Push to complete Fall Brick Paver Restorations in Full Gear

Completing Paver Repairs prior to Winter in Michigan is Essential

Our Fall season push for completing Brick Paver repair, sanding, cleaning, and sealing is in full gear.  Fall restoration of paver patios, walkways, driveways, paver steps, etc.. is essential to be completed prior to late Fall rains & Winter ground frost.  Both rain and ground frost are the biggest contributors to expanding the occurrence and size of paver repairs.

Compromised or settled brick pavers & retaining walls are stretched to their limits if left unattended or not properly reset.  Water flowing into settled pavers areas & paver joints results in face paced erosion and further damage.  Winter ground frost will heave and expand the structure and if the brick pavers or retaining walls are not properly set,  the whole interlocking paver system will begin to fail.

Before

When I am bidding in the Fall, I often hear the response from homeowners that "we may wait until next Spring to have this done".  This can be a costly mistake.  Aside from the compromised areas increasing in size and thus more labor or material costs, Fall prices are usually less than Spring prices for services.  Most brick paver and landscape contractors in Michigan are slowing up in demand for services in the Fall.  Once Spring arrives, the demand is incredibly high and the pencil is not so sharp! 

After

I also explain to my customers that usually after Jan 1, our renewals for businesss, auto, workmans comp,& liability insurance occur. These costs are always rising.  Crew member wages usually increase beginning each Spring too. Labor is the largest cost variable in our brick paver services.

This past week we performed some brick pavers restorations that not only improved the performance & appearance of their pavers, but insured that their cost for repairs will not increase by waiting until Spring.  When Spring arrives, these homeowners will enjoy their newly restored pavers and not have to wait to have done when the weather breaks.  Most important is the cost savings having done in the Fall versus the Spring!

Brick Pavers Repair, Cleaning, & Sealing Peaking this Summer

This past week we completed some intricate brick pavers repair, cleaning, and sealing jobs that restored some of the original beauty & function. Each of these brick paver installations have been installed over 10 years.  After we completed our restoration service, they all looked like they had been installed yesterday!

With high school graduations, weddings, and parties an integral part of Summer events, restoration of brick pavers patios, walks, driveways, and pool areas are at an all time high request for us brick paver contractors.  Balancing needs with budgets is always a challenge for homeowners but an optimum plan of attack has always been manageable.

Each paver restoration project this week required some extensive and touch-up repairs of areas that had failed or where neglected over time. Each project was power washed & cleaned and paver joints were restored. 

The  "coup de gras" was each project was sealed with an approved brick paver sealant to enhance the color and give the brick pavers the much popular "wet look" appearance.

 Each homeowner has committed themselves to a routine maintenance program that will insure long-term performance and appearance.  Minimal routine paver services will help avoid any costly future restoration needs. We educated these homeowners about simple steps to take to maintain the appearance of their pavers and explained the need to observe the signs of distress that may lead to future expensive repairs if not addressed early.

Checklist for Hiring a Brick Paver Contractor

Brick Pavers are NOT Landscaping so do not treat them as such

This February in Ann Arbor, there is no snow on the ground and the temperatures are in the 40's. Currently there is no frost in the ground and if I had just popped out of a hole like Punxsutawney Phil, I would believe it was already Spring in Southeast Michigan.

Leads for brick paver repair, cleaning, sealing, installation, and restoration projects have begun early this Winter and its time to give homeowner's a checklist for hiring a professional, experienced, & qualified brick paver contractor.First and foremost, it is important to hire a brick paver specialist for brick paver patios, steps, walks, driveways, porches, etc.. and not a contractor who performs it as one of their many "jack-of-all-trade" services.

Performing your due diligence as a consumer will help you to avoid the unnecessary pitfalls experienced by homeowner's who rush to make quick decisions or are being pressured by scrupulous contractors. For long-term success and enjoyment, it is important to factor in many other variables other than price in making your final decision on which brick paver specialist to hire.

Below is a helpful checklist to use in selecting a contractor to perform your brick paver or retaining wall services:

Experience
Nothing replaces experience when it comes to installing, repairing, cleaning & sealing, and maintaining brick pavers and modular retaining walls.  There are many years of feedback from installation techniques and product performances that can not be learned from seminars, print media, or videos.  I believe a minimum of 10 years of performing brick paver services is required to gain enough feedback to fine tune techniques & design strategies.

 Insured
Make sure any contractor you hire will, upon request, supply you with proof of insurance.  They should have both Liability Insurance for any damages they may cause and also Workmans Compensation.  Workmans Compensation covers the employees if they are injured on your property.  In the state of Michigan, if a worker is injured on your property, and the contractor does not have coverage, you can and most likely will be held liable.  Your best defense is to have a copy of an Insurance Binder from the contractor and make sure you check the effective dates.

