You never realize how important a driveway is until you don’t have one. Asphalt driveway, concrete; it doesn’t matter. Having a driveway can add a certain element to your home that wasn’t there before. Here are just a few things that having concrete or asphalt driveways can provide to your life.

Safety
Something about being in your own driveway makes it a lot safer. If you have a gated front yard, you can even lock your gate so that you can bring in your children or groceries or whatever you have, one by one without having to worry that someone is going to sneak in behind you and steal your vehicle or your belongings. Of course, you don’t want to just leave you car unlocked in your driveway but it’s easier for a thief to be noticed standing in someone’s driveway than if their car was parked on the street.

Protection
Protection is different from safety. This isn’t talking about criminals. It’s talking about negligence. Sometimes you hear on the news about cars that were minding their own business, parked on the tarmac outside a home and another car takes a corner to fast and bam, both cars are totaled. However, you don’t often hear about cars sitting on their asphalt and getting smashed into by another driver who was not paying attention. Smaller problems like scratches, dents and more are also better avoided with a driveway.

Organization
They say the key to organization is to give everything a place. Everyone safety pin, every pencil, every toothpick needs a place where it belongs. Same goes for you car. If you are having to park your car on the street or in a parking lot, that’s not really where it truly belongs. A car can be at home in a driveway and everything can remain as neat and organized outside as it is inside.

Space
Your driveway doesn’t even have to just be for your car. If you want to have a garage sale, you could open your garage and have it extend out into the driveway. Or keep the garage closed if you don’t want people venturing to close to the house and hold the yard sale right there on the driveway. Either way, it gives you space to work with. It doesn’t have to a yard sale, it could be kids using sidewalk chalk or a husband working on a project. If it can’t happen in the house, the asphalt gives you more space.

Completion
A house isn’t a home without a driveway. Parking on the street or under your covered parking spot and then walking half a mile to your house can be very mundane. Having a driveway makes the whole experience complete.

Convenience
The main reason people want to have driveways is for the convenience. All of the reasons above boil down to the fact that it is convenient. It’s convenient to have more space, it’s a convenient place to keep your car safe and protected, it’s convenient to be able to stay organized and so on and so forth.

However, there are some bad things about having a driveway. It’s not all well and good sometimes. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t feel so bad if you don’t have a driveway connected to your home.

The Downside

• Driveways sink. It’s unfortunate but it’s true. Often times, the materials that are used on driveways can get overheated or damaged being out in the sun and then you have to repair them.
• You’re responsible for any damage to them. The driveway is part of your home so if your car leaks oil or something, then you are the one that has to get rid of that.




• Driveways often need maintenance. They usually are on a slope so if that slope starts to slide or shift, you’ll have to fix that. Cracks have to be filled, spills covered, etc.

As with everything, there are good and bad things about having a driveway. So, if you have one, that’s fantastic. But, if you don’t, it really is not that big of a deal because that way, you will not have to take care of the extra things that come with owning a driveway.