Art Turner offers a unique solution: There is an alternative to asphalt that is worth considering for that situation: the end result is probably strong enough for residential use. You know those littl six-packs of plastic starter pots that they sell tomato seedlings in? Keep those in mind. When pouring a concrete sidewalk, the usual thing to do is reinforce it with welded wire mesh on a 6" x 6" grid. You've seen the stuff a million times, you know what I'm talking about. Someone came up with the idea of making something that's a lot like those plastic six-packs for starting plants, but you lay them down (upside down) on your crushed gravel concrete base. They're made so the 6x6 reinforcing wire fits right over. You place the reinforcing, pour the concrete, strike it even, and let it cure. Then, you just go over it with a blowtorch, and burn the tops of this cheap plastic formwork away, resulting in a grid of reinforced concrete. Fill the voids with soil. Sow grass seed, or just let the weeds grow up. This is similar to, but an order of magnitude cheaper than the precast grass pavers. Not as crisp, either, but you can't have everything.

Wow, some people really know their infrastructure--have to admit I just take it for granted.

how about buying a home with a driveway already?