Here’s Our New Driveway! (Plus The Ramp To My Workshop)
Y’all, I can’t believe how much progress has been made in these last few weeks. We had my workshop built. We had our driveway poured. We had a ramp poured to connect the carport to the workshop. I finished my studio. And yesterday, my mom and I completely cleared out the carport. A lot has happened in a relatively short period of time!
I was actually shocked that we got the whole carport finished yesterday. I had my doubts that we could accomplish that, but we powered through and got it done. And it’s all looking so good!
I so wish that I had been able to power wash the carport and the little concrete pad on the side next to the side studio door before taking pictures, but there was no time for that yesterday, and I don’t want to delay any more in showing you our new driveway. I also came very close to calling the man who hauls away my junk for me to come and clean up my scrap/junk/demo pile on the back patio, but then I realized that if I had him come yesterday to do that, he’d be the first person to drive on my driveway. I couldn’t let someone else drive on my driveway before I get the chance! 😀 So I just threw a tarp over my junk pile. As soon as I drive on my driveway the first time and pull up into the carport, I’ll call him to pick up my junk pile. So for now, let’s just pretend it’s not there.
Let me remind you what the side of our house looked like just about two weeks ago…
And now it looks like this…
I just can’t get over what a HUGE difference this made to the curb appeal of our house!
And y’all, I’ve been waiting eleven years for this!!
You can still see where I used to park in front of the studio. 😀 But this curvy driveway turned out better than I had even expected. It’s just so nice!
And now, I feel so motivated to get some landscaping done. Until now, I’ve talked about landscaping, but without the driveway in place, it was so hard for me to really get excited about it because I knew that the driveway would be integral to the overall plan. But now it’s in place, and I’m ready to take the landscaping ideas from concept to reality.
I took all of these pictures this morning, and it’s a pretty dreary day, so things are looking a bit grayer than usual today.
And now that there’s a driveway meeting that little concrete pad under the side studio door, I’m anxious to build those steps! I never did it because the way I want to build them meant that the first step would be really tall (the height of the step plus the height of the concrete pad, which is about an additional five inches), and that would have created a difficulty for my short legs. But now that the step down from the concrete pad is gone, and it now meets the driveway, I’m excited to get those steps built. (And I need to do it very soon before that exposed OSB gets destroyed.)
As you can see, it’s all very gray right now. Gray concrete, gray paint. But I’ll make it cute, including some matching blue shutters for the windows of the workshop and some landscaping around it.
Here’s where you have to overlook my junk pile, which is even larger after we combined the junk/demo pile with the scrap lumber pile yesterday. But here’s a look at my brand new ramp connecting the carport to the workshop.
Oh, and look! Many of you in past posts have mentioned that I need a better place for my trash cans (which were always somewhere at the front of the house). They fit perfectly right here, and this is a very convenient place for them!
Okay, here are a few more pictures presented without commentary. Just tell me this is the most gorgeous concrete you’ve ever seen. 😀
The total cost of the whole driveway and ramp came to $23,700. That includes $3,600 for having all of the trees removed (although they also cleared out piles of limbs from other areas of the back and front yard), and then $20,100 for the concrete. The concrete and labor cost $16,750 for the driveway (which is 167 feet long, 16 feet wide in most places, but 24 feet wide by the carport), and $3,350 for the ramp. The whole project (driveway and ramp) required 50 yards of concrete, which I was told is half the amount used for the average home foundation.
I can’t wait to get my power washer out and clean up the floor of the carport and the side pad for the side door steps. I don’t know that I can get it so clean that it’ll match the new concrete, but it’ll definitely clean up enough to look pretty close. And also, I wish I could tear down that sunroom today. Now that things in the back yard are starting to happen, I just hate looking at the back of that sunroom. But it’ll all happen in time. I just have to be patient. For now, I’ll just look the other direction and admire my new beautiful driveway and ramp.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
That looks so awesome! Get some roller skates and you’ll love it…just kidding. We had a ton of concrete poured in the 13 years we’ve been in our house, and oh how we love it when it is finished. Enjoy the progress. Life is good.
Cheers to you and mum on the monumental cleanup yesterday.
Soooo great! Kudos to you and your dynamo Mom.
It completely changed the look of the premises. I just love the gentle curve.
What were those cats thinking? So much fun to see them too.
Those cats have a one track mind. They’re thinking they want me to stop taking pictures so they can have breakfast. 😀
Congratulations, looks wonderful.
