No More Boring Brick: The Eco-Friendly Alternative That Gives Your Driveway A Historic Touch

Whether you live in a new construction build or a decades-old home, creating an established, historic design can make your space appear statelier and more polished. Focusing on your home's exterior can be a good place to start, as it sets a strong first impression for guests. But if you're an environmentally-conscious homeowner, you may be curious about how to pair a historic design with eco-friendly materials. Look no further than reclaimed brick pavers, which can instantly give your driveway an "old money" upgrade while benefiting the environment.

Reclaimed brick pavers have been salvaged or recovered from demolished buildings and repurposed for new use. Manufacturing new bricks is generally considered more sustainable than concrete, but the process still consumes significant energy and can result in high greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, opting for reclaimed brick pavers for your driveway gives new life to bricks that have already been produced, lowering your overall carbon footprint and preventing them from ending up in a landfill.

In addition to their eco-friendly nature, reclaimed brick pavers can bring authenticity and character to your driveway. Of course, you could opt for "reclamation" or "old-style" bricks, which are newly manufactured bricks designed to look like reclaimed bricks. But if you're hoping to match a historic look with sustainable materials, reclaimed brick pavers could give you the best of both worlds.

You may be wondering how much it would cost to upgrade your driveway using reclaimed brick pavers. You might be able to find reclaimed bricks for free from a demolition site, but this won't always be possible. And even if you do find free reclaimed bricks, they might need preparation before they're ready to be used in a driveway renovation, which can add to the total cost. You should also consider that reclaimed bricks are less readily available than newly made bricks, so scarcity could increase their price.

Some companies, however, may charge less for reclaimed brick because it's cheaper to use existing pavers rather than make new ones. Whether you'll get a driveway material that's both eco-friendly and affordable will depend on the company's supply and whether it specializes in sustainable, reclaimed materials. Generally, a custom brick paver driveway will cost more than a regular concrete driveway, but you can find reclaimed bricks at competitive prices or even cheaper than new brick pavers.