Pouring concrete where you want it to go is all required to lay a driveway. Yes, however, if you want it to look well, last a long time, or maybe use something that will look a little nicer than concrete, a few blueprints could be in order.
Before creating a driveway, there are a few important factors you must first take into account. Driveways are more than just functional; they are a must for many front yards. You’ll want to make sure the job is a success, whether you’re repairing an outdated driveway design or creating a brand-new one from scratch.
You’ll want to install them correctly first because they aren’t always the easiest or most affordable things to implement.
Table of Contents
Steps To Draw A Driveway
Draw Patterns
If your driveway is short and your site is level, you might get away without making blueprints. If you plan to use blocks or bricks, it would be a good idea to sketch out a portion of the pattern first.
Unless, of course, the bricks themselves are really expensive, incredibly intricate, or come in many sizes. You need to scale the entire pattern to ensure that you have the correct blocks at the conclusion.
And even that only requires a pencil and paper; no formal training in the fine arts is required. When the drive is a little bit longer, contains curves, a turning space, and is full of various grades, that’s when you need to prepare a thorough strategy.
Planning this out effectively will, among other things, enable you to order the appropriate quantity of supplies and prevent running out.
Create A Scale Drawing Of A Driveway
Although it may sound complicated, a scale drawing involves scaling down the measurements to fit them on paper. If you’re not used to this, choose a simple scale like one-inch equals one foot on the ground or one cm on paper equals one meter in real life.
The inch-to-the-foot scale, the second option, will offer you a scale that is more likely to be usable on paper, even if it still employs outdated imperial measurements.
Draw Driveway Shape-Wise
There are, of course, many practical considerations to be made in this situation. You’ll need to ensure it’s broad enough to accommodate your automobiles. It might even be a good idea to leave enough space for cars to turn around if your front yard is particularly big.
Consider whether a straight or curved drive would be preferable in terms of shape. It can be a good idea to plan the most direct path from the road to any garages you already have. Consult your neighborhood planning agency to ensure your driveway design complies with all applicable laws.
Consider Driveway Gradient
The gradient should also be taken into account. The driveway must have a slight gradient to drain surface water inside the perimeter of your property, as this is what you want it to do. Remember that the gradient will also impact traction in icy or cold weather.
In some weather situations, you might not be able to use the drive if your surface material is too smooth and too steep.
Draw Angles And Driveway Corners
As soon as your scale is adjusted, measure the driveway location and write it down on your notepad. To be able to go back and remeasure if you make a mistake, it is worthwhile to mark the spots you are measuring using pegs.
You’ll need to calculate the angles at the corners so that you can appropriately depict them on the paper if you presume your drive is rectangular, but it turns out it isn’t.
Adjust The Angles For Right Measurements Of Diagonals
If all of that sounds like too much labor, you can verify it by taking measurements of the site’s diagonals and edges. Once you’ve made scale adjustments, the plan’s diagonals and real life should match.
If they are not, you must locate and identify the non-right angle in question. One method to achieve this is to adjust the edges until the diagonal reaches the proper measurement, but take care.
If you still prefer to map out your drive using paper and a pencil, remember that it is best to determine the gradients before you begin digging.
Use A Graph Paper For Better Driveway Drawing
All of this may seem a little intimidating, but go carefully, use graph paper if it helps you keep things organized, and don’t stress if you have to redo the blueprints several times. It will be much less expensive to study on a few sheets of graph paper for an hour or two than to lay a driveway that needs to be redone.
But you’ll find that using graph paper simplifies the procedure if you need to redo it or want to make adjustments later.
Conclusion
You might wonder if you can construct your driveway now that you know how to plan one. Whether you need to lay drainage groundwork or your water capture program will employ the garden grasses and beds to absorb run-off rainfall will determine the difficulty and effort.
The former will require greater excavation, which could be challenging if done by hand. Particular tools and gear, like a compactor plate, are required. Because a contractor already has these items, factor their cost into your planning.