We had new drive, etc installed this summer. Don’t know Texas concrete formula, nor days to fully, deeply cure there but here we waited 30 days out of extra care before having any trucks/loads on it. Obviously your carport is cured satisfactorily for power washing. Costs too much to have risked damage early on.
Just beautiful! I’m so happy for you!
I just knew you would come through! Thanks for a great start to my day 🙂
It looks so good!!!! So excited to see what you do with the landscaping!
Love the curve and the price is unbelievable! Congratulations on getting so much done. It’s like when we hear a singer’s number one hit song and call them an over-night sensation and they say they’ve been at it for 15 years. You’ve been working and waiting a long time for all of this!
At one time Matt was going out on day trips but your ramp to the back door looked like it was blocked by cardboard. Has he not been going out?
The ramp was never blocked by the cardboard. I made sure to have a path for him.
Absolutely gorgeous! And I loved the kitties demonstrating all the excellent features of the driveway for you — too cute.
Wow, that’s a lot of concrete, but sorely needed. And it’s so nice too! I love the curve, but would hate navigating it, as I’m not good at backing up! At least you can do a turn around and always face forward. Here in Missouri, we were told not to drive on our new driveway for the days, and no heavy loads (trucks) for 30 days. It was okay for us, since the house wasn’t finished for about eight more weeks. I have a comment though – seeing your AC unit now is sitting below the driveway, I would consider raising it up. That area it is in could allow water to pool if you ever had a heavy rain, and I know that’s a possibility in your area sometimes. Something to consider in the future. Also, do you plan to do the tear down of the sunroom yourself? I personally love to do demo more than building! You would see me out there, pulling off stuff randomly, as the spirit moved me to! LOL! Like picking off loose wallpaper, I can’t help myself!
(I meant TEN days!)
I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to do the demo myself. I’m considering it, though.
Since 2017, all cars have back up cameras! They’re a game changer!
They certainly are! My driveway is a single lane between my house and fence and with the backup camera I can just zip down it.
Wow! That looks fantastic! Congratulations!
The driveway alone without landscaping already ups the curb appeal of the house. It all looks so nice. Thanks for including the costs.
Kick ass driveway! Plants, flowers, shrubs!!!! Will be like the perfect “jewlery” for the house!!
How fun! Does make a big difference! The best chunk of money that you could pay someone is to do the front landscape! Landscaping is not as easy as it appears🫤 then you can truly drive up to your home with a big smile and concentrate on the shop and bedroom/closet
Kristi. I love, love, love it all. The curve in your driveway just makes it look so inviting. I can see all kinds of good ideas to show off how classy the driveway will make you love it even more. Your kitty and your stray kitty seem to be in awe of it all too.
Kudos to your Mom for helping you get your carport cleaned up. It looks so tidy, and fits in with all of the new concrete. The way your driveway keeps going on along the side of your workshop was a good idea. I like the way you had that done. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the cuteness you plan on bringing into all of this.
Before I even read the post, I was thinking… I know it’s just concrete, but that driveway is gorgeous! You’re right the curb appeal is amazing!
You are a miracle worker and I’ll wager your entire neighborhood looks at you with awe, as well they should. It is just perfect.
It looks so good! I like the way you have it curve. I really enjoy spotting your cats in the photos, too! 😊
It is so beautiful! The wait and the cost were worth it. A suggestion…maybe a stepping stone walkway from the driveway to the front door? I don’t know if that was in your plans, but I was thinking that when your Wednesday group comes in and gets out of their car, they will walk through your landscaping or grass. Anyway, just a thought. I wish you and Matt nothing but joy as you sit outside admiring the beauty of all you have done. Be Blessed.
The before and after pictures says it all. What an incredible difference! Even seeing the cleaned up/out carport looks wonderful! Pressure washed will be great. But, you must be so pleased. And now you can see a little more of where your landscaping will be coming in. What a difference it made just seeing the front of your house…looks all new!
Looks so beautiful and look how great your house looks now. All you need now is to hang the fallen shutter and get some rolled grass in there and it will look like a million bucks!
Woohoo!!!! It looks fabulous! It’s perfect! That curve is going to be gorgeous with landscaping around it, and the pocket of earth between the driveway and ramp will be a beautiful spot too. So many opportunities!
Here a thought I had if you feel like the garbage cans could use a little more hiding or distance from the door.
