years.

 

[tvguy]

We've had 5 cars and 4 drivers for the past 8 years. 2 cars in the garage, 3 on the street. Down to 4 cars now and 3 drivers at home but I am looking at getting a "toy" car so may be back to 5 soon. I guess it depends on what your definition of expensive is. I had my entire 20 X 30 concrete driveway replaced last year, jackhammered out the old concrete,hauling it away, pouring the new, came to less than $2,000.
I am looking at extending the driveway over the narrow grass stripe on that side, about 10 by 30, should cost about $1,000.

 

[pklein09]

Thank you for the replies. We have a blacktop driveway, so I would stick with that material. Parking on the street really isn't an option....the driveway is close to 150' long....hence the 2 acres. I'll need to figure out how large an area to pave and get quotes....and I have no idea what to expect.

 

[Judique]

We've had 5 cars and 4 drivers for the past 8 years. 2 cars in the garage, 3 on the street. Down to 4 cars now and 3 drivers at home but I am looking at getting a "toy" car so may be back to 5 soon. I guess it depends on what your definition of expensive is. I had my entire 20 X 30 concrete driveway replaced last year, jackhammered out the old concrete,hauling it away, pouring the new, came to less than $2,000.
I am looking at extending the driveway over the narrow grass stripe on that side, about 10 by 30, should cost about $1,000.

Yes, and maybe where in this country you are located. What I consider expensive is something I can live with that I want to replace just for convenience or esthetics. IE - new and wider driveway.

 

[MillauFr]

Thank you for the replies. We have a blacktop driveway, so I would stick with that material. Parking on the street really isn't an option....the driveway is close to 150' long....hence the 2 acres. I'll need to figure out how large an area to pave and get quotes....and I have no idea what to expect.

When you get quotes make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Same area, same depth, same materials, base preparation. Some Contractors might give you a low price and then cut corners.

 

[Pembo]

We added on to our driveway. It has been heaven with the extra space. I had a great concrete guy that I trusted. I love the additional space. I wish that we would have done it even before we added the extra car to the family.

 

[barkley]

I'll just say that gravel is an inexpensive and non permanent way to deal with this. we have a concrete driveway pad but adjacent gravel areas that people frequently park on-there's no issue with shoveling it or snowplowing it (our shovels, snow blower and plow work just fine on it-you just get into the habit during winter of backing into the area during the winter so you're driving out vs. backing up against the snow).

the nice thing about the gravel is when your kids move out and start taking the extra vehicles with them you can easily do whatever you want w/that area vs. being stuck w/paved or concrete. only real upkeep is to put a good ground sterilizer down before you put in the gravel (helps prevent weed growth), then during spring and summer spray a little round up on any weeds that come up.

if you decide to go with pavement or concrete-make sure to check the grading of your home/property. if the area isn't properly graded for run off you could end up with pooled up water from rain and snow that can cause damage to your home-crack the new and existing adjacent paving.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I wouldn't bother to get it paved. It is just something the next homeowner would have to remove. Plus the days of people owning their own cars is coming to an end in the next 10 years.

Really? We'll still need someplace to park our spaceships.

 

[pklein09]

Thank you for all the suggestions regarding how to compare apples to apples and the grading. It will need to be graded properly so the area is level, but the area in question is really in the yard and not near the house. If you pull up my drive, I have a side entry garage to the left. The parking area would be to the right of the drive just before an existing flower bed starts. That piece of side yard is at least 1/3 an acre, and it's at least 150' to the neighbor's house. We all sit on at least 2 acres, with the houses situated pretty much in the center of the lot. Even paving this little patch, I will still have plenty of room for any future spaceships

 

[ceecee]

You could put a parking pad with a 2-3 car area for less than added onto the entire drive-way. We did that, which was good for DD learning to drive, she didn't have to back out of the drive-way.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

How about just a small concrete parking pad that is off to the side of the driveway but also connected to it? It's hard to describe but we have one - it's a 5 foot spot wide enough and deep enough for a small car. The previous home owners had it done.

That is where we park the 3rd car (it's a Honda Accord) that my son uses and its out of the way but convenient when he needs it. All 3 vehicles are parked in our driveway and we were so glad to have that area when we decided to get a new car for my husband but keep the old one for the teens.

 

[pklein09]

My thought was a parking pad near the top that would accommodate 3 cars parked perpendicular to the driveway. That would fit our two cars plus anyone visiting.

 

[MillauFr]

Really? We'll still need someplace to park our spaceships.

With self driving vehicles right around the corner it will eliminate the need for many people to own cars. It will be easier and cheaper to have a taxi pick you up.

 

[Judique]

With self driving vehicles right around the corner it will eliminate the need for many people to own cars. It will be easier and cheaper to have a taxi pick you up.

Can you explain this? Why would self driving cars eliminate the need for a car?

 

[MillauFr]

Can you explain this? Why would self driving cars eliminate the need for a car?

A lot will depend on where you live. In rural areas you will probably always have to own your car. In large urban area owning and operating a car is very expensive. We are paying 30 to 40 cents per mile to operate our cars (mostly because they sit unused 98+% of the time) Once you have self driving taxis you can eliminate the labor costs. If you had cheap taxis that charged 10 to 20 cents per mile many would chose to use them instead.

 

[kymom99]

My thought was a parking pad near the top that would accommodate 3 cars parked perpendicular to the driveway. That would fit our two cars plus anyone visiting.

This was my thought. It could double as a turn around for people like me who don't like to back up long distances. I also wanted to add, it isn't good to park your cars on grass regularly. It can cause rust. So the parking pad is a good idea for many reasons.

 

[smokeyblue]

Google recycled asphalt. If you're looking for a budget solution, it might be an option. I've heard of a lot of people being happy with it.