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marykate_johnstonnorrie

driveway ideas for new house

Hi there. Wanting to ask for ideas for driveway design. Two garages on the right are closer together. Need driveway ideas to access all three garage doors. Thank you for the help!!

Comments (15)

  • PRO
    28 days ago

    Not much can be done maybe on thin strip between deiveways planted with some trees maybe palms I do not know where you are .You have a strip of yard on either side of the home and that one between driveways . Make the driveway at least attractive with maybe nice brick look or stamped concrete just not bare concrete please.

  • 28 days ago

    Where are you located? I agree with Patricia that just bare concrete is going to look like a parking lot. You could do concrete strips with grass between to minimize the amount of concrete. Or I always think 24x24 pavers with turf in between is very high end looking.

  • PRO
    28 days ago

    Make the entire front one driveway


    The area that is not garage, is that going to be the front entry?

  • 28 days ago
    last modified: 28 days ago

    I would try to break up the massive hardscape as much as possible.

    A garden landscape architect would help with local planting suggestions and even a phase plan that would fit your budget.






  • 28 days ago

    There will be stairs to the far left

  • 28 days ago

    Grass blocks are very helpful. You can place them between strips for the wheels. How will you exit the garage? Do you have good back-up cameras? I back up from my garage to the road, where I once would have turned around.

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  • 28 days ago
    last modified: 28 days ago

    I take it both right doors lead to one open area inside. Not sure about how the remaining space is configured. I'd do a drive only to the right door based on what I know. How do you intend to use the space? This could be a place to use the grow through pavers which create a grassed drive over surface. For the driveway portion on the right white portland cement with white aggregate like porcelain or marble chips then diamond polished to show the aggregate.

  • 27 days ago

    I think this a question for a landscape architect. Too many unknown factors to consider.

    Mary Kate Johnston Norrie thanked K Laurence
  • 26 days ago
    last modified: 25 days ago

    @Lorraine Leroux first picture is awesome. It does not fight the architecture. It even got the chopped corners at the front of the lawn right. And the plantings.

    Adding the street gutter is upscale.

  • 25 days ago

    Thank you Lorraine!!

  • 25 days ago

    The second picture works because it looks like you've got a circular driveway.

  • 25 days ago




    Also suggest breaking up the white…painted garage doors will draw the eye to the houuse vs the driveway’s expanse. Add large planters and impactful lighting.



    Mary Kate Johnston Norrie thanked Maureen
  • PRO
    24 days ago

    I hate a sea of concrete driveway. That field needs to be visually broken up some how. Either pavers, patterned concrete or pavers with grass in the seams.





    Mary Kate Johnston Norrie thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
  • PRO
    23 days ago

    The geometry matters more than the design style here.


    When two garages sit closer together on one side, you end up with an uneven face width. The apron has to span the full front of both structures, wide enough to approach any of the three doors without a multi-point turn. For three single-wide doors, 24 feet across is the floor. If the doors are spread farther than a car-width apart, 28 to 32 feet gives comfortable access.


    A fan-shaped apron that flares toward the street handles the turning radius without needing a lot of depth. If the lot has the room, a split approach where the lane divides toward each garage cluster keeps things simple. A flat rectangular pad across the full front is easiest to build but uses the most space.


    For paving: asphalt costs the least upfront and is the hardest to upgrade later. Concrete holds up better but cracks and stains in freeze-thaw climates. Interlock has the easiest repair story: individual units pull and replace without patching the whole surface. Add a contrasting border course at the perimeter and it works with most house styles.


    That wide apron moves a lot of water. The grade should crown toward the edges rather than the house, and the runoff needs somewhere to go: a swale, catch basin, or permeable strip at the base of the garage face. A contractor worth hiring will have this in the site plan before quoting.

    Mary Kate Johnston Norrie thanked LF Builders