Brick Paver Contractors Retool in the Winter Wonderland

Brick Paver Repair, Cleaning, & Sealing Services are on hold until Spring

As the winter season closes in on Southeast Michigan, most brick paver contractors have stored away their brick paver tools and equipment until Spring.  They have now swapped out their concrete saws & plate compactors for snowblowers and plows.  Retooling by brick paver contractors is a yearly tradition here in Michigan, the Winter Wonderland !

As the ground begins to freeze solid and winter frost begins its annual process, most brick paver contractors completely transform their business model to snow removal services.  Unlike most regions in the country, Michigan landscape and brick paver contractors completely halt their normal business practices for over 4 months.

When you operate an outdoor installation or repair service, Mother Nature is always in control. Winter is the most challenging of the seasons. Spring brings days of rain, Summer brings days of extreme heat, Fall brings a slow down of new leads, and Winter brings brick paver repair & installations to a complete halt.  You can not reset or install pavers on frozen ground.

Since bills and payments do not come to a halt during the Winter months, contractors in Michigan need to generate some cash flow to keep their business and workers operating. Some paver contractors will do christmas light hanging, wood splitting, and general labor services to try and make ends meet.

Snow removal is a brutal business that usually does not make much profit.  It is erratic, untimely, and brutal on trucks & equipment. Most contractors perform this service to continue their cash flow and give their employees some work for the Winter.  Others look at the Winter in Michigan as a time to shut down, rest, regroup, and reorganize for the upcoming Spring rush.

Which ever business model a brick paver contractor chooses for the the Winter months, it is sure to be a challenge that many contractors throughout the country do not have to face.  They refer to the Midwest as the "rust belt" and we all do our best to keep our businesses shining!

Brick Pavers Driveway installed in Ann Arbor

Old asphalt driveway replaced with long-term Interlocking Brick Pavers

In Ann Arbor this Fall, we replaced an old dilapidated asphalt driveway that was not only unsightly, but pitched rain water back towards the garage.  There are many decisions to be made when replacing an old driveway and considering interlocking brick pavers. Brick pavers is usually your best long-term option.

It is true that interlocking brick pavers are going to be one of your more expensive options but over the course of several years, it becomes one of the most economical solutions.  When you factor in aesthetics,routine maintenance, repair & replacement costs, interlocking brick pavers will be your best long term financial option.

The biggest reason brick paver driveway installations cost more is because the base prep under the pavement far exceeds, sometimes 5 times, any prep work done for concrete, asphalt, or stamped concrete installations.  Make sure you are asking the right questions and and what are warranty periods when considering your pavement options.

We started this brick paver driveway project by doing some core tests to check the base material under the asphalt.  When I bid a brick paver driveway, I always discuss the possibility of some cost savings or additional costs due to the unforeseen conditions below.  In this case, we discovered that there was approximately 10-11 inches of gravel base under the pavement.

Since we were going to raise most of the driveway height 1-2", we were confident that there was an adequate depth of base material present for a brick paver driveway.  We did skim off the contaminated layer of  top base and installed a reinforcement layer of strata grid in the upper half of the existing base material.

We did saw-cut the garage floor to give a clean transition line for the paving stones and set the pitches to better flow surface water away from the garage.  It is always a challenge to properly channel water flow when the street is higher than the garage floor.  The homeowner really wanted to avoid the use of drains if possible and we made that happen. We properly surveyed the project to achieve maximum water flow across the surface of the paving stones.

We installed 2 large circle patterns in the middle of the pavers driveway to match their current paver patio design. We filled in the "field", the area between any designs & soldier course borders, with a random pattern to improve the weight distribution strength of the paving stones.

The final result was a dramatic transformation from the drab potholed asphalt drive they endured for many years.  They now enjoy a dry garage floor and are the envy of the neighbors.


We were able to contract a neighbor for another paver driveway transformation next Spring.  The creative design and long term performance of brick pavers is unmatched in frost states such as Michigan.

Another Case for using a Brick Paver Contractor for your Brick Paver Repair

Repair to Paver Patios & Paver Steps requires more expertise than using a Handyman

  Recently we did a paver patio and step repair in Ypsilanti.  I could not understand why the customer was so ecstatic to see us arrive.  The reason he was so glad to see us was our brick paver industry appropriate trucks, tools, and experienced crew. I do believe customer's are always happy when we come but this time it seemed exceptional. 

The homeowner informed me that he originally used one of those popular online Contractor Service referral sites.  Upon their referral, he hired this "handyman" service company which was rated high by their online service.  The homeowner was required to put down a 50% deposit one week prior to the repair services being performed.

When this handyman service company came to do the brick paver patio repairs, they pulled up in a van with ladders on top. They looked more prepared to install a light fixture than repair a pavers patio.  They also did not have any wheel barrels, plate compactor, concrete pavers saw, or base material to raise the sunken areas.


The most shocking event for the homeowner was that one of the handy men was carrying a crow bar.  While the homeowner was speaking to the foreman, the other handy man was prying on the paver steps with this crow bar trying to break it apart.  The homeowner was baffled by the foreman asking him what & how he wanted them to repair the sunken paver patio & step. The homeowner asked if they had all the necessary tools to perform this brick repair service and was told "we will get them as we need to".   All the while, the other handy man was chipping & damaging the paver steps with this crude tire iron.

The homeowner immediately asked them to stop and to refrain from performing this patio repair service. Upon better research, this homeowner contacted us for an opinion & estimate for repairing their interlocking paver patio.  The shame of it was that our price was actually lower than the estimate from the handyman service company who did not even know what they were doing.

I am constantly contacted by these nationally known online contractor referral sites.  The reason I do NOT participate is because they do not do a thorough job of screening businesses for particular repair work.  Sure they make you supply the proper business & liability insurance and licensing ( if applicable) but they do not check out your quality of work or business practices.  They are known for signing up "jack of all trades" contractors who do not specialize in the specific repair area they are referred too.  Basically, if a contractor is willing to pay a fee for the referrals, they suddenly become a "qualified" and "reputable" business in your area.

You can easily do your own FREE local web search by putting in "brick paver repair (city you live in)" as the keyword phrase to get some local results.  You sitll have to do your homework by checking out each estimator's references, insurance coverage, and licensing ( if applicable).