Question
Hi  Marc, thanks for offering your expertise!  I have a concrete driveway that we would like to widen by removing some grass to allow for easier parking and to give my kids more space to walk and get their bikes out.  One side is about 2 ft, the other side from 2-4 ft.  I have crushed granite in other areas of my yard so that is my first choice, but are there other materials I should consider?  Also, would flagstone pavers be a better choice - I worry that the lawn guy's leaf blower with blow up the gravel and scratch a car.  Also I'd love to know your recommendations for install methods - depth, base materials, packing down, etc.   I'm in Houston, zone 9, no snow, long stretches of drought, heavy rains, pretty good drainage in these areas.  thanks!!!

Answer
Crushed granite is a fine and inexpensive choice, but if you what something that looks a bit more refined, interlocking concrete pavers come in a multitude of styles and colors to accentuate the home and give more of a 揻it & finish?look.  Colors can be picked that match the house trim or prominent features, such as a grouping of trees or your exterior brick color.  There are other materials you could use (concrete/stamped concrete, brick, flagstone), but the pavers have the advantage  ?Strength, flexibility, ease of maintenance, installation, repair ability, available colors & patterns, and finally cost per square foot.

It was difficult finding images on Google, because most folks just replace the whole driveway!

Some paving manufacturers are: Belgard (belgard.biz), Bradstone, Pavestone, Stepstone.  Belgard has several dealers in the Houston Area.

These Houston folks used rocks and ledge stone for a low retaining wall/drainage area, but not the most ideal for small feet to traverse:  

http://www.southernpost.net/2009/12/houston-garden-tour-valeries-formal-kitchen-

Houston gets notorious inundating rain events.  The pavers will hold up better with these occasional deluges better than the crushed granite would.  The leaf-blower guy is probably already blowing the crushed granite around, anyway, so if you haven抰 noticed any fresh abrasions on your car抯 finish, I wouldn抰 worry about it.  

As to installation, you are essentially making a walkway parallel to the driveway, with one edge up against the existing concrete.  You抣l want to start with 3?to 4?of compacted base material.  Crushed granite would work fine; other materials (some regional) are crusher fines, road base, or compacted gravel.  Then the 4?thick pavers go on top of that.  Therefore, you抣l have to skin off the first 6?to 8?of shoulder to make room for all of this new material.  

Here is a site to help with installation details:
http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-install-a-brick-walkway/index.html

More vids if you do a quick search on YouTube.  And if you do use a paver, be sure to use an edge restraint system, as car traffic will unravel even the best-laid pavers without it.

http://www.pavetech.com/paveedge/brickhold-features.htm

If you plan on somebody else doing the work, make sure they have Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) certification.

Finally, many municipalities in your area require a paving permit over a certain square footage, or in certain areas, and to verify that you aren't building on your neighbor抯 property.  Check with Harrison County, Conroe, Spring, Sugar Land, or City of Houston, depending on your locale.   Houston抯 cost is $7 per $10,000 of improvement valuation, with a minimum fee of $30.   From what you described, you are looking at 2?wide x about 50 feet long x 2 sides, or about 200 sf.  At $9-$15/sf, or about $1,800-$3,000, My best guess from 1,000 miles away...

Harrison County/City of Houston application - http://hcpid.org/permits/docs/residential_application.pdf, or call 311 for assistance.  

If your new paving is in the Special Flood Hazard Area, you may be required to provide drawings signed and sealed by an Engineer or Architect licensed to practice in Texas.  If you live in a planned community (The Woodlands, etc.) with a homeowner's association there may be further restrictions on what you may be able do without first getting appropriate approval.

It is a lot of information, but I hope some of it helped. ~Marc