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Home >> Tips From The Backyard >> The Benefits of Grass and Gravel Porous Driveways & Occasional Parking for Homeowners

Today, homeowners have several options when choosing a design and paving surface for driveways, but concrete is still the most commonly used. The problem is that concrete is expensive and creates impervious surfaces, resulting in stormwater runoff. While the volume of runoff created from a single driveway may seem small, when you consider the cumulative effect of thousands of hardscaped driveways in a typical city, the volume is no longer inconsequential. When stormwater can’t filter into the ground, it can lead to soil erosion, water pollution, and flooding.

Permeable pavers offer homeowners a unique opportunity to contribute toward reducing these harmful effects. Many new and innovative permeable paver products have a durable, load-bearing surface that allows percolation or infiltration of stormwater, minimizing surface runoff. They offer an environmentally friendly alternative to concrete and other hard-surface residential driveways and parking areas.

Custom seals and designs on concrete driveways can substantially raise the cost per square foot. When you choose a gravel porous paver system, you can match the infill material to your landscape design for a more natural look. The grass porous paver system promotes vegetation, allowing you to plant the native grass of your choice to integrate seamlessly into your landscape plans. Depending on your load and traffic requirements, you can choose between a grass or gravel porous paver system. Gravel pavers are designed for everyday traffic, making them ideal for driveways, while grass pavers support occasional vehicular traffic and protect against lawn damage.

Choosing a porous paver system can help you:

Save money on materials and installation.

Asphalt and concrete driveways can be expensive because of high material and contractor costs. These hard-surface driveways require heavy machinery and skilled laborers to install. Porous paver systems cost less per square foot than traditional hard-surface driveways and are virtually maintenance-free, making them an economical alternative to asphalt or concrete. They are also lightweight and easy to install without a crew or heavy equipment, lowering your overall project cost. See our Gravel Pavers and Grass Pavers installation guides for more information.  

Improve sustainability and help the environment.

The Yardfully Grass Pavers and Gravel Pavers offer several environmental benefits not possible with concrete or asphalt. They are made from recycled materials, minimize stormwater runoff, and reduce the heat island effect. As areas become more developed, new impervious surfaces are introduced, leading to stormwater runoff. This runoff can contain nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants from fertilizers and pet waste, oils and grease, and yard debris. When heavy rainfall occurs, some untreated sewage is discharged directly into nearby streams, rivers, or other water bodies. With porous pavers, water runoff is captured at the source and absorbed into the ground before it picks up these harmful pollutants.

Achieve a more natural aesthetic.

Custom seals and designs on concrete driveways can substantially raise the cost per square foot. When you choose a gravel porous paver system, you can match the infill to your landscape design for a more natural look. The grass porous paver system promotes vegetation, allowing you to plant the native grass of your choice to integrate seamlessly into your landscape plans.

Eliminate expensive maintenance and repair costs.

Porous paver systems require little to no maintenance, and, unlike concrete or asphalt, there are no occurrences of cracking or rutting from climate changes or frequent use. You also won’t have to worry about oil stains or other unsightly spots on gravel or grass pavers. When it comes to lawn care and snow removal, porous pavers require no more effort to maintain than traditional paved surfaces.

Gravel Paver Maintenance

When snow removal is required, keep a metal-edged plow blade from coming in contact with the Gravel Paver’s surface to avoid causing damage to the system. Similarly, many snowblowers have adjustable skid shoes attached to the exterior of the auger housing, allowing you to raise the clearing height of the scraper bar and auger. (Important: When making adjustments to your snowblower, always follow the manufacturer’s safety guidelines and instructions.)

Grass Paver Maintenance

Standard lawn-care procedures should be followed, including dethatching and aerating. Some equipment may scar or cut the cell walls, but this will not affect the overall performance of the system.

Choosing the Right Porous Paver System for Your Home

When choosing between grass- or gravel-filled porous pavers, you will need to think about their intended use. The Yardfully Gravel Pavers can support everyday vehicle traffic, making them ideal for residential driveways or areas where you anticipate frequent use by vehicles. The Gravel Paver system’s structural framework holds gravel in place through a unique herringbone cell pattern and monolithic mesh bottom. This design offers homeowners a desirable aesthetic not available with concrete or unconfined gravel driveways.

If you are looking for a system to prevent lawn damage from occasional vehicular traffic, the Yardfully Grass Pavers are the right choice. You can easily cut the interlocking 20-inch by 40-inch sections to cover any area, allowing you to create additional parking spaces for your home or office. The Grass Pavers allow you to plant grass instead of installing concrete, eliminating surface runoff associated with impervious paved areas.

Whether you’re building a new home or looking for a more sustainable alternative to replace aging paved surfaces, you can seamlessly integrate a porous paver system into your plans. If you’re a homeowner planning a larger scale project, please reach out to us through our contact forms on the individual product pages.