1. Walkways and Edging

Define your garden beds with edging pavers to create a unique border around existing plants and shrubs. Edging protects plants from weeds and excess grass and, when paired with a paver-walkway, it reduces muddy foot-traffic.

2. Driveways

Add a colorful paver border to an existing asphalt driveway or replace the asphalt entirely for a completely updated look. There are endless color combinations and textures to match the architecture of your home, and new manufacturing options help the pavers keep their shape and color for years to come.

3. Retaining Walls & Steps

Retaining walls are great for sloped areas where the land may not be suitable for a garden or other landscaping. Staircases can also be constructed out of pavers, most often capped with ledgestone for a sleek finish.

4. Fire Pits & Grills

There’s nothing more inviting than a cozy fire! Textured pavers can be used to build a sunken fire pit or outdoor fireplace. Match the pavers with the color of your siding and add accent stone for a completely custom design. Most pavers are often heat-resistant and ideal for backsplashes or accent walls in outdoor kitchens, grills and bar settings.

5. Outdoor Seating

Pavers make beautiful seating areas. Construct single benches or use ledgestone to cap existing retaining walls, saving money (and space) on outdoor furniture.

6. Water Features & Poolscapes

Whether you live in the suburbs or on acres of land, water features add a unique focal point to your landscape. Smooth, permeable pavers are a common selection around built-in pools, as they dry quickly and are less prone to seasonal damage. Elegant waterfalls can be added in and around existing pools, or use pavers to build stand-alone waterfalls near natural ponds or man-made bodies of water.

The first thing you should look at is how high above-grade your door wall is. If you are above 3ft, or if the home is newly constructed with a basement (even if you are below 3ft to grade), I would strongly recommend a deck landing to get you down to grade level. This is because the soil that has been backfilled around your foundation has not had time to settle. Decks have footings that allow for little to no settlement. My advice is, save yourself the trouble and install a deck landing to get you to ground level and then build a patio there.

Decks have evolved with composite materials making maintenance easier. The cost and energy expressed by staining or painting is no longer necessary with a composite deck. There is even the option to make the floor of the deck screwless to really give you a clean look. Composite deck companies tend to include warranties on their products and I have even seen some that offer 25-year limited warranties. Composite decks are more expensive than your typical wood deck, but they quickly pay for themselves over the years. With a composite deck, a quick wash with the hose a few times a year will be all the maintenance you need. My clients also love the decking colors that are available to complement their home. It is important to remember that when installing a deck of any type, it is vital to have an HOA approval letter and obtain the appropriate permits.

If a patio is the option you are looking for, make sure to hire an ICPI (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute) Certified Installer to build your patio. Remember, in order to build a patio without a deck landing, the drop from your door wall should be less than 3ft. Having a landing will eliminate settlement issues in the future, especially on a newly constructed home.

Pavers patios can be raised or ground level which gives you many options for you outdoor living space. Raised patios are more expensive than ground level patios. In price, a raised patio is closer to the price of a composite deck.  Nonetheless, paver patios still tend to have good warranties if installed by an ICPI contractor. There are many ways to customize your patio with a wide array of colors and brick options. 

Most commonly, I see many small decks and large patios on the new home builds. The reason for this is the cost difference. Paver patios generally are less expensive than composite decks per square foot. The biggest factor is the maintenance on a paver patio. It is important to power wash and install jointing sand every few years as well as fixing cracked or settling pavers. In general, the maintenance costs on pavers are at least double that of a composite deck. Both composite decks and patios create a great space to entertain for many years. 

Dry-cast pavers are produced using a dry-mix of concrete and aggregates and have a low water ratio. These are what we traditionally think of when we say “pavers”.  Dry-cast pavers are formed through the vibration and compaction of dry materials and are air-cured, making them quick and affordable to produce, but limited in color and texture options.

• ideal for driveways and high-traffic areas

• affordable

• high density, high strength (an approximate PSI of 8,000)

Wet-cast paver mix contains more water than dry-cast pavers, rendering the mix a similar consistency to concrete. An increase in curing time means wet-cast pavers are more labor intensive to produce, resulting in a higher price point. Wet-cast pavers come in a wider variety of shapes, sizes, colors and textures. 

• ideal for pools, patios and walkways

• moderately strong (an approximate psi of 6,500)

• practically non-porous

Pavers manufactured for Michigan are versatile, long lasting and designed to withstand freeze-thaw cycles. For examples of how concrete pavers add beauty and value to your landscape visit our project image gallery here. 
 

We've selected some of our favorites to showcase this season's best landscape projects!  

Garden wall, improperly used in place of retaining wall. 

This wall is improperly based as well.

Properly based pillar.

Improperly based pillar.

 Improperly constructed retaining wall.

 Proper use for retaining wall.