Small Brick Paver Walkway Installed in old neighborhood in Ann Arbor

Clay Pavers over Cement slab and bordered with wood timbers are replaced

This week in near downtown Ann Arbor we replaced an old clay paver walkway that was installed over the old cement slab walk and bordered with wood landscape timbers. This was a cosmetic solution by the prior owner to dress up the curb appeal of the home to sell, but over the long-term this application was going to fail.

  The old existing walkway was showing signs of distress and becoming unsightly. The cement slab below would heave up the clay pavers during winter frost and the wood landscape timbers began to rot & bow.  Since the clay pavers were not set over a properly draining base, they did not properly perform and became uneven, loose, and gapped.

 The new homeowner wanted to improve the appearance of her home and at the same time, remove the small step up at the city sidewalk that was causing tripping.   The new homeowner wanted to use a style of brick paver that was traditional to the theme of old Ann Arbor. I suggested we use the most traditional shape, 4X8 inch rectangle, laid in a popular herringbone pattern.  The outside edges are outlined with a soldier course border to "picture frame" the walk and prevent small cut pieces to come loose.



  We removed the clay pavers which were in great structural shape and donated them to a local youth camp.  The old cement slab was removed and the soil was excavated to the proper depth. The excavated soil was compacted, the base material was installed & compacted, and  the bedding course was leveled and pitched properly.  The new high density concrete interlocking pavers were installed in a soft curved design and flared at the city sidewalk.

This small brick pavers walkway is a simple and affordable solution to improve the appearance, safety, and value of a home. Front walkways are a integral part of any home's curb appeal and lure. Choosing interlocking brick pavers as a replacement of old concrete sidewalks is a feasible and economical solution.

Brick Paver Path and Step solves a problem

Interlocking Pavers have many uses

This customer had a problem with an area on the side of the house that would not grow grass. This area was also used by their lawn service company to enter & exit the backyard.  This problem area was always muddy and had ruts from the riding mowers.

The customer needed a solution for the lawn service company's access and they wanted a decorative appearance for this area.  Mulch, ground cover, or grass was not a viable option. The solution:  A brick paverpaver step path & off the porch would meet both the customer's needs.

Brick pavers are not always the most economical solution but they give added aesthetic and functional value that is unmatched.  We kept the overall price down by using the brick paver manufacturers overstock pavers and mixed colors too. The color mix of the paving stones gave a unique autumn color appearance.  We also laid a simple 90 degree herringbone pattern with a soldier course border and this kept the need for saw cutting to a minimum.

The paver step was added off the side of the front porch to facilitate the use of the brick paver path by the homeowner.  We finished off the inside of this paver path with a brick on edge along the inside of the paving stones to create a lip for mulch and soil around the plants.

The hidden gem here was that the customer now uses this brick paver path to receive packages in the back for their home business. Pavers can be a great solution for problems you have never thought of before.  We have created columns & pillars, grills and fireplaces, fire pits, driveway strips along the outside of concrete drives, sandboxes, and more!


 Did you know that paving stones can bring your unsightly porch back to life?  There are many different applications for porches and that will be demonstrated & explained in a future post.