Licensed
A qualified brick paver contractor will have a valid Michigan Builders License. Most brick paver and retaining wall applications do not require a permit. This is one of the great advantages of paving stones & modular wall blocks & caps over other products such as decks, concrete, and asphalt. Most cities have adopted building codes that do NOT exempt brick pavers or modular retaining walls from adhering to these codes.  When it comes to raised patios, steps, driveways, egress windows, porches, etc.. it is in your best interest to hire a licensed contractor. A landscape license is not sufficient.

Prompt & Timely
A professional contractor will be prompt for your appointment. It shows respect for your time. If they were running behind, did they call to let you know?  Did they return your contact by phone or email within 24 hours (48 hours on the weekend)?  Were they able to offer you reasonable time frame for the work to be performed if you were to hire their services. Make sure that even if you are hire for brick paver repair, restoration, cleaning, sealing, & maintenance services, that your project has the same scheduling priority as installation projects. For most homeowners, timeliness is one of the most important aspects when selecting a contractor. Keep in mind that time of year can fluctuate due to demand. Spring and early Summer is high demand in Michigan and Fall is usually low demand.

Educating
Most homeowners should be able to select the best contractor that educates them about the products, designs, and options that best meet their needs and budgets.  A good brick paver contractor can map out a economical plan that can be carried out in stages if needed.  A contractor that is only interested in hitting the "home run" is short sighted and does not serve your purpose for the long run.  Brick pavers and modular retaining walls require routine maintenance over the years and a long-term relationship between homeowner and contractor can be beneficial.

Listens & Communicates
Nothing is more aggravating then when a contractor does not listen to what you want or need. It's aggravating to receive a quote that is not what you where looking to get done. A good contractor will not try to push unnecessary services. Upselling is a turn off !  A good contractor will listen to what the customer wants and make good suggestions and recommendations to meet those expectations.  Its fine to supply additional cost options for additional services as long as they are separately itemized out on the proposal.  It's just as important for a contractor to communicate how & when you will receive your quote, keep you posted on the status of your project, and when you can expect completion of the project.

I have found over the many years that most true brick paver contractors price within hundreds of dollars of each other. We are all very competitive when comparing apples-with-apples. I feel that specialized brick paver contractors are more efficient and streamlined to the techniques, tools, and equipment for paving stones and modular retaining wall blocks.  I do find that larger contractors with big names and huge overhead quote inflated prices for brick pavers.

When making a final selection on a brick paver contractor, make sure you use all the checklist variables listed above, not just price, to make an educated conclusion. I hope this post will help you avoid the many pitfalls that many homeowner's make each Spring when the weather breaks and we come out of our hole!

November Brick Paver Tip: Remove Leaves

Simple Brick Paver Maintenance steps will help you avoid unnecessary costs

As leaves fall from trees & bushes here in November, remember to remove them from your brick paver patios, walkways, driveways, porches, and more. Easily blow them off with a leaf blower or sweep off with a broom. Try to get this paver maintenance tip done before it begins to snow.

  Most people think it is because of the obvious reason for leaf stains. Leaf stains will usually disappear from high density concrete pavers in the Spring as the acid from the stain wears off. So do not worry about leaf stains this time of year if you see them already.

The biggest reason you should remove leaves from your brick pavers is the fact that leaves break down into compost, in other words, dirt & soil.  This organic transformation will fill paver joints with unwanted soil that will restrict drainage through the pavers and aid in the germination of weeds & grass. 

In the Spring I can usually identify the areas where leaves collected on paver patios and walkways going into the winter by observing the dirt stains areas in corners or along landscape beds.  It will require cleaning of the paving stone surfaces and paver joints to remove this organic matter. 

Simply blowing or sweeping leaves off brick pavers in the Fall will save time from performing this avoidable paver maintenance step in the Spring.

Paver Patios Repair, Cleaning, and Sealing

Paver Patios restored to original beauty will bring many years of enjoyment again

This past week we restored several brick paver patios to their original beauty and function. These paver patios needed minor repairs, cleaning, sanding, and sealing to bring back the life and appearance these homeowners once enjoyed.

A few homeowners thought they needed to replace their old paving stones with new ones to get the appearance they wanted. I was able to assure them that a less expensive option was available.  We repaired settled areas as needed, cleaned the paving stones & joints to bring back some color & texture, and then completed the paver restoration process with sealing the paving stones with a long lasting and approved paver sealer.

Some other homeowners had tried to restore or repair their own paver patios but without the results that an experienced brick paver contractor can return.  I commend their effort but if you are not patient, experienced, or have the proper tools, the paver patio restoration results will fall short. 

If you are discouraged with your brick paver patio, walk, steps, porch, driveway, etc.. due to its unsightly appearance, don't fret!  They can be restored and made beautiful again. Call a qualified brick paver contractor today to see your options and associated costs.

