Apr 19, 2010

Brick Paver Patio Repairs : Not So Easy

We are working hard on a brick paver patio repair in Ann Arbor. This paver patio is a basement walkout brick patio that has been neglected for years.  It has drastically sunk and the drain is non functional because the brick pavers are almost sunk a foot below.  The new homeowner just purchased this property and the paver patio failed the home inspection.  
                 Brick Doctor Bill is here to the rescue!


Often when I quote for brick paver repairs, homeowners believe it is an easy process to reinstall the brick pavers since they are already there.  This is far from the truth. The first step is to lift up, stack, and carry the brick pavers to a staging area. Often this is a messy and back  breaking job. Todays job was down 6 stairs and the paving stones had to be carried up.

The old brick pavers are staged in an area until the base material is properly prepped for reinstallation.  Aside from digging, the prepping steps of interlocking pavers is performed : compaction, screeding, cutting, sanding, edge restraint installation, etc..


One of the most time consuming steps in brick paver repair is the cleaning of the pavers prior to reinstalling.  The brick pavers need to be powerwashed on all sides or scraped as in this picture. Dirt, sand, or old paver sealer sticks mainly to the sides and has to be removed prior to relaying pavers. Homeowners never realize this step takes place. For the brick paver contractor, it would be easier to use new pavers at this stage. Of course, that would be an added expense for the homeowner and this cost is offset by our nominal charge.



Once the paving stones are cleaned and ready for re-installation, the brick paver stacks are then carried back to the working area and carefully placed for relaying. Today's job in Ann Arbor was grueling because we had to carry the stacks down steps to the paver patio area.  Time to take some Motrin and lay in the jacuzzi tub!