You could build a lattice-type “wall” from the corner of the house where the blue can is, along where the carport floor and driveway meet – just eight feet or so (about the same width as the total wheelchair ramp) so it wouldn’t interfere with your driving area. Then the garbage cans could be lined up against that – with their backs toward the driveway rather than the house. Your entry to the house would feel less crowded and your cans would still be so accessible.
If there’s room (I can’t tell) beside the a/c unit, you could plant a pretty vine so it could grow over the lattice (or other material) divider. It would add some softness and color to the long length of siding / concrete as well as be a functional spot for the garbage.
I love that idea!
What an amazing job! And you and your mom did an incredible task of cleaning out the carport. Do you guys hire out? I could use that kind of help here in Indiana!!
That looks amazing!! The price was amazing too. We had a pad poured a few years ago to extend the side of our driveway. It was 8 x17 and it was $2500. Prices in Oregon are terrible!
It’s beautiful!!! It does so much for the front curb appeal!!! Landscaping will take it over the top! Can’t wait !!!!
I am so excited for you….I know how much this means to you. And I love the kitties inspection of it all. They were looking for things to push off of it….did they help in the cleanup?
How beautiful! It really does tie it all so well! Congratulations!
OMG – that looks SO AMAZING!!! I see that blank canvas surrounding the driveway and I want to book a ticket to Texas and plant things! I have so many visions of plants (shrubs & trees) in my head!!
The whole things looks so great. You and your mom did a great job cleaning up so quickly. Is Matt racing his chair up and down the driveway?
And you have so much patience – 11 years!!! I would have lost my mind.
“Is Matt racing his wheelchair up and down the driveway?” ROFL
Love the curvy driveway and the clean carport. I am sure Matt loved it as much as you do
Gorgeous! Your photo bombers are “amewsing!”
Marvelous job! I love the curve and the price seems very reasonable to me compared to the tiny patio estimate I got for ~$10K around 20 years ago! I set pavers in sand with ground cover plants in between instead.
Most importantly, I will sleep better knowing your tools are safely secured in the workshop rather than out in the open.
Wow, such a transformation! Worth the wait!
Congratulations, it looks fabulous! And with winter coming and more wet weather, it will really be nice to get into the house without getting wet! The kitties love it too! Onward and Upward, Kristi!
I tell you! This is the most beautiful concrete i’ve ever seen! 😉
I’m curios. Your house doesn’t seem to have gutters along the roofline. Is that not a common thing there?
They are common here, and they’ve been on our “to do” list. I hope to get them done soon.
Congratulations! So many exciting changes all at once!
I love it all! Have you considered zero entry for the steps into your studio? We built a back deck with no step down from the house and it was a game changer for my short legs. When we replaced our front porch, zero entry. Now I’m lobbying to replace the steps from our garage into the kitchen.
We have a ramp to the back doors. I prefer steps to the side door. I’ve been envisioning steps matching the front porch steps for years now.
I don’t have the right terminology. The first “step” is on the same plane as the floor in your house, creating a small landing. You don’t have to immediately take a step down as you pass through the door.
Oh, yes! That is the plan.
What is zero entry? I need a picture.
Is the concrete in the carport sealed? I’m curious if you are considering that now that vehicles will be parked there. Somehow even the best cars have leaks at times.
The driveway looks awesome and the price you paid is way more than awesome.
It’s not sealed. I’m not sure if I’ll do that. I’ll have to read about the pros and cons.
The driveway looks awesome! You will continue to be thankful for it for a long time! I loved seeing the cats either inspecting the work or assisting you with taking pictures!
The driveway adds so much to your property. It looks so good. I love the curve instead of just straight back. Just so much personality. You have been on a roll to get projects finished. I know that makes you feel good. Now you can think about what is next!
Your house looks like a dream, inside and out.
Have a good week.
Lovely!!! How about a pretty cupola with a weather vane on the middle of your studio roof?
I love it! I had thought about putting one on my workshop, but it would look great on the studio.
YAY for you, Matt and Mom!
So happy for you!!! Beautiful!!!
I cannot believe how much this changed how the front of your home looks. This is amazing!
“This is the most gorgeous concrete I’ve ever seen.” Haha, obligation complete! 😄But seriously, WOW. Unbelievable progress in a flash! It’s all looking SO good! Hooray!!!
-The Second Messiest DIYer on Earth