Completion of Boulder Raised Paver Patio and Steps

Raised Brick Paver Patios have many options to choose from for construction

When designing a Raised Brick Paver Patio, a good qualified brick paver specialist will consider many options for materials & products to achieve a homeowner's needs & appearance. This homeowner in Ypsilanti, MI wanted a more natural and random appearance to their paver patio & steps. The combination of fieldstone boulders, tumbled pavers, sienna steps, and modular retaining wall blocks & caps achieved this objective.

A properly installed raised paver patio & paver steps begin literally "from the ground up".  The first setting of the bottom wall block, boulder, or step stone must be determined properly because it will set the finished height of the doorwall step, brick paver patio, or interior planting beds.  Through continued checking, forethought, and calculations, an experienced & knowledgeable brick paver contractor will be able to achieve success.

Brick Pavers require proper compaction of base materials to help insure long-term success & appearance.  I have witnessed many landscape contractors just filling up the gravel behind the modular retaining wall system or boulder walls without compacting in 4-5" lifts.  When they complete the job, everything looks fine. But over several months & years, the entire paver patio will begin to settle resulting in negative water flow, erosion, gapping, and in some severe conditions, collapsing. 

Whether you use a modular retaining wall block & cap system, boulders, timbers, or stacked flagstone, for a raised paver patio installation, it is imperative that a geo-textile blanket be installed behind the patio retaining wall.  This filter fabric material should allow moisture to go through but help reduce any base material from seeping through the walls.  If base materials seep through the walls, settling & erosion will quickly deteriorate the performance of your paver patio installation.

This raised boulder wall patio is a common concept in the industry but is usually poorly executed by many contractors.  Boulders or stacked stone offer their own unique challenges of construction.  Unlike modular retaining wall blocks & caps, natural stone does not have set measurements to go by when constructing such a challenging patio installation.  One must channel their "artistic" mind instead of their "engineering" self.  The beauty is that the two mind sets can achieve a functional, unique, and ascetically pleasing result.

Most of the raised brick paver patio repair work we perform daily is from the complete disregard by installing contractors from properly compacting and using the right materials for the job.  Blocks & caps are not used properly or incorrectly made to fit resulting in poor cuts, appearance, function, strength, and performance.

Though we started with a scaled drawing as our beginning reference, many adjustments are needed due to the variances in products.  This is one main reason why experienced and knowledgeable brick paver contractors are needed for your interlocking brick paver & retaining wall installations.  There is no better value than foresight & perseverance.  Repair, installation, cleaning & sealing of brick pavers, retaining walls, and pavers steps ALL have unique & custom challenges.

This raised brick paver patio was installed in 4 days by an experienced crew, proper tools & equipment, efficient site planning, and a functional & aesthetically pleasing design.  Most contractors can do "flat work" (on the ground) installations, but when it comes to more complex raised paver patios & paver steps, a qualified brick paver specialist is a must!

Raised paver patios & steps require some minimal maintenance over time, but the aesthetic and functional value out weighs any other products in the patio market.  Poor contractor installation and homeowner neglect are the only things to fear.  Start with a qualified brick paver specialist to design, install, and perform on-going maintenance services. Then as a diligent homeowner, keep an eye on signs of movement & failure and address them as they appear and most of all, keep your paver joints filled with joint sand!

Brick Paver Driveway need is easily resolved

Driveways constructed from Interlocking Pavers allow for easy maintenance solutions

In Ann Arbor this past week one of our brick paver driveway repair & maintenance customers had a unique request.  They wanted us to improve the appearance & curb appeal of their paver driveway and replace a dozen damaged paving stones. Though we did not initially install this 5,000 sq.ft. paving stone driveway, we have been contracted to perform ongoing maintenance services.

The original brick pavers contractor did not leave the homeowner any extra paving stones for future replacement of damaged or stained bricks.  This customers brick paver driveway was a special run of color and buying extra pavers was not available.  The resolution for this special need was then conceived.

We decided to create a design within the paver driveway that would allow us to obtain extra needed paving stones for current & future replacement and at the same time, rejuvenate the curb appeal at the street.

We removed @100 sq.ft area of Cobblestone pavers at the bottom of the driveway and installed a traditional and distinctive herringbone pattern using Holland pavers. The herringbone pattern is a strong lock up design and is a perfect application for brick paver driveways. We then replaced a few damaged & stained paving stones and stored the rest neatly in the homeowners garage. 


We will be returning later this Spring to power wash clean the entire brick paver driveway and paver joints, re-sweep new paver joint sand, and then apply an approved brick paver sealant. It is important to have a brick pavers contractor who performs ongoing maintenance services so they can resolve your special paver needs.