Pavers are a great solution for hardscaping in Houston, for several reasons.
1) They are low maintenance: Easy to clean and unlike concrete; if there is ever any shifting or movement of any kind, you can just go in and repair that one area. With concrete, you would have to break out or demolish the entire application and re install it.
2) Good for the environment: Pavers are more porous than concrete, they do not deteriorate like wood and they do not leak dangerous toxins into the soils or atmosphere. With pavers, the borders are mortared with cement, which is what secures them, the rest is secured with sharp sand and placed on a good solid sub-base. This allows water to be absorbed for less run off than concrete.
3) Pavers are less expensive than you think: In my experience over the last several years, I have noticed how truly cost efficient pavers have been. The initial cost might be slightly more but in the long run, they have proven to be much less expensive. They do not require maintenance such as repainting or staining like decks. With the extreme temperature changes between summer and winter, the earth moves and shifts so much. Any concrete application will inevitably crack. With pavers, a sub-base we call “Flexbase” is installed which allows for movement and offers forgiveness.
4) Just plain Good looking: Pavers have come a long way since the old plain and boring Home Depot pavers. There are many other styles, sizes and color combination’s from many other companies out there. This creates competitive pricing and much more variety than ever before.
I think pavers are a darned good looking application, with the right patterns chosen, pavers are timeless and won’t become dated like other applications, such as the wrong patterned concrete installation. Have you noticed how some patterned concrete really reminds you of the 90′s ? Not a good thing. If you choose a classic pattern in pavers, that will not happen.
5) Much more interesting and fun to landscape with:
Pavers create fun opportunities for landscaping. As you see in these images, we did cut outs every few feet to add some greenery. Here we added Dwarf Mondo Grass in the spaces for texture. It softens the hardscape a bit and makes the driveway much more interesting. A few other excellent choices for pavers are: To create raised beds, as a border along ditches, to border a fire pit, to create stairs or steps, pavers make a awesome installation for pool decking, and don’t forget pathways just to name a few.
So if you are looking to make a change, do some up dating, or just want to add a interesting element to your home or business. I suggest adding pavers. You won’t be disappointed and it will add value to your property. Let me know if I can help.
