Your driveway is one of the first things people notice about your front yard so if you want to add more curb appeal, it makes sense to think beyond boring asphalt. Making your driveway an attractive part of your landscape can be achieved with our tips on how a new landscape design can better incorporate your Naperville, IL, driveway with the rest of your front yard.

Related: 6 Inspirational Landscape Design Ideas to Elevate Your Landscaping in Wheaton, IL

Upgrade to Pavers
At first glance - and beyond - upgrading to a paver driveway could be one of the best ways to make your driveway feel like a deliberate part of the design and not just a purely utilitarian space to park the car. The driveway will look less like a means of getting from here to there, and more aligned with its surroundings and the home.

While the upfront cost can be higher, look long-term. Asphalt and poured concrete are a solid surface that will crack and heave over time. Patches look terrible, and the lifespan of these driveways isn’t very long. By contrast, a paver surface can last many decades with little or no repairs (should a paver get damaged, the individual paver can be replaced).

You can extend the life of your paver driveway even more by installing a driveway heating system, which virtually eliminates shoveling or plowing (and creates a drier, safer surface that won’t ice up). 

Pavers can be made to resemble natural stone or clay brick so if these are part of your home’s facade, it’s a way to integrate the driveway with the home; or, if your landscape features prominent rock outcrops, your driveway can be made to match the colors and even the textures. The colors are natural, too, unlike black asphalt (and because they’re lighter in color and not a solid surface, they stay cooler on bare feet if your kids like to play in the driveway).

Finally, pavers are an opportunity to reduce runoff - which can be significant from any solid surface! The larger joints let water seep naturally into a special substrate, keeping your driveway drier and easing the load on the municipal storm drain system.

Landscaping 
Many driveways are bordered by grass. This creates a distinct line that makes the driveway stand out. But you can take this approach to the next level by creating a strip of lawn or low groundcovers between “tire tracks” made using pavers and bordering the driveway with tall ornamental grasses. This is an incredibly elegant and formal like that will add an estate-like flair, especially to a longer driveway that is lined with trees or a low wall; and again, if you install a driveway heating system you won’t need to worry about landscape damage from snow plows.

Bordering a driveway with a living wall such as cypress also gives your front yard an exclusive feel reminiscent of luxury estates. Layering monochromatic evergreen trees and shrubs with deciduous shrubs, leafy plants and groundcovers results in a lush and inviting look that adds a touch of serenity to the landscape in summer… and glorious pops of fall color.  

Vary the height of plantings along the driveway in a repeating pattern (tall deciduous tree, shrub, tall tree, shrub, and so on). It’s a formal look that can be softened by the shrubs’ natural shapes if left unpruned.

Blur the line with ground covers that spill over slightly onto the driveway, making way for a more layered landscape border before transitioning to a lawn.

Related: 5 Spring Landscaping Tips for Your Naperville IL Front Yard

Creating Uniquely Beautiful, Functional Outdoor Living Spaces for Naperville, IL Area Homes.​

We love landscape design because it lets us channel our over 25 years of experience, vast knowledge, and unrelenting passion to create something truly new and unique for our customers. 

We start our landscape design process by really getting to know you, your family, and how you’re planning to use your new outdoor space. This lets us create a landscape design that is truly functional and personal for you and your family. 

Then we’ll evaluate your home, from its style and structure to the property size and surrounding area, to determine what kind of landscape and backyard design would complement it all. 

And it’s not until both of those tasks are crossed of our list that we put our certified landscape designer to work. Based on the information we gather, our designer will mix styles, fixtures, and installations like the ones below to create a CAD-generated design of something unique and just for you.

• Beautiful Plantings
• Patios & Hardscapes
• Water Features
• Fire Pits
• Outdoor Kitchens
• Walkways
• Entertainment Areas

​But that final CAD-generated design isn’t the end of our work with you. We don’t just hand off the plan and part ways. No. We take the time to walk you through each and every decision, answer questions, and make any necessary adjustments – all to make sure you’re 100% happy and your design is ready to go into construction.

And, of course, we’d be more than happy to bring on our construction services teams to continue our partnership with you and help with the installation – we love seeing a project through from start to finish.

We typically work in the region of the Western Chicago Suburbs, including Downers Grove, Lisle, Wheaton, Hinsdale, Naperville, Western Springs, Saint Charles, Batavia, Geneva – but we’re always open to hearing about opportunities elsewhere.

"I would work with Carlos and his team again in a heartbeat. So often companies under-deliver but Carlos’ team went above and beyond and exceeded expectations. We considered 3 different companies in the West Chicago area but ultimately Carlos’ sense of design, responsiveness, and quality work within budget motivated us to go with Montano Landscaping. Our patio area was functional before but it was our dream house project to rip it up and create an oasis. We had a general idea what we wanted but Carlos was able to think of all the details we hadn’t considered. He was so patient creating views and proposals for different patio options. Thanks to Montano Landscaping for building the patio of our dreams!! We love it!"
- Heather Maxwell, Google

Call for a FREE design estimate today!   (630) 271-9709

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