As homeowners make green choices with increasing frequency—incorporating native plants into the landscape, opting for solar power, and switching to low-flow appliances—many are turning their sights toward the pavement surrounding their homes.
For the areas that see vehicle traffic, homeowners have some important factors to consider:
- Is the material durable enough to bear the weight and movement of a vehicle?
- Is the finished product going to be attractive and complement the home and surrounding landscape?
- Will it be susceptible to annoyances common with traditional paving options, such as surface puddling or weeds poking through?
Finding a solution that fits all these criteria can be challenging. Fortunately, one doesn’t need to look further than GraniteCrete paving material.
Durability
GraniteCrete is an average of 3.5 – 4.5 times stronger in compression than what is required to withstand the surface pressure exerted by a heavy vehicle, such as a fire truck. Outside of laboratory testing, GraniteCrete’s durability has been put to the test at UC Santa Cruz: A crane with ballast weighing 95,000 pounds traveled down a GraniteCrete pathway to its staging area. Two wheels were on the surrounding dirt and two wheels were on the GraniteCrete, for a total of 47,500 moving pounds on the GraniteCrete at one time. Despite this heavy load, the GraniteCrete bore the weight without failing!
Aesthetics
GraniteCrete is available in five standard earth-tone colors, as well as custom colors, allowing it to blend in with nearly any surrounding landscape. This also allows it to easily complement other landscaping elements, such as stone and wood – as shown by the excellent work of Dave Washer.
Common Annoyances
Since GraniteCrete is porous, water won’t stay on the surface – meaning homeowners can say “goodbye” to having to choose between dodging puddles or getting their shoes wet after rainfall. Despite its permeability, GraniteCrete deters weed growth as a naturally weed- (and gopher!) resistant product. Although it’s common to see greenery poking through pavement, that won’t happen with GraniteCrete.
Other Benefits
While a GraniteCrete driveway is a winning solution for the homeowner, it also benefits the surrounding community. Due to its high Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) value, it helps combat the Urban Heat Island Effect; this can lead to reduced energy costs, air pollution levels, and heat-related illnesses – now that’s